Along with being interested in herbs and herbal therapies to accentuate our health, I've also had a particular interest in certain food items which may exhibit medicinal qualities.
Beets are one of those doubly beneficial wonders of Nature. They are both nutritionally bountiful and contain healing compounds as well😎
In actuality, I should say these bulbous, red roots are triply beneficial, because they also help prevent disease, due to their tonic affect upon the body.
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Now, I might have been a weird kid, because I actually liked beets that my mother brought to the family dinner table. My five sisters, hated them... Of course, that meant, I easily had extra helpings of the blood building veggie💪
Whenever my mother wasn't paying attention, my sisters would sneak their little red slices, onto my plate; which would quickly disappear 'down the hatch'...
Beets Guard Against Birth Defects
Did you know that fresh beets are high in folate? There are about 148 micrograms of this B vitamin, per one cup serving. So, that is 37% of the daily recommended value (400 mcs) for folate, alone. Add some lentils, spinach and asparagus to the mix for a super folate boost.
Lentils can have 350 micrograms- plus, of this nutrient in a single cooked cup. The baby in your womb, will love you for it... Folate (Vit. B9) aids normal cell division. It helps healthy fetal growth and development to prevent birth defects.
Beet root is also a good source for manganese - a trace mineral considered an essential nutrient. Manganese is especially helpful for brain health, along with the nervous system. This trace mineral also plays an important role with enzymatic activity.
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WAIT...!!! I'm not Finished...😏
Besides all the above, the mighty beet will provide you with an abundance of potassium too for a healthy heart.
AND... Iron, for healthy red blood cells; produced in our bone marrow.
AND... Vitamin 'C' too... for a healthy EVERYTHING...!!! We all know how valuable vitamin 'C' is. It also helps with collagen production in the body to help keep wrinkles and saggy skin away as we age.
I'm thinking about rubbing sliced beets all over my face to see if it takes a few years off my looks; but, for now, it's only a thought...😡
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Look at that luscious smoothie up above... That's one way I get my fill of beets. You can too, by adding some beet to your favorite smoothie recipe. I often include beet juice in my pre-workout drink, since it is known to enhance athletic performance.
There are so many ways to add beets to our diets. Grate some into your salad. Pop some beet juice into a stew or pasta sauce. You can even add beet juice to baked goods, like muffins, cake and breads.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy beets, is to pickle them. I slice them thin and cover them in a jar with apple cider vinegar, adding diced raw onions and a sprinkle of salt to the mix. Then let them sit in the refrigerator a few days to work their magic.
In closing, medicinally, beets get that deep red coloring from betalain, which is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Beets contain phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, carotenoids, lutein/zeaxanthin, glycine, and betaine.
These substances have been identified as helpful in the fight against tumor growth in the body, protect the eyes, detox the liver, prevent anemia and so much more...
Now that I'm thinking about it, I've got some pickled beets sitting in the ice-box right now and I'm salivating... I'm going to go get them. I'll be back with another @NaturalMedicine article soon.
Hope you enjoyed this piece as much as I did writing it, finding something helpful.
Till next time, my friends, stay well and keep smiling.
Ciao
Natural Medicine Community
Coincido contigo en que la remolacha es muy deliciosa y nutritiva, además, la podemos comer en múltiples presentaciones. A mí particularmente me gusta mucho en ensaladas,. es tan deliciosa, dulce y fresca. Gracias por recordarnos este producto tan genial. Saludos.
I agree with you that beets are very delicious and nutritious, and we can also eat them in multiple presentations. I particularly like it a lot in salads. it is so delicious, sweet and fresh. Thanks for reminding us of this great product. Greetings.
Thank you for commenting @sirenahippie, I'm happy you liked the article😎
mmm beets, love me some pickled beetroot at the minute. Great in salad as well especially in summer. Nice information I now need more beetroot, have to wait until tomorrow when the shops open.
Hi @rubido... Nice to hear from you and that you are a fan of beets as well. They sure are a healthy little bit of Nature, where the wonders are bountiful.
Best wishes to you.
My mother always pickled beetroot and I liked it as a kid and still have some now and then.
I've gone through times when I've forgotten how much I like pickled beets, for some odd reason and fail to utilize their benefits to my health. Now, I use them all the time in so many ways.
Thanks for commenting @j85063
I like them pickled, like to add them to the salad.
Hi @quotes-haven, thanks for stopping by. Seems a lot of people like pickled beets... I didn't know they were so popular...
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I drink powered beets for the nitric oxide as well as betaine which helps with ATP similar to creatine. I also take 1 to 2 grams of citriline a day for nitric oxide. I'm interested in increasing nitric oxide more for heart health than performance.
I've been reading your herbal therapy articles. Have you ever used fenugreek? A lot of people on the internet seem to recommend it. I even heard Frank Zane recomnend it in an interview. Maybe if you have experience with fenugreek you could add it to your herbal series.
alone. I'll try doing that one day :>)Yes @ninjamike... I have used fenugreek in the past, but it was along with other herbs in a cocktail of sorts - which worked, by the way... so I'm not sure how well it works
I should have included the fact that beets boost nitric oxide (It was written in the wee hours and I grew tired eyed) I use it in powdered form as well (very convenient that way) I've also used betaine or 'bio-identical'??? bought in small bulk from a bio-chemical company some years back.
L-citrulline is a great amino acid to boost nitric acid in the blood stream. Converts to L-arginine, if I remember correctly to open up arteries. Provides for a good pump too at the gym; or the bedroom...😏
I'll try it sometime as well. Also looking to experiment with maca and ginseng. I'll try them one at a time to see if I can feel any benefit from any of them.
Hey @ninjamike, good to hear from you. I noticed I had an old bottle of fenugreek in my kitchen drawer today, oddly.
If you go with ginseng, make sure it's a certified 'Panax' root. Wild American variety is highly prized for it's potency, even sought after in Asia. Korean Red varieties are highly valued as well...😎 You can save money on these by finding a bulk herb supplier who deals in ounces. There's a ton of bogus crap out there on the market, especially in capsule form.
I can actually go into the woods near me and pick it right out of the ground in the Northeast... A lot comes from independent pickers in West Virginia who sell to local dealers, by weight and quality. The experienced pickers do it right as well, for sustainability of the plant.
Thanks for the info!
😎 A pleasure...
Yes, but can you smoke it? 🤣
You can smoke the tops (the greens) after drying...😏
No freaking waaay!
Yes... waaaaaay...!!! 🤣
hahaha
I totally LOVE beetroot. I find it funny you call them 'beets' whereas we say 'beetroot'. Canned beetroot on burgers and salad rolls here is a THING.
I love just grating it and eating it in salad, and I eat a lot the beetroot tops that come out of the garden that everyone else seems to throw out!
Beetroot is a better term for describing the base, especially since the leafy green tops are edible as well. The beet greens are best at least slightly cooked because they are high in oxalates which can lead to kidney stones in some people. They're very nutritious; I eat them too.
Beets are the bomb, I love them raw! My dogs eat them as well, raw or light cooked.
You must have a very healthy dog...😎 It's strange sometimes what our pets will eat if given the chance. My cat loves green olives, with pimento in them...?!?!?!?
We used to have a killer beet dealer in Cambodia and a cold-press juicer, and it was a great combo indeed. Our beet days are done for now here in Suriname, but I look forward to red-stained lips and fingers again one day. They are packed full of so much goodness, and pickled beets are the bee's knees.
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Your beet days, shall have their day again😎 Cold pressed juice is a step above other methods.
Good to hear from you. Hope all is well.