Beetroot is a multipurpose vegetable commonly known as beet. It is always great to add fruits and vegetables to your diet that are rich in nutrients and help maintain a healthy lifestyle. They will provide your body with all the nutritional values essential for growth and health.
However, beetroot is one of them. It is rich in nutrients and adds amazing earthy flavour to your food. Beet can be consumed raw, cooked, or in the form of juice to your taste.
Beetroot has an incredible red colour with an earthy and crunchy taste to it, which makes beetroot a bossy vegetable, as it can take over the dish completely. Beet comes from the family Amaranthaceae, and it is the same as spinach and chard.
It is also called a superfood, as the roots and leaves of beetroot are edible and are also rich in minerals, nutrients, and vitamins from the plant compounds. It can be consumed as pickled beetroot, roasted, steamed, and juice. Beetroot powder is also a way we can add beetroot to our daily lives.
10 Health perks of beetroot
As well as adding a pop of colour to your dish, beetroot is highly nutrient-rich and a healthy plant compound. It is easy to add beetroot to your diet, and with taste, it brings health benefits to your table. Some of the beetroot benefits include:
1. Nutritional values of beetroot
Beetroot is considered a superfood because of the nutritional value it provides; the red part of the beet plant has been used in cooking and medicines since ancient times. It is a worldwide famous plant; it has a sweet and earthy taste with a powerful aroma.
Beet is low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. Beetroot is a rich source of healthy nutrients that are beneficial to the human body. Some of the nutrients are listed below with their importance in your body:
Iron: It is an important mineral for the human body, as it helps with the growth and development of your body. Iron is used by your body to make protein and haemoglobin in red blood cells, which carry oxygen in your body from the lungs to all the other parts.
Vitamin A: It helps maintain healthy bones, teeth, and soft tissue. It is also beneficial for your skin's mucus membranes and iron metabolism. Vitamin A promotes healthy eyes and good eyesight, especially in low light.
Vitamin K: It is a fat-soluble vitamin which helps in a blood clot, or coagulate. Vitamin K get store in your body in liver and fat tissues, and is important for strong bones.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an important vitamin for the growth and repair of tissues in all body parts. It also improves the immune system and is good for the nervous system. Your body also needs Vitamin C to repair and heal wounds and maintain bones and teeth.
Potassium: Potassium helps the body support the nervous system, allows nerves to stimulate and contract, and is also used in the heart. It reduces the effect of sodium on the body and controls blood pressure. It helps cells to throw toxins out of cells.
Folic acid: Folic acid is very important for brain development and plays an important role in emotional and mental health. It is also important for cell and tissue production, and it is especially important for pregnant ladies.
Phosphorus: Phosphorus is a mineral your body needs for the growth, repair and maintenance of cells and tissues. It works wonders for bones and teeth. The human body also needs phosphorus for the production of the genetic building blocks, RNA and DNA.
2. Beetroot for digestive health
Beetroot is a rich fibers vegetable with amino acid, which is an essential compound for your digestion. Beet is an amazing tool for fighting against gastrointestinal issues and constipation and even helps to regulate bowel movement. By adding beetroot in your diet you can improve your gut health. Moreover fiber is also beneficial for fighting against chronic diseases.
3. Beetroot: An antioxidant-rich superfood
Beetroot is an excellent source of antioxidant compounds that stop free radicals from overproduction. An unhealthy lifestyle like stress, poor diet, alcohol and anxiety/stress can increase the production of free radicals on a double level.
However, your body produces free radicals as a by-product of chemical reactions, and it is important to ensure a steady supply of free radicals, as that keeps things in balance. Leaves and roots of beetroot are rich in nutrients, which have antioxidants that help fight cell damage and reduce the risk of heart disease.
4. Managing blood pressure with beetroot
Beetroot is naturally high in nitric acid, which boosts the level of nitric oxide in your body and helps lower blood pressure. Nitric oxide is a type of gas naturally present in the human body, that tell our human body to increase blood flow, vessel to expand and helps in lowering blood pressure. Drinking beetroot juice daily in a moderate amount can works amazing in blood pressure control and it have potassium and other minerals too that helps in managing blood pressure level.
5. Beetroot for heart health
Consuming beetroot can have many health benefits, one of which is heart health, as beetroot improves blood circulation and blood pressure. It is rich in vitamin B9, which helps in cell growth and function. It is shown that folate (Vitamin B9) plays an important role in controlling damage to blood vessels and lowers your risk of getting heart disease or stroke. However, nitric acid in beetroot helps with muscle power. It also includes muscles in our hearts.
6. Beetroot’s impact on brain health
As we get older, our brains get smaller, and not only that, but even the blood flow to the brains decreases. Due to this, cognitive functions of the brain naturally decline with age.
To improve your brain health, memory power, and learning capacity, try beetroot, as it is said that nitric in beetroot helps in improving brain functions and promotes dilated blood vessels that allow better blood flow to the brain. It improves the blood flow to the frontal lobe of the brain, which helps with a higher level of thinking and decision-making. Beets also help in reducing the risk of dementia.
7. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent
Beetroot has anti-inflammatory properties that are better than those of synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs. Beet is one of the few plants that contain betalains, which give yellow and red colour to beetroot and also have the potential to reduce inflammation in the human body.
The anti-inflammatory properties of beetroot are beneficial for other health-related issues, like chronic inflammation related to heart disease, cancer, liver disease and obesity. At the same time, our immune system has a response to short-term inflammation to protect our body from any kind of damage and infection.
8. Beetroot: A natural energy booster
Beetroot acts as a natural energy booster; it allows your blood to flow faster and provides more oxygen to your muscles during a workout. Beets have nitrate, which helps improve the efficiency of mitochondria in your body and increases energy production for a better workout. Athletes drink beetroot juice for a few hours for better performance.
Beetroot has amazing nutrient properties, and when added to your daily diet, it balances your diet; beet is low in calories and high in water. However, beetroot is low in calories and has a moderate amount of protein and fibre.
9. Beetroot for glowing skin
To make your skin glow and improve skin health, you should try beetroot, as beetroot has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help with glowing skin and slow down the ageing process. All the nutrients from beetroot contribute to a healthy skin texture, such as Vitamin C and betalains. Vitamin C helps to protect your skin cells from UV radiation and is also important for skin firmness. Meanwhile, minerals like copper help with skin pigmentation.
Other than consuming beetroot you can also apply beetroot directly on your skin. Beetroot can be used as face mask for dull skin and is also used in lip bam to get rid of pigmented lips. Some people used beetroot as organic blush for fresh looking skin. Eating or applying beetroot both works wonder for glowing skin and skin texture.
10. Beetroot’s role in detoxification
Beetroot works as a natural detoxifier that promotes a healthy liver and detoxes the blood. As beets are high in fibre, they develop the growth of good bacteria in your gut, help pass stool, and reduce the risk of constipation.
Having healthy bacteria in your gut will help you fight diseases and improve your immune system; it will also help in reducing fatty deposits in the liver. Betalains in beet help purify blood, liver and skin. However, it will boost the normal function of your body and increase body metabolism.
Conclusion:
Beetroot is a tasty and healthy vegetable; it is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It is an easy vegetable; you can eat beetroot raw in salads, smoothies, juices or roasted as a side dish.
The health benefits of beetroot include the prevention of heart diseases and stroke, increased stamina from exercise, and lower blood pressure. However, you can enjoy the health benefits of beetroot in any way you like; it is a root vegetable and works wonders for your health.
