With their colorful exteriors, beets can certainly brighten up any dinner plate. But they don’t skimp on substance, either. Turns out, there are a ton of health benefits of beets that scientists are only just starting to understand—perks that can boost everything from your heart health to your next workout.
“Beets are really a highly nutritious food,” Carrie Durward, PhD, RD, extension nutrition specialist and associate professor at Utah State University, tells SELF. Yes, they’re packed with fiber, but they’re also a “great source” of minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc, she says. They also pack a solid amount of manganese, a mineral that can support cell and bone health, reproduction, immune function, and blood clotting.
And good news if you’re a beet beginner: They’re more versatile than you may think too. From salads to smoothies, there are actually tons of ways to add the veggie to your meals. For all the intel on the health benefits of beetroot, plus the tastiest ways to eat it that can’t be, um, beat, keep on reading.
1. They’re good for your digestion.Like many vegetables, beets are high in fiber: Just a half cup of beet slices contains 1.7 grams (g) of it—around 7% of the recommended daily intake (28 g) for people eating around 2,000 calories a day. (And, we should add, a solid percentage of the actual daily intake for most folks: Currently, the average American adult only manages 15 grams or so.)
Besides keeping you full, fiber can also help your digestive system hum along a little better. Eat enough, and your trips to the toilet will likely be shorter, smoother, and just less of a slog. “By bulking up our stools, [fiber] makes it easier for things to move through and for us to be regular,” Dr. Durward says. Read: less risk of constipation. (Just be aware that there’s a chance the pigments in beets might turn your poop and pee red. This is called beeturia, and it’s usually nothing to worry about.)
Fiber plays other important roles too. Besides supporting overall gut health—those healthy probiotic bacteria dwelling in your intestines love a prebiotic, roughage-rich snack—and helping you stay satisfied, fiber may also reduce inflammation and lower your risk of health conditions like heart disease, stroke, and even some kinds of cancer.
How you prep your beets matters a lot, though, according to Dr. Durward. Juicing, for example, actually removes most of the fiber, so if you go that route “you’re not going to get the same benefits” you would if you chose solid beets or even a beet smoothie, Dr. Durward says.
2. They’re high in antioxidants, which can have bodywide benefits.That colorful exterior serves more than an aesthetic purpose, Emily Van Eck, MS, RDN, an Austin-based dietitian nutritionist, tells SELF. Bright hues signal that a fruit or veggie is packed with some combination of phytonutrients, beneficial plant compounds that are also known as phytochemicals or antioxidants, according to the USDA.
Source : Self.com