Raw beetroot in the diet is a new and unusual product. Cooking (cooking, frying, stewing or baking) is more familiar to humans. But moderate consumption of raw vegetables will significantly improve health. Root vegetables taste sweet due to the high content of sucrose. You can get the maximum health benefits by including a raw vegetable in your vitamin salads.
Chemical composition of fresh and cooked vegetables
If most vegetables lose most of the useful trace elements and vitamins during cooking, then beets in this case are a happy exception. The only thing that necessarily changes is the calorie content. A raw vegetable has 40 kcal per 100 g, and a boiled vegetable has 49 kcal.
Reference. The root crop in any form contains beta-carotene, di- and monosaccharides, dietary fiber, organic acids, starch and water. These substances help to improve digestion, improve the general condition.
Raw beets are a dietary vegetable. For 100 g of product there are:
- 1.5 g proteins;
- 8.8 g of carbohydrates;
- 0.1 g fat.
What is the harmfulness?
It is forbidden to combine raw beets and garlic, as this increases the load on the heart. Nitrates can accumulate in the tops of the root crop if the vegetable grows in ecologically disadvantaged regions. Nitrates provoke poisoning of the body. It accumulates in the area near the tops. Therefore, before eating, be sure to cut off the top.
Read more about how much and in what form it is better to eat beets, as well as what are the benefits and harms of using it for human health, read.
Contraindications for use
Important! Raw beets can harm people suffering from acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as internal bleeding. Heartburn, colitis, gastritis with high acidity, irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence - with such ailments, dishes from raw beets are prohibited.
But for the purpose of combination therapy, microdoses of beetroot juice can be prescribed.
In what other situations is a raw vegetable banned?
- Urolithiasis, kidney failure, kidney stones. The product provokes the movement of stones, their increase and weighting.
- Diabetes.
- Tendency to diarrhea.
- Hypotension. There is a risk of uncontrolled pressure drop.
- Osteoporosis (the product helps to remove calcium from the body).
However, few people think that in addition to taste, beets have medicinal properties and have been successfully used in folk medicine for several centuries in a row. We talked in detail about the beneficial properties of this root crop for and in our materials.
Beetroot perfectly retains its beneficial properties during long-term storage. This is especially noticeable in the spring, when there is an acute shortage of vitamins. The root crop will be an excellent tool for strengthening the health of the whole family. Raw beets are allowed to consume no more than 200 g per day.
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Red beetroot is not a simple vegetable and is somewhat controversial. For, on the one hand, it is believed that this root crop can heal a person even from the most terrible and merciless diseases in the world, and on the other hand, scientific research does not find anything supernatural in beets. Which gives reason to consider beets the most ordinary vegetable, not possessing even half of the healing properties that various healers and traditional healers attribute to it.
A bit of history and interesting facts about beets
If we turn to history, we will find that in the Middle Ages, the Eastern Slavs sincerely believed: beets can protect the human body even from the plague! This belief was explained very simply - the plague epidemic never managed to “swallow” the peoples of Eastern Europe (who loved beets passionately), although in Western Europe the plague raged to the fullest.
As we said above, modern researchers have not yet found in beets those miraculous properties that our ancestors endowed it with, but it is reliably known that this root crop contains substances that can effectively fight cancer cells. True, the vast majority of vegetables and fruits have anti-cancer properties, so beets cannot stand out with the help of this fact.
The most curious fact, in our opinion, is that beet tops contain on average twice as many nutrients as the root crop. And this applies not only to chard (leaf beet), but also to the most ordinary table beet, which we use to cook borscht, herring under a fur coat and other “red” dishes.
Hence the conclusion: fresh beet leaves should not be thrown away, but eaten as a salad, well, or in some other way ...
By the way, this is exactly what people did in antiquity. At first, only wild plants were eaten, a little later, in the region of the second millennium BC, leaf beets began to be cultivated. Well, for the sake of root crops, they began to grow beets only in the 4th century BC. (on the Mediterranean islands).
Beet roots came to Russian lands around the 10th century AD. In Western Europe, beets appeared three centuries later. Three centuries later, beets began to be divided into fodder and table beets, and in the 18th century sugar beets were also isolated.
Today, beets are eaten everywhere, both by people and domestic animals. About a third of all sugar in the world is now produced from sugar beets.
The chemical composition of beets
The chemical composition of beets is highly dependent on the fertility of the soil in which they are grown. Which cannot but affect the results of studies of this root crop published in the scientific community ...
So, for example, some scientists claim that there are practically no trace elements in the chemical composition of red beets, but there is a lot of folic acid, while others say that beets are full of chromium, molybdenum, vanadium and other micronutrients, and there is practically no folic acid.
At the same time, the amount of macronutrients (calcium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium), as well as B vitamins, is almost identical in all studies.
Where does this lead us? To one of two:
1) you can choose the results of the study you like the most and be guided by them in life
2) or take into account the similarities and completely ignore the controversial indicators, as well as observe your feelings when eating beets
You can also turn to traditional medicine, but this option is somewhat out of the "scientific" approach to evaluating beets. Therefore, we will not recommend it. Although, perhaps this is what will help you in the end ...
Calorie content of beets (boiled and raw)
Separately, I would like to talk about the calorie content of beets. For there are some features that should be known to everyone who monitors their weight and blood sugar levels ...
Let's start with the fact that boiled beetroot stimulates appetite, but raw - no. Why? Yes, because the glycemic index of beets (the ability to increase blood sugar) during heat treatment increases very much. If we express this in numbers, we get the following picture:
- glycemic index of raw beets - about 30
- glycemic index of boiled beets - about 65
- leaf beet (chard) in this regard is completely harmless, since its glycemic index is approximately equal to 15
As a result, some nutritionists believe that boiled beets greatly increase blood sugar levels and therefore are contraindicated for people with diabetes. However, this is not quite true. After all, the calorie content of boiled beets is only 44 kcal per 100 grams (raw - 42 kcal), and not everyone can eat more than 150-200 grams of boiled beets in one sitting.
In addition, no matter how many calories in boiled beets, and what is its glycemic index, it should be borne in mind that in cooking, beets are almost always mixed with vegetable oil, high-protein foods or unsweetened vegetables. Therefore, any dish with red beets has a low glycemic index and practically does not affect blood sugar levels.
Red beets: benefits and harms. What more?
Looking ahead a little, let's say that there are clearly more useful properties in red beets than harm. However, there are still some contraindications to the normal consumption of beets (more on them below). And now let's talk in more detail about the benefits and dangers of beets ...
The scientifically proven benefits of beets for the body are as follows:
- beets increase hemoglobin, however, not with the help of iron, but with the help of substances involved in the production of hemoglobin (copper, vitamin B1)
- cleanses blood vessels from "bad" cholesterol, thereby preventing and curing atherosclerosis (with prolonged regular use)
- strengthens the walls of capillaries and at the same time increases their elasticity
- dilates blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure (note for hypertensive patients)
- easily removes excess water from the body (relieves swelling)
- reduces the risk of prostate adenoma and rectal cancer
- has a laxative effect (increases the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract), however, it should be borne in mind that beets help against constipation only when a person consumes a sufficient amount of liquid
- adsorbs and removes toxins from the body
- regulates lipid metabolism (protects the liver from obesity)
- reduces the recovery time of the body after physical and mental stress, and also increases human endurance (albeit slightly)
- stimulates the brain, thereby “postponing” its premature aging and shrinkage
As you can see, the list of useful properties of red beets is very large. However, it should be noted that raw and boiled beets affect the body differently.
What is the difference? Let's figure it out.
What is useful raw beets?In general, the beneficial properties of raw beets are the same as the list above. However, it also has something special:
1) all vitamins are preserved in raw beets
2) crude fiber has twice the "breakthrough" and adsorbing power
3) low glycemic index (but we already wrote about this)
On the other hand, there is an opinion that fresh beet juice contains some harmful compounds that can harm human health. In this regard, it is even recommended to defend freshly squeezed beetroot juice for several hours (to give time for harmful substances to evaporate). In fact, the faster you eat raw beets (drink juice), the more vitamins will remain in it. For vitamins are destroyed not only under the influence of high temperature, but also from contact with air, light and water.
And the “harm” of freshly squeezed beetroot juice lies in its ability to launch an emergency cleansing of the body (the destruction of body fat with the inevitable release of toxins into the blood).
What is useful boiled beets?The benefits of boiled beets for the body, despite the high glycemic index, are undeniable. Moreover, in some respects, boiled beets are even healthier than raw beets. After all, when cooking, basically, only three vitamins are destroyed: C, B5 and B9 (folic acid). The rest of the vitamins and minerals reach the human stomach almost intact.
On top of that, all the valuable components of beets that are not destroyed by high temperature become more accessible to our body (due to the partial destruction of the fiber structure).
And yet ... boiled beets contain much less nitrates than raw beets. Because the lion's share of them is destroyed when heated or goes into a decoction.
Now you know how beets are useful, and whether it should be boiled before use. Let's deal with contraindications ...
Harm of beets and contraindications to its use
The usefulness of beets is questioned only in a few cases:
- with chronic diarrhea (has a laxative effect)
- with hypotension (low blood pressure)
- for urolithiasis (contains oxalic acid), despite the fact that some advise using beets to destroy kidney stones
In addition, it should be said separately about the harm of raw beets: with gastritis and ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract, this root crop will irritate the already weakened mucous membranes (due to the abundance of coarse fiber).
We have already talked about the harm of boiled beets - with excessive consumption, it whets the appetite and dramatically raises blood sugar levels (if consumed without oil or separately from high-protein foods and other unsweetened vegetables).
Beets during pregnancy and lactation
Can beetroot be pregnant? Yes, but provided that the woman has normal or high blood pressure. With hypotension, beets should be eaten with caution.
It should be understood that beets during breastfeeding and pregnancy can bring tangible benefits. And not in the long term, but right the next day. After all, many pregnant women experience chronic constipation (especially while taking iron supplements), and beets with their coarse fiber will be very useful here.
If the beets also grew in fertile soil, then in addition to everything, it will provide the woman's body with vital, but rarely remembered micronutrients (molybdenum, boron, chromium, cobalt, vanadium, etc.). The influence of these elements on the health of pregnant and lactating women is very large, because they are involved in hundreds of processes in the body.
And, of course, all these "rare" trace elements enter the body of babies who feed on the "vital juices" of future and already established mothers.
When can you give beets to a child?
There is constant debate about the age at which children can be given beets. Young mothers doubt, caring grandmothers easily give advice (based on their own experience and understanding), and children ... children treat red beets in different ways: someone loves, someone doesn’t even want to look at beets. In general, everything is as usual. Therefore, let's turn on the logic, the scientific approach and knowledge about the chemical composition of beets and deal with this once and for all.
So, when to introduce beets into complementary foods? Ideally, after six months of age. Until that time, only breast milk or high-quality formulas. Is it possible to have beets for a one-year-old child? Naturally! But on one condition: the child should not be allergic to beets (start with a few grams of beets). Well, of course, you should not push the beets into the child by force. No matter how useful it may seem to you.
Weight loss with beets. Is it possible to?
While some are still skeptical about eating raw beets, the most motivated women are already trying all sorts of beetroot diets. And not in vain. After all, the benefits of beets for weight loss are huge!
Red beets contain a large number of substances that literally destroy fat in the human body, namely.
Irina Kamshilina
Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))
Content
For everyone, beets are familiar, and one might even say, an ordinary product. The vegetable is used to prepare common dishes - borscht, vinaigrette, herring under a fur coat and others. However, people almost do not pay attention to the valuable properties of this vegetable. If you ask a qualified nutritionist about the benefits of beets, you can learn a lot! The red root crop is recommended to everyone without exception. The vegetable contains a lot of nutritional components of natural origin, which is very important for the human body.
The composition and calorie content of beets
It’s worth starting to get acquainted with the beneficial properties with the composition and energy value. 100 grams of beetroot contains:
- water - 86 g;
- proteins - 1.51 g;
- fats - 0.11 g;
- carbohydrates - 11.68 g (including 9 grams of monosaccharides and disaccharides);
- fiber (dietary fiber) - 1.04 g;
- pectins - 0.96 g;
- organic acids - 0.055 g;
- ash - 0.085 g.
In addition, beets contain:
- vitamins - A, B1, B2, B3, B9, C, E;
- macroelements - calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium;
- trace elements - iron, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, manganese, zinc, folic acid.
As for the energy value, this indicator depends on the method of preparation:
- raw beets - 43 kcal;
- boiled beets - 49 kcal;
- beetroot puree - 70 kcal;
- stewed - 106 kcal.
- baked - 39 kcal.
Medicinal properties
In folk medicine, the red root crop is widely used for the treatment and prevention of diseases. This natural herbal product is versatile, suitable for topical and oral use. The list of home recipes is so wide that it takes a lot of time to thoroughly study all the ways to use beets. Learn how to prepare healthy and healing remedies from a vegetable.
For external use
Beetroot medicines for external use are made as simply as possible. The pulp is kneaded, and the resulting juicy gruel is applied to those parts of the body where it is necessary. The described procedures are useful for problems such as:
- cracks in the skin - beetroot juice relieves pain, promotes healing;
- warts - trace elements and vitamins contained in the red root crop stop the development of growths on the skin;
- burns - the juice of this vegetable prevents inflammation, anesthetizes, helps to restore the structure of the skin;
- toothache - the natural components contained in beets have a beneficial effect on the gums and dental nerves, relieving pain and eliminating inflammation.
For internal use
Those who regularly consume beets suffer less from vascular diseases and less often go to doctors with complaints about blood vessels. This vegetable helps to remove excess fluid from the body, which will be appreciated by overweight people. In addition, the red root vegetable improves the tone of the body, provides a general tonic effect and protects the body from the harmful effects of heavy / radioactive metals. A person who has a predisposition to such problems must definitely know how boiled beets, raw and vegetable juice are useful for the body.
Boiled beets
If you cook beets correctly, they will retain a rich set of vitamins. The stereotypes that heat treatment kills everything valuable do not apply to this vegetable in any way. In addition, boiled red root contains a large amount of phosphorus, iodine, sodium, iron and many vital minerals. We must not forget about fiber, which effectively cleanses the entire body of toxins and toxic substances.
Raw
Raw beets are considered one of the best means for removing salts and particles of heavy metals from the body. In its raw form, this product contains betaine - the most valuable component that counteracts the development of cancer cells, restores liver function and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system. In addition, beetroot normalizes digestion, compensates for the lack of iodine in the body and lowers blood pressure.
beetroot juice
About how beet juice is useful for the body, nutritionists can talk for a long time. For the person who just wants to get a general idea, there is a generalized list of valuable properties. These include:
- increase in the content of erythrocytes;
- removal of toxic substances and toxins from the body;
- effective pain relief during menstruation;
- liver cleansing;
- normalization of metabolic processes throughout the body;
- stimulation of the lymphatic system;
- pressure reduction;
- increasing the body's resistance to viruses;
- reduction in cholesterol levels.
The benefits of beets
The need for regular consumption of beets can be explained by many reasons. People who use this product for treatment, prevention or wellness often have certain health problems. For each individual organ, for entire systems of the human body, a red root crop will benefit. Learn how to use the vegetable as a medicine.
To strengthen immunity
For weight loss
Root crops and tops (green leaves) of this crop are used to combat excess weight. The main useful property of beets for weight loss is that it helps to keep the pH level in the redistribution of the norm. In addition, betaine, which was mentioned earlier, helps in the fight against obesity. It is a biologically active substance that promotes the complete absorption of proteins. Another important advantage, due to which beetroot is useful for weight loss, is that it normalizes the functioning of the liver. As a result, the body is better cleansed. The right beetroot diet will help you quickly lose weight.
For colds, runny nose, sore throat
Beetroot juice will help to cope with a runny nose. To prepare homemade drops, you need to grind the root crop on a grater, and then drain the liquid through a sieve. If you add honey, you get a powerful bactericidal agent. Beets will not be useless with angina. To relieve the sore throat, you need to rinse several times a day with beetroot juice mixed with vinegar in a ratio of 20:1. The healing effect will manifest itself on the second day. The red root crop does not contain harmful substances, so folk medicines based on it can be safely used during pregnancy.
For men
The majority of men who have reached the age of 50, there are violations of the functions of the reproductive system. Useful properties of beets help to cope with this problem. To restore potency and health, you need to eat 100-120 grams of beets every day in any form. This volume will be enough to cleanse the colon from the waste products of the digestive processes. "Garbage" stagnates in the folds of the intestine and forms toxins, poisons the blood and causes problems with the prostate.
In the treatment of hypertension and migraine
The mineral components contained in the composition of beets eliminate the factor that causes headaches - high blood pressure. This is facilitated by nitrates, which, when ingested by the human body, produce nitric oxide. The role of the latter is well known to physicians and everyone who trusts traditional medicine - it dilates blood vessels, lowering blood pressure. According to many scientists, a 250-gram serving of beetroot juice does this better than a horse's dose of antihypertensive drugs. There are no contraindications to the use of this home remedy.
For the thyroid gland
The benefits of beets for the thyroid gland are well known to people with diabetes. The red root crop is rich in iodine, so it is used to prepare folk remedies that normalize metabolism. In diseases of the thyroid gland, this root crop should be in the first place in the diet. In order to treat and prevent these diseases, beets can be consumed in any form - it retains its valuable properties even with prolonged heat treatment.
Raw and boiled are not too different. The calorie content of raw beets is slightly less - only 40 kcal instead of 49 in boiled beets. Other parameters during heat treatment also do not change too much. Read more about the beneficial and harmful properties, chemical composition and calorie content of boiled beets, and from you you will find out whether it is possible to eat raw root crops and in what quantity.
Composition of raw beets:
- Proteins 1.6 g
- Fats 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates 9.6 g
- Dietary fiber 2.8 g.
Composition of boiled beets:
- Proteins 1.7 g.
- Fats 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates 10 g.
- Dietary fiber 2 g
As can be seen from the table, when cooking in beets, a small amount of dietary fiber is destroyed and the amount of carbohydrates increases quite slightly, which ultimately increases the calorie content.
During cooking, part of the vitamins is destroyed, in particular, the content of vitamin C slightly decreases, but most of the useful microelements - iodine, potassium, magnesium, iron, betaine, zinc, potassium, manganese - remain practically unchanged when cooked properly.
The only thing that really decreases during heat treatment is the content of fruit acids and nitrates in the vegetable, which allows you to use boiled beets in small quantities even with diseases of the digestive tract and a tendency to allergies.
Contraindications for use
Despite all the benefits, due to the presence of sugar, fruit acids and fiber in the composition of the beetroot, which is difficult for the body to tolerate, its use is undesirable for certain diseases.
You should not eat raw beets if you have:
- nephrolithiasis (kidney stones);
- diabetes;
- chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including ulcers and gastritis;
- hypotension;
- kidney failure;
- vegetable allergy.
Boiled beets lose most of the fruit acids that irritate the intestines, moreover, when cooked, nitrates, which are the main allergen, almost completely pass into the broth. Therefore, boiled beets are practically non-allergenic and can be eaten with intolerance to raw root crops.
For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, boiled beets are consumed in small quantities and with caution. In the presence of kidney stones, diabetes mellitus, hypotension and renal failure, the use of thermally processed vegetables, as well as raw ones, is undesirable.
Benefit
What is more beneficial for the body - raw or boiled vegetables? For different purposes, either fresh or boiled beets may be suitable. When dieting, if there are no diseases listed above, it is better to eat the root vegetable fresh, due to the large amount of dietary fiber and lower calorie content. There are more vitamins in raw beets, salad or juice from it saturates the body with microelements and better cleanses toxins. Raw beet salads will rid the body of putrefactive bacteria - due to the action of a large number of different acids.
With proper heat treatment, the use of boiled beets in the amount of 100-150 grams for an adult has practically no contraindications.
Consider which is more beneficial for the intestines - fresh or boiled beets? A boiled vegetable does not irritate the intestines and promotes its gentle emptying, that is, it treats constipation, and is a good diuretic.
Harm
The main harm of raw beets:
- Contains nitrates which may cause allergies.
- Irritates the gastrointestinal tract.
- When consumed in large quantities, it can cause nausea and headache.
The main harm of boiled beets:
- It prevents the full absorption of calcium in the body, which is why its use should be limited to people with a lack of it.
- A high content of sugar in the boiled root crop.
- Quite a strong laxative effect.
Read more about how much and in what form it is better to eat beets, as well as what are the benefits and harms of using it for human health, read.
How best to use and when?
In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and tendencies to increased gas formation, the use of raw beets is undesirable., boiled does not have these contraindications. During pregnancy, it is better to use boiled beets - it does not irritate the intestines, it fights constipation that is common during pregnancy. Folic acid, potassium and iodine are perfectly absorbed from a boiled vegetable, and the amount of nitrates that a future mother does not need is minimized in boiled beets.
In diseases of the thyroid gland and the absence of other diseases, you can use beets both boiled and raw, since the amount of iodine in a properly cooked vegetable is lost slightly.
Thus, such a useful root crop as beets, it is better to use heat-treated- boiled. The amount of vitamins and trace elements in it is almost identical to a raw vegetable, and there are much fewer contraindications for use.
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You can talk forever about the benefits and harms of beets. Any Russian person from childhood is well aware of this root crop, the beneficial properties of which were highly valued in the old days. We are used to seeing it as a mandatory component in such familiar dishes as beetroot, vinaigrette, herring under a fur coat, and in restaurants you can find real culinary delights from beets: marmalade, sorbet, ice cream and many delicious salads.
The composition and calorie content of beets
Beetroot is a vegetable with a very rich composition. A real "pharmacy" that allows you to improve your health, which includes substances such as:
- Di- and monosaccharides
- Alimentary fiber
- Starch
- Organic acids that contribute to the normalization of digestion
- beta carotene
100 grams of beetroot contains:
- Proteins - 1.5 grams
- Fats - 0.1 grams
- Carbohydrates - 8.8 grams
As for calories, it is important to consider 2 key aspects:
- Raw beets have only 40 calories (of course, per 100 grams).
- If we are talking about a boiled vegetable, then here the numbers increase slightly - 49 kcal.
In any case, it is a complete dietary product, which also contains many vitamins and useful elements (micro-, macro-):
The amount of mg in 100 grams (or mcg) |
|
Manganese | |
This is by no means a complete list, although it may seem that the entire periodic table is listed here. In fact, the composition of the vegetable includes a complex of amino acids, including:
- Histidine
- betanine
- Arginine and others.
When cooking the product in beets does not decrease the amount of nutrients, there is no transformation of the composition, so the vegetable is useful in any form.
The benefits of beets for the human body (fruits, juice, tops)
Of course, in the composition of dishes, the benefits of beets are somewhat reduced, therefore, for health and medicinal purposes, it is better to eat raw or boiled, make freshly squeezed juice or decoction from it, and also use beet tops for food.
Why buy a dozen expensive drugs in a pharmacy if an excellent healing agent grows in almost every garden and lies in abundance on store shelves! Given the numerous medicinal properties of beets, you should definitely allocate a place for it on your site and add this wonderful root crop to your diet more often.
Video about the beneficial properties of beets
The medicinal properties of red beets were recognized by Hippocrates. This root vegetable was used to treat skin inflammations and infectious diseases, and Dr. Paracelsus successfully treated various blood diseases with the help of beets, including iron deficiency anemia.
There are not as many vitamins in beets as in carrots or bell peppers, but beet leaves are a good source of vitamin A, while root vegetables contain vitamin B9 in sufficient quantities, thanks to which beets are very useful for preventing heart disease. There are even separate varieties of Swiss chard (for example, Chard or some fodder varieties). And in terms of the presence of iodine, iron and zinc, the root crop is significantly superior to other vegetables, being the best natural medicine for problems with hematopoiesis, in violation of the function of the sex glands and metabolism.
Beet leaves are a good source of vitamin A
The rich chemical composition, which includes amino acids, organic acids, bioflavonoids, pectins, glucose, fructose, minerals and trace elements, provides the unique properties of beets.
Beets are useful because:
- prevents anemia and promotes the production of hemoglobin;
- helps to create new cells in the body, providing a rejuvenating effect;
- improves digestion and intestinal motility;
- improves metabolism and, consequently, helps with smooth weight loss;
- eliminates toxins;
- reduces the risk of occurrence and reduces the growth of malignant tumors;
- cleanses blood vessels;
- helps in the treatment of hypertension and atherosclerosis;
- stimulates sexual activity in men;
- relieves premenstrual pain for women;
- has a laxative and diuretic effect;
- has an anti-inflammatory effect;
- anesthetizes, promotes recovery;
- helps to cope with depression;
- increases the endurance of the body;
- helps to preserve the health of vision;
- indispensable for diseases of the thyroid gland due to the record amount of iodine.
Beetroot, which has only 40 calories, occupies an important place in the diet.
It is especially useful to use beets and dishes from it during pregnancy, because there are so many iron, iodine and folic acid necessary for bearing a child! Yes, and increased intestinal motility with the destruction of putrefactive bacteria with the help of a root during this period will be very helpful.
Beets, whose caloric content is only 40 kcal, occupy an important place in dietary nutrition. Dishes from it are tasty, satisfy hunger well, but at the same time they are low in calories and cleanse the body well, helping to cope with obesity.
Raw or boiled?
There are adherents of eating only boiled vegetables, someone believes that raw beets cannot be better. We offer to figure out who can and cannot use both options, what are the objective advantages of the chosen form of use.
boiled vegetable
It is no secret that most vegetables tend to lose their beneficial qualities during the heat treatment process. Beets are a welcome exception to the rule. Even boiled, it perfectly preserves all minerals with vitamins. The only transformation that happens to it is a slight increase in calories.
Since beets contain enough iron, it helps to quickly restore blood loss and effectively fight diseases such as anemia. That is why women are recommended to regularly consume beets, including boiled ones, during menstrual bleeding. The presence of boron in the composition contributes to the production of hormones. You can continue this list for a long time, since the beneficial properties of the vegetable after cooking will not differ in any way from the properties of the raw one.
As for the bans. There are some nuances here. With the abuse of boiled beets, you can come to such a problem as lowering the natural level of absorption of calcium by the body. In this regard, it is not recommended to use boiled beets for people with a deficiency of this substance. Otherwise, the list of contraindications is 100% similar to the prohibitions for a raw vegetable (you will get to know them below).
fresh vegetable
It is rare to find skeptics about eating raw beets. Since childhood, we have been familiar with salads, in which, among other things, this vegetable is present. This is not surprising, given the objective health benefits there are if you decide to eat raw beets:
- Anti-inflammatory properties, both externally and internally.
- A natural antioxidant that removes accumulated toxins from the body, salts with cholesterol, while simultaneously protecting against negative radioactive effects.
- Beneficial effect on the digestive tract.
- Improving the activity of the cardiovascular system.
- Restoration and renewal of liver cells.
- Strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis when consumed wisely.
- Comprehensive strengthening of the immune system.
- Improving the state of vision.
- An increase in energy reserves and performance is a natural “doping”.
- Excellent prevention of prostate adenoma.
The benefits of beets during pregnancy and breastfeeding
Women who are preparing to become mothers, as well as those who practice breastfeeding, should pay attention to beets and be sure to eat them. As already noted, this vegetable has a lot of vitamins and other useful components that the body needs so much in a similar state:
- Folic acid is indispensable for preventing malformations of the baby in the womb. It helps to develop the child's central nervous system normally.
- Thanks to iron, you can forget about its lack, which many pregnant women face. Plus, the element helps to eliminate oxygen starvation of the fetus, as it saturates the blood with oxygen.
- No one will argue that iodine is extremely important during pregnancy and lactation, and it is also found in beets. This is especially important for those women who have problems with the thyroid gland.
- Practice shows that with high blood pressure, beets can act as “pills” to lower these indicators.
However, beets should be treated with caution by those mothers who are prone to indigestion or suffer from diabetes.
Benefits of beets for weight loss
Often, beets are found as a basic ingredient in mono-diets for a couple of days. This is not surprising, given the composition of the vegetable. In terms of weight loss, elements such as:
- Iron
- Potassium
Among the main advantages of introducing beets into the diet of losing weight:
- Thanks to betaine, protein is better absorbed in the body, coming from food.
- Reception of beets before meals can significantly reduce the feeling of hunger and get a quick satiety.
- Since there is enough fiber in beets, it increases in volume in the stomach without being digested, giving signals about the absence of hunger.
- Acceleration of metabolism.
- Removal of toxins and other harmful substances.
- Both raw beetroot and boiled beetroot help fight fat accumulation (curcumin is responsible for this) while respecting the basics of PP.
THIS IS INTERESTING: nutritionists believe that it is better, while on a diet, to give preference to a raw vegetable, since a boiled one has a higher glycemic index, plus, an increased calorie content.
The benefits of beets for pancreatitis and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
We have already listed the positive qualities of beets and its effect on the body. Naturally, this also affects the scope of the gastrointestinal tract. People suffering from pancreatitis and other gastrointestinal diseases can count on the help of beets, as it:
- Prevents the development of pathogenic bacteria and microbes in the body.
- Removal of toxins from the intestines.
- With the help of a root crop, you can prepare a composition for getting rid of Giardia.
- Beets are indispensable for getting rid of constipation.
- Regular use of vegetables in food allows you to improve the activity of the digestive organs in a complex.
Contraindications and potential harm for women and men
It would be wrong to say that a vegetable is unhealthy. In fact, the harm of beets can only manifest itself if it is thoughtlessly consumed in large quantities in the presence of certain health problems.
Beets interfere with calcium absorption
So, you should not get carried away with either raw or boiled beets for gastritis with high acidity, since this root crop can further increase the acidity of the stomach. In diabetes, it is also advisable to limit the consumption of vegetables, because it contains a considerable amount of sugars. And if red beet is beneficial for chronic constipation, then it is definitely not worth it for chronic diarrhea, so as not to aggravate the situation, especially in old age.
It is undesirable to drink fresh root vegetable juice for gout, rheumatoid arthritis, intestinal disorders and low blood pressure.
Keep in mind that beets interfere with calcium absorption. This is especially true for osteoporosis or a predisposition to it, but pregnant women should definitely pay attention to this property of beets and do not eat it excessively.
Beets are completely contraindicated in urolithiasis due to the content of oxalic acid. Despite the folk recipes found on the Internet for the treatment of stones in the bladder and kidneys with beet juice, it is strongly not recommended to do this!
The amazing medicinal properties of beets are preserved even during long-term winter storage.
Where more useful properties: in raw, boiled, baked, steamed, fried or in fresh juice
The most beneficial properties of beets are manifested in freshly squeezed juice. All vitamins and minerals in the juice of root crops are contained in a concentrated form. Such juice is useful for severe fatigue, beriberi, with a lack of hemoglobin, constipation, and also for the purpose of general cleansing of the body and removal of toxins. Drinking fresh beet juice at the first sign of a cold helps the body to cope with the disease immediately.
But pure beetroot juice is too saturated, so it is usually mixed with carrot juice in a ratio of 1 to 10, eventually increasing the amount of beetroot juice to half a glass. When preparing vegetable juice, the beet roots are first squeezed out so that the juice settles a little, and only after a couple of hours the carrots are squeezed out. In case of hypertension, it is better to drink table beet juice with a diluted spoonful of honey.
You can use the juice squeezed from the beet roots, and for the treatment of the common cold: in this case, a little fermented juice is instilled three times a day in each nostril, two or three drops.
The most powerful properties of beets are manifested in freshly squeezed juice.
Other options for eating beets:
- the most useful is raw beets, but it should be eaten in small portions, otherwise problems with the gastrointestinal tract are possible. You can reduce the active effect of a raw vegetable if you grate it and let it stand for a while or mix it with other vegetables in a salad;
- boiled, baked and stewed root crops are recommended for constipation, digestive disorders, diseases of the gallbladder and liver, boiled beets can also be eaten by patients with diabetes;
- dishes with beets help in the treatment of atherosclerosis and obesity, the fruits baked in the oven are especially tasty (sometimes they are made in the microwave, which is less useful, but comes out faster than with the oven);
- pickled and pickled beets have long been used as the best remedy for scurvy;
- beet tops are very useful to add to salads, soups, casseroles or soak dried in wine vinegar - in autumn, beet greens contain more vitamins, minerals and protein than root vegetables. Often, useful kvass is made from the leaves;
- for constipation, grated boiled beets are seasoned with olive oil and used as a mild laxative at night;
- externally, gruel from the raw fruit is applied to ulcers and cracks, changing the compress as it dries. Masks with the addition of a vegetable have a beneficial effect on the skin in the presence of teenage acne.
Korean-style beetroot will be a pleasant snack for lovers of spicy, as well as grated fruit in combination with horseradish. However, remember that there are very few health benefits in such products!
Video about the benefits of beets
What to combine root vegetables in salads and other dishes
The most popular and useful combinations can be as follows:
- juice of beets, apples and carrots (taken in the morning on an empty stomach);
- root vegetable with sour cream and garlic (there are options with mayonnaise, but this product is clearly not good for health);
- salad with root vegetables, nuts and prunes - a real delicacy and good for the intestines;
The amazing medicinal properties of beets are preserved even during long-term winter storage. So, in the spring, when the body is experiencing a particular lack of vitamins and useful trace elements, the root crop can become a real life-saving remedy for improving health! Therefore, the question of what is more in beets - benefit or harm, is now much easier to answer.
Useful recipes to remember
If you study the recipes of traditional medicine, you can find many options with the inclusion of sugar beets, as well as those where it acts as the main ingredient. Here are some of the most simple and effective recipes for different life situations.
- Hypertensive patients can mix ¼ of freshly squeezed beet juice with a teaspoon of flower honey and drink before meals to reduce pressure.
- Got a runny nose? No problem! Wait until the beetroot juice turns sour, and then instill it into the nasal passages 3 times a day, 2 drops.
- With scurvy, it is recommended to cook and eat pickled beets. You can cook it according to the traditional recipe.
- You can also treat ulcers with the support of the described vegetable. Grate the beets to make a gruel, and apply on the affected skin.
- Wait for the mixture to dry and change the bandage. This recipe, by the way, is good for acne in adolescence.
