More Nutrients, Fewer Calories
Beetroots, or more commonly known as beets, are probably the last thing you’ll pick at your local grocery’s produce section. You may not be aware of it, but both its greens and roots are actually very beneficial for your overall health.
This superfood is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds to help you combat diseases. On top of that, it’s easy on your diet. Hence, it’s a great option if you’re looking to shed some pounds or improve your nutrition.
Beet has a reputation for not having that visual appeal similar to a lot of root vegetables. But looks aside, this veggie is versatile, tastes good, and has been associated with numerous health benefits. These include lowering your blood pressure to enhancing your workout performance.
So to truly recognize its value and potential, here are the top nutritional impacts of beets to your health.
Beets contain very low calories. In fact, a one-cup serving of beets only has around 60 calories. So whether you eat it raw or add it to your salad, you will not feel guilty. It’s not only very healthy but it will easily make you fill full as well.
Plus, this vegetable has a sweet taste, making it a great alternative to satisfy your sweet tooth minus calorie overload from sugary snacks. Also, if you love snacking on unhealthy, deep-fried chips, raw beets are an excellent alternative since they’re also crunchy.
Daily Dose Of Vitamin C
Numerous studies have shown that vitamin C can help improve your body’s ability to recover from illnesses much quicker. Likewise, it can help you prevent from getting sick altogether. Furthermore, it will not only boost your immune system, but it can also aid most patients in improving their energy and stamina levels.
Although consuming one cup of beets is not enough to meet your body’s daily vitamin C requirement, it will still provide you with as much as 10% of it. This means that you’ll be able to give your health the boost it needs by snacking on at least a handful of beets or adding it to your favorite salad.
Rich In Iron
Every cup of beets can provide you with as much as 6% of iron your body needs daily. That makes the vegetable a great source of iron. This is especially true if you’re a vegan or vegetarian with particular dietary restrictions or suffering from iron-deficiency anemia and have to maximize your daily iron intake.
Eating beets is a good way to give each of your meals a bit more iron. The lack of iron can make you feel weak and exhausted. You may also feel irritable since you don’t have enough hemoglobin. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure that you’re supplying your body with enough iron every day.
Packed With Magnesium
Beets also boasts of magnesium. They can provide you with up to 7% of the daily recommended value of magnesium, making it a dependable source. This vital nutrient has plenty of purposes, like the prevention of inflammation that may result in a number of serious complications. These include osteoporosis, heart disease, and even asthma.
Moreover, magnesium has been proven to help avoid high blood pressure, particularly for those with prehypertension. And since these root veggies contain many other nutrients that can also aid in lowering down high blood pressure, it’s a good choice if you have any cardiovascular concerns. Consider combining beets with nuts, kale, spinach, and other foods rich in magnesium to create a nutritious, super meal.
Full Of Fiber
It’s necessary to consume fiber daily since its what helps you digest food properly. On top of that, it can also assist in managing and regulating your cholesterol levels. So if you’re looking to pack in more fiber, beets are the way to go. A cup of this fiber-rich superfood contains more than 15% of the amount of fiber your body needs every day.
Furthermore, another important that fiber plays in your body is that it can help you feel fuller instantly. This means that eating beet and other fiber-rich foods first can keep you from reaching out to a snack or two. Add to them to your salad, and you’re less likely to get another heaping serving of unhealthy food to satisfy your cravings during mealtime.
Fully-Charged With Folates
Another notable benefit you can get out from beets is that they are jam-packed with folates, such as B9 and folic acid. In fact, you can get as much as 37% of the daily recommended folate value from it with almost 150 MCG per cup.
These nutrients are essential and can lower the homocysteine levels in your blood, which, in turn, can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It also offers numerous other health benefits. For instance, folic acid is so important at ensuring a woman’s pregnancy is healthy that doctors highly recommend expecting moms to make it a part of their prenatal vitamins.
A Reliable Source Of Potassium
You can also find potassium in beetroots. The important mineral is an electrolyte. Therefore, it can help carry out electrical impulses that manage vital functions in your body like muscle movement, digestion, and usage of nerve.
The amount of potassium you can get from every cup of beets is over 12% of the amount recommended daily. That’s actually around 450 mg per cup, which is nearly as good as the 540 mg you can obtain from eating a cup of banana slices rich in potassium.
So if your diet needs a little boost of potassium, beets are definitely the vegetable to add to it.
A Healthier Sugar Rush
No doubt, beets come with numerous beneficial nutritions. However, like all things good, it’s not perfect. One of its drawbacks is that its sugar content is quite high. One cup of beets serving contains around 9 grams of sugar, making it a bit sweeter in comparison to a lot of other sugary foods.
Nevertheless, the sugar content of vegetables and fruits is not as harmful to your waistline as those you can find in artificial sweeteners. Likewise, it’s not half as bad as those used in most packaged cookies, candies, and other processed foods. Hence, you can eat a reasonable amount of it minus the guilty feeling. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy the many nutritional benefits of this delicious food.
It Contains Betaine
Betaine is a kind of amino acid that you can find in beets. The nutrient presents plenty of health benefits, including lowering your risk of heart-related illnesses. Additionally, it can help maintain the proper flow of your bloodstream since it lowers the buildup of plaque that harms your arteries.
Another amazing benefit of betaine that you can take advantage of is that it aids your liver to detoxify. Because of this, it’ll function more efficiently. According to some studies, betaine can even help in the improvement of both your strength and stamina, as well as promote weight loss. You can obtain about 175 mg of betaine in beets, which makes it a good source of this essential nutrient.
Abundant With Phytonutrients
Beets are also rich in phytonutrients, which are a group of nutrients called betalains. The nutrient is known to have properties that can help combat cancer and many other illnesses. Betalains stop the digestive tract, lung, and breast cancers on their tracks by hindering free radicals. It also diminishes damage to your cells over time.
Beets contain the phytonutrient betacyanin that causes them to turn purple. Researchers today are studying these phytonutrients because they are showing great potential to use as anti-carcinogenic treatments. Aside from working to fight chronic conditions like heart disease and obesity, betalains also have anti-inflammatory properties.
It Has Nitrates That Can Lower Blood Pressure
There’s also an abundance of nitrates in beets. The heart-healthy nutrient is said to lower blood pressure. Even more, it’s also useful if you’re suffering from any cardiovascular issues. These nutrients have nitric oxide which our body utilizes to dilate blood vessels. This, in turn, can improve your circulation.
According to studies, beets can also lower the risk of blood clots, which will benefit individuals who are extremely prone to develop this life-threatening disease. Furthermore, nitrates encourage better blood flow to your brain. This means that it’s even more vital for older people to eat beets since it can increase the levels of nitric acid in their bodies, which will enhance their memory and mental processing.
Loaded With Antioxidants
Like most people, carrots are probably the vegetable that comes to mind in terms of eye health. But one of the top reasons why beets are very advantageous to your overall health is because it is loaded with antioxidants. Aside from the usual purple, the color of beetroots vary. These colors have a massive influence on the amount and type of antioxidants they contain.
The antioxidants you can find in beets include zeaxanthin and lutein, which can help preserve the health of your eyes. Likewise, they can prevent the development of declining vision, cataracts, and other degenerative conditions. Additionally, the antioxidants in this veggie can help deflect a wide array of illnesses, such as cancer and cardiovascular conditions.
More Nutrients In Greens
One nutritional fact that may surprise you about beets is that most of its nutrients are found in their greens. If you’re a fan of beets, you’re quite familiar with their colorful sliced root part mixed in your salad. But it’s actually their leaves, poking out of the ground as they grow that contains high amounts of nutrients. So if you want to make the most of its nutrients, consider adding these greens to your meals whenever you can. Combining beet slices with its greens will double up the nutrition you can get.
A Healthy Way To Lose Weight
Beets do not get its reputation for being a superfood for nothing. They contain low fat, which makes them an excellent food choice if you’re trying to lose weight. Also, they have the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to help it recover much quicker after your workout sessions.
But it doesn’t stop there. Beets are also recognized for their ability to help your body retain less water. They can flush the water supplies stored in your system and detoxify your body. Keep in mind that regularly consuming beets may make the color of your urine either pink or red.
When this happens, stay calm as this is normal once you introduce the nutritional vegetable to your diet. Additionally, if you notice you’re urinating more than usual, that’s a sign that they’re doing a good job at helping you shed some of those unwanted pounds.
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