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JessiccaBeetroot – the wonder root ?
October 10th 2006 06:15
I didn’t really look into this vegetable… or more to say, root, until I was talking to my friend on Skype and he was telling me how delicious beetroot soup he had last night. And then, it struck me when one of my close friends invited me over for dinner and she cooled beetroot soup and kept telling me to have more because it’s good for health.
This inspired me to dig a little deeper and get to know more about beetroot, and true enough, I found some pretty interesting articles about beetroot, and moreover, it is one of the recommended vegetables in the Internet for gout patients.
The truth about Beetroot
Article compiled and extracted from The A to Z of Natural foods and femail.com.au
Many people are of the belief that Beetroot is good for the blood. In fact, it is not correct. Of course beetroot is good for you yet it is not high in iron so it will not help prevent anaemia, which many believe it will do. Beetroot's main benefits are that it contains no fat, very few calories and is a great source of fibre.
Beetroot has for many years been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe. Specific anti-carcinogens are bound to the red colouring matter, which supposedly helps fight against cancer and beetroot also increases the uptake of oxygen by as much as 400 percent. Additional studies are taking place to add support to these claims.
Nutrient Contents
Beetroot: potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur and silicon, some iron, vitamin A
The green leafy part of the beetroot is also of nutritional value containing beta-carotene and other carotenoids, (Carotenoid refers to plant pigments - of which there is a family of about 600 different types. All these function acts as antioxidants. The yellow, orange, and many of the red pigments in fruits, vegetables, and plant materials are usually carotenoids.) This part of the beet also contains lots of folate, iron, potassium and some vitamin C.
The roots and greens therefore are great for women in general and for those planning pregnancy. Try eating the leaves and stalk boiled or steam and accompany with other more flavoursome vegies like onions and garlic. Or chop finely and add to quiches or stir-fries.
There are other articles that claim the goodness of beetroot that can ease the pain for gout patients and serves as a high fibre diet.
Fresh beetroot
Beetroot can be eaten raw. You just need to peel it and it's ready to use. Beetroot can add a refreshing touch to a salad, a sandwich (try it with cheese!) or as an accompaniment to other vegies...
Try:
- grating it finely to add to other vegetables
- mix grated beetroot with raspberry vinegar
- mix grated beetroot, grated orange rind and orange juice
- plain grated beetroot is great on hamburgers
Cooked beetroot
Usually when you buy fresh beetroot it will still have the leaves and stalks attached. To cook the beetroot simply cut off the stalks but make sure you leave some of the stalk in tact. By doing this it will help to stop the beetroot from losing it's colour when you cook it and helps to hold in the nutrients.
Beetroot can be steamed or cooked in boiling water. Cooking time can be from 20 to 50 minutes depending on the size of the beetroot. Test the beetroot with a skewer: when it's soft, remove it from the heat and cool it under running water - this will make the skin easier to remove for serving.
You can serve cooked beetroot:
as a hot vegetable accompaniment to a meal; or
allow it to cool and slice it to put on a homemade burger.
Cut into cubes and stir-fry it with some steamed cubed potatoes and pumpkin. Add a little garlic and some diced onions – this makes a delicious vegetable dish to serve with the rest of your meal.
Important Note!
There are also articles on the Internet promoting to AIDS patients to consume beetroot, garlic, onions, and herbs in order to “cure” their disease. In fact, though beetroot is no doubt has different nutrients but it doesn’t mean that it will cure AIDS patients. It might increase the immune system, but so far there isn’t a distinct intake / medication that can really cure this disease.
Although there are claims that beetroot does help to ease the pain for many gout patients, it doesn’t mean all gout patients have the same effect, because the sweet contents in beetroot might cause more harm than help. Consult with your doctor if you feel that you want to give it a try on beetroot.
After all, it’s a good vegetable for many.
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jessicca
Learning Something Everyday
The only thing is sweeter beetroot does promote your body to produce more acid and that will not be too good for serious gout patients.
Not to say that you don't eat at all, but just to lessen the frequency of eating.
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
I enjoyed this article. Recently I wrote an article on Winter Vegetables for Australian Nature and Health and I featured a few popluar winter vegies in it. I'm thinking now I could have chosen the beetroot. It is an old favourite in Russian Borst Soup - one of my favourites.
I'll go and try your beetroot recipie now and compare.
Lilla
Comment by Jessicca
Learning Something Everyday
Welcome back! Hope your trip by the beach was good.
Yes, beetroot can be nutritious but at the same time not everyone can take it. I just got to learn from it.
Recently my mom has developed serious alergy sensitiveness and she can't even eat egg now. I think her body is under a change of immune system.
I am trying to find food that she can take and doesn't get itchy all over. Unfortunately beetroot isn't the best choice for severe gout patients.