These hardy vegetables bring a welcome burst of color and nutrients in winter while the rest of nature’s garden lays dormant beneath an often frozen ground.
As the colors suggest, both red and golden beet varieties are filled with pigmented phytonutrients called betalains. These serve as antioxidants and help prevent degenerative disease. Betalains also have the unique ability to block inflammatory signaling pathways, giving them great potential in future medical treatments for chronic diseases like diabetes.
Eating beets can also lower your blood pressure. Untreated hypertension increases the risk of heart attack and stroke and can cause headaches, chest pains, and dizziness. But recent research has shown that beets can lower blood pressure in both healthy individuals and in those with chronic high blood pressure. One study even recorded a drop in participants’ blood pressure just three hours after they drank beet juice, making this superfood a true superpower when it comes to personal health.
Cooking with beets
While canned beets have a notoriously sour, pickled taste due to the vinegar they’re stored in, the freshly cooked root has a sweet, buttery flavor thanks to the caramelization of natural sugars. Leaving beets in their skins while steaming or baking them helps maximize key nutrients by preserving the pigmentation. You can easily peel the cooked skin from the root once the beets have cooled, or eat them with the skins on for an added boost of fiber. Grating or shaving raw beets is also a great way to pep up salads with color and earthy goodness.
So next time you’re in the supermarket, pick up a bunch of fresh beets and try this simple but elegant roasted beet salad – guaranteed to brighten both your table and your tastebuds.