Contents:
- Medical Video: Mayo Clinic Minute: The benefits of beets
- What are the benefits and nutrients of beetroot?
- Nutrition contained in beets
- Benefits of beets for health
- 1. Contains many antioxidants in it
- 2. Natural detox for the body (kidneys and liver)
- 3. Can prevent hypertension
- 4. Increase stamina, the ideal food for athletes
- 5. Prevent anemia
- 6. Reduces digestive problems
- 7. Suitable for those who want to lose weight
- 8. Overcome the problem of dandruff
- 9. Natural food coloring
- 10. Natural hair dyes
- Beet leaves are also useful
- How do you cook or process beetroot?
- But, also note the following points before consuming beetroot
Medical Video: Mayo Clinic Minute: The benefits of beets
Beetroot is a plant that comes from the family Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae. That is, beetroot is still one family with radish vegetables and other rooted vegetables. Generally, this fruit is only used by its roots which feel sweet for medicinal health. But over time, the fruit flesh and leaves are also consumed.
Beetroot was first consumed by people in Africa thousands of years ago. Its fruit roots are so popular that they spread to Asia and Europe. Then, these people cultivate and consume it in their area.
From the 16th century to the 19th century, beets were used to obtain several benefits. For example, fruit juice is used as food coloring. While the sugar content in the fruit is used as a sweetener mixture in food and drinks. Moreover, around the 19th century, this fruit began to be used as a mixture of ingredients to extract and purify sugar made from sugar cane.
What are the benefits and nutrients of beetroot?
Beetroot or red beetroot is a kind of reddish purple tuber. The shape resembles a potato and the benefits of beetroot are also found in the roots and stems. Usually the beetroot is consumed by juicing or processed again into a meal with a soft texture.
Even though the leaves can be cooked into vegetables, beets are better known for their tubers which contain many health benefits. Beets contain high carbohydrates but the fat, calories and protein content is very low.
So it is very good for those who are on a diet program. Betasianin content (purple pigment) and betasantin (yellow pigment) which is found in the beetroot that makes the color red to purplish red. Because of this thick color, beets are also often used as natural food coloring.
This fruit is often found in America and England, but if you want to buy it can be obtained at the supermarket. Come on, see the myriad of benefits of beets for the body in the explanation below.
Nutrition contained in beets
In the beetroot we can find a number of nutrients as follows:
- Folic acid
- Kaliumen
- Fiber
- Vitamin C
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Phosphor
- Tryptophan
- Caumarin
- Betasianin
Benefits of beets for health
1. Contains many antioxidants in it
Antioxidants are compounds that help neutralize the entry of harmful free radicals in the body. Antioxidants can also prevent oxidative stress and damage the good cells in your body.
In addition, several studies have found that antioxidants can protect the body against many types of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
The benefits of beets naturally are also found in the high content of phytonutrients to fight diseases, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In fact, beets are considered to be one source of fruit containing phytonutrients, namely, betalain. Betalain is good for lightening skin tone. It is also able to help protect some types of cancer and other diseases in your body.
2. Natural detox for the body (kidneys and liver)
The body can actually remove toxins (detox) by itself, this happens naturally to prevent you from poisoning. First, there is a kidney detox organ that functions to filter blood and produce urine.
Then there are the lungs which function to remove carbon dioxide from the inhaled oxygen. There is a skin that functions to push poisons and other harmful particles out through the pores. Furthermore, there are also hearts that play an important role in detoxification, namely by removing toxins and other harmful substances from the blood.
To encourage the body to expel toxins, beets are able to help some of these organs, especially the kidneys and liver, to keep working optimally. This was found from research in Poland.
This study tested a mouse given beetroot, the rat had previously suffered damage to the cells in his body. After being routinely given beets, research published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that these mice became healthier.
These results were found in the bodies of mice which showed that the levels of their enzymes were good and the detox organs in their bodies became maximal working to remove toxins in the body due to the consumption of beetroot. Do not forget also the consumption of a combination of beet juice, carrots and cucumbers, is one of the best ways to clean the kidneys and liver from poisons that are buried in both organs.
3. Can prevent hypertension
Significantly proven, drinking juice from these beetroot tubers decreases high blood pressure. The content of nitrate which is also found in green leafy vegetables, lowers blood pressure.
The results of research conducted by Barts and London School of Medicine and also the Peninsula Medical School suggest this inexpensive way to reduce hypertension. According to Prof. Amrita Ahluwalia from Barts & London School of Medicine, drinking beet juice and other vegetables that are rich in nitrate will maintain heart health.
4. Increase stamina, the ideal food for athletes
Research from Exter University in the United Kingdom states that drinking beet juice can help people who exercise, usually for athletes, become 16 percent stronger and stamina because the nitrate content can reduce the burning of oxygen in exercise, so that tiredness can decrease.
Beetroot has been proven to have benefits from one athlete's diet. This is because the nitrate content has been proven to make cells better at producing energy in the body, so that it can improve performance.
In addition, a trial study in 2011 found that consuming beet juice on a regular basis can increase a person's energy and stamina to 2.8 percent more energy.
Other studies have also shown that nitrate supplementation can reduce fatigue during exercise and can strengthen high-intensity exercises, suitable for athletes.
5. Prevent anemia
This reddish fruit is often associated with the color of blood, so it is used to overcome problems anemia. Actually, overcoming anemia is a high iron content, which reactivates and regenerates red blood cells and supplies oxygen that is useful for the health of red blood cells.
6. Reduces digestive problems
Beetroot is a fiber-rich fruit that provides 3.8 grams of one serving of beetroot cups. The fiber content serves to help food move through the digestive gut. Fiber can also help soften feces, so you can make your bowel movements or bowel movements comfortable, healthy, and organized.
A study found that the intake of fiber in fruit can make the level of defecation in people who have constipation, or difficulty defecating, become smooth. However, not only that, other studies have also shown that fiber intake from the benefits of beet fruit is also beneficial for digestive health in other ways as well and can protect conditions such as infections of the intestines, hemorrhoids and GERD or stomach acid.
If you experience digestive problems, nausea, pain, or diarrhea, you can drink beet juice mixed with carrots with one tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. Drinking beet juice mixed with one tablespoon of honey in the morning before breakfast will help reduce bloating in the stomach.
7. Suitable for those who want to lose weight
Apart from containing lots of nutrients, beets contain a lot of fiber but are low in calories. This is a good source of food, if you are on a diet program or want to lose weight. In fact, each cup of beet contains as much as 59 calories and 3.8 grams of fiber, or the equivalent of 15 percent of the fiber you need throughout the day.
When you consume fiber, the fiber will move slowly in the digestive tract. Fiber is what helps you to resist hunger and can stay full. According to one study in Boston, fiber intake of 14 grams per day can reduce daily calorie intake to 10 percent, you know. Not infrequently also, the result is your body weight can slowly shrink to 4 pounds for 4 months if you regularly consume beetroot and eat healthy foods.
8. Overcome the problem of dandruff
To solve the problem dandruff on your beautiful hair, try boiling it with a little bit, then applying it and gently massaging it on the scalp. Leave overnight wrapped in a towel. The next day, rinse and shampoo.
9. Natural food coloring
The betanin content that produces bright red can be used for natural food coloring, such as ice cream, wet cakes or pastries, and jelly.
10. Natural hair dyes
If you are going to dye your hair with henna powder, try choosing black and then mixed with red beetroot juice. The result, your hair will be black with burgundy and natural gradations. Healthier and still naturally beautiful.
Beet leaves are also useful
In addition to the roots and fruit flesh, it turns out the beet leaves are also useful and can be consumed, you know. This reddish purple fruit leaf containsimportant nutrients such as protein, phosphorus, zinc, fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper. In addition, the leaves are also a large amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron.
Beet leaves actually have more iron than iron in spinach (other leafy greens in the same botanical family). Then, the nutritional value is also higher than nutrition in the roots or in the flesh itself. Here are some of the benefits of the leaves:
- Help ward off osteoporosis by increasing bone strength
- Fight Alzheimer's disease
- Strengthens your immune system by stimulating the production of antibodies and white blood cells
How do you cook or process beetroot?
There are many ways to cook or process beets. One of them can be eaten raw, put in stir-fry or recipes, or even baked.
If you eat raw beets, they have a texture that is rather hard but slightly sweet. Usually, people add beets to salads or as a mixture of their smoothies. By eating the beetroot raw, you can get the overall nutrients from the beet naturally.
Besides being eaten raw, you can also mix the beets as other ingredients in your cooking mixture. When you cook beets, the texture of the meat will become softer and slightly sweeter. This fruit is often used with cheese or using balsamic vinegar.
Roasting beets can also provide a stronger sweet sensation. Because the sugar content in baked beets can be an original caramel liquid directly from sweet beet sugar.
Besides being roasted, beets can also be boiled or steamed. It is important to note, that cooking, baking, or boiling the beets for too long can make some of the nutrients in them disappear. Either way, don't cook until it's too ripe, put the beets when the dish is almost ready to cook
This is useful for preventing oxidation and maximizing the nutritional value of your beets. Also, choose fresh bits, or pickled beets to get maximum nutritional benefits.
But, also note the following points before consuming beetroot
Although there are many benefits to bits, there are a number of things to consider when consuming beets. Although rare, some people may be allergic to beetroot. If you experience symptoms of a food allergy such as itching, itching or swelling, stop using the bits immediately and talk to your doctor.
In addition, remember that beets are one of the vegetables that contain high sugar. Eating one cup of beetroot can have a negative effect on increasing blood sugar levels. Therefore, not infrequently because of the high sugar content, beets are usually used in the production of refined sugar, called "sugar beet" or "beet juice vapor".
This type of sugar undergoes a fairly high chemical process and can even damage or eliminate the nutritional content of the beet itself. So it's important to pay attention to the bits that are processed and consumed. Beet sugar made from beet extract is also as dangerous as other types of refined sugar, such as white cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Then what about the bits produced in cans? Canned beets can be a good option if fresh beets are not available, but it is important to remember that these bits contain only a few micronutrients, including folate and potassium. They may also have higher sodium content. The tip is to clean canned beetroot with water before consuming it. This aims to eliminate the excess salt content in canned fruit.
