Hi!
Before you ask, yes, that was my attempt at making a pun in the title…
So, let’s talk about beets, also known as beetroot. One of my favorite vegetables!
Let’s get to know more about beets first. So, beets are believed to originate along the coasts of the Mediterranean (sea beets) and were first cultivated for their edible leaves. Like most vegetables, they were brought to America by European immigrants. By the 1800s the long pointed root that was familiar to Europe had developed into the round bulbous root or flat-bottom root vegetable that we are familiar with today. Another notable change was the color of the beet. In Greek and Roman times, the beets were black or white and today the beets are more commonly deep red, although there are white and yellow varieties available. “6” The beets’ nutrient content is just as interesting as their history!
Listed below are some nutrition facts about beets, a quick recipe that makes it fun to consume, and 2 ways to add them in your meal!
Nutrition Facts:
-2 grams of fiber, 20%Folate, 16%Manganese and %6 of Vitamin C, 9% of Potassium of the RDI, 1.7 grams of protein per 3.5 oz (100 gram) per serving “2”
-Have natural nitrates ( helps to increase blood flow to the brain) “1”
-High in antioxidants “3”
Baseline: Beets are a nutrient dense food.
Want something to munch on during the week?
Below is an oven baked beet chips recipe! (I added my own twist to the recipe.) Let me know down below if you tried it!
Oven Baked Beet Chips
Yields: 8
Serving Size: 1/8
Ingredients:
- Sea salt (to taste)
- olive oil (1/2 cup)
- 12 red beets
- 4 large limes
- low sodium Tajin
Instructions:
-Wash the beetroots
-Slice Beetroots either by hand or with a mandolin slicer (make sure slices are thin if doing it by hand)
-Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
-Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper
-Put the beetroot slices in a large bowl
-Pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil
-Add sea salt to taste
-Cut up limes
-Squeeze limes into bowl
-Add the low sodium Tajin to taste
-Toss well
-Let the beets sit in the ingredients for about 15 minutes
-Drain off any liquid
-Put the beetroot slices on the baking sheets
-Put in the oven for 45-60 minutes (until crisp, NOT brown)
-Check after 45 minutes to make sure they are not brown
-Remove the beet chips
-Enjoy once they are cooled off completely
You may also juice beets and include the drink at any point of your day! You may notice that after consuming beets your urine may look pink or red, don’t worry its normal. The red/pink discoloration is due to the presence of betacyanins which is harmless and considered healthy. “4”
Another way to include beets in your day is by making a salad. I love making a beet salad with arugula and balsamic vinaigrette. All you need are beets, baby arugula, goat cheese (either diced or crumbled), chopped pecans, balsamic vinaigrette and dried cranberries! If you use canned beets, you may rinse them in order to reduce the amount of sodium by as much as 40%, according to the “Journal of Science and Food Agriculture.” “5”
Enjoy!
References:
- Center UVMM. Recipe for Oven Baked Beet Chips. UVM Medical Center Blog. https:// medcenterblog.uvmhealth.org/wellness/recipes-wellness/beet-chips-recipe/. Published December 14, 2018. Accessed March 26, 2021.
- 9ImpressiveHealthBenefitsofBeets.https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of beets. Published May 26, 2017. Accessed March 26, 2021.
- Beets. NutritionFacts.org. https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/beets/. Accessed March 26, 2021.
- Beets and urine. Office for Science and Society. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/food health-you-asked/betacyanins-can-impart-bright-red-colour-urine-when-could-happen. Published August 11, 2017. Accessed November 22, 2021.
- Busch S. Benefits of canned beets. Healthy Eating | SF Gate. https:// healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-canned-beets-2257.html. Published December 12, 2018. Accessed November 22, 2021.
- 6.Beetsbetavulgaris-hamilton.https://academics.hamilton.edu/foodforthought/Our_Research_files/beet.pdf. Accessed December 18, 2021.
Article by : Dietetic Intern Carolina Rodriguez – Abilene Christian University