The Surprising Nutritional Value of Beets

The nutritional value of beets is surprisingly not talked about all that much and, thus, is under-appreciated. What you're about to learn may amaze you... by David Brant, who became a successful althlete in high school, has studied health and nutritional issues for over 15 years and personally uses many fitness ideas and supplements that he writes about.

A Nutritional Dynamo

They may be little known because beets (or beetroots as they're sometimes called) have that earthy, non-sweet taste that causes people to associate them with "icky" foods like, say, spinach. However, when you learn about the nutritional value of beets, hopefully you will realize that they are far from being "icky", but are in fact a nutrition dynamo which should definitely be part of your diet in some way or form.

Beets are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. But they are rich in dietary fiber; folate; iron; magnesium; manganese, potassium; and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C.

In addition to helping you maintain optimal health, eating beets can help you lose weight.

It should also be pointed out that beets are abundant with betacyanin, the phytochemical which gives the root its color and which, from a nutritional standpoint, significantly lowers homocysteine levels in the blood. An over-abundance of homocysteine in your blood plasma can lead to heart disease, high risk of stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

The good greens

In addition to knowing about the nutritional value of beets, it's good for you to know about the nutritional value of the root's greens. These actually have a higher iron content than the aforementioned spinach and are rich in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium (the healthy kind of sodium, like you get from sea salt).

The nutritional value of beets and their greens is, therefore, nothing short of incredible. Here are some of the specific ailments and conditions that you can reverse or prevent with the eating of these roots and greens:

• Acidosis, which leads to acid reflux. Beets are naturally alkaline.
  
  
• Cancer. It is now widely regarded as true that all cancers begin with inflammation and are then perpetuated through acidic internal environments. Since beets are an alkaline food, they reduce acidity and therefore help to kill and prevent cancer.
  
  
• Anemia. The high iron content in the greens of beets prevents this.
  
  
• Athersclerosis. The dietary fiber and juice of beets scrape clean your arteries' walls. This also prevents the development of vericose veins.
  
  
• High blood pressure. Beets are so all-around nutritious that they help to lower your blood pressure.
  
  
• Constipation. All of that cellulosic dietary fiber cleans you out!
  
  
• Need for internal detoxification. Beets are naturally high in chlorine, and the chlorine detoxifies your body. Kidney or gall bladder disease, and gout, can be helped in this way, too.
  
  
• Liver problems or problems that stem from excessive bile.

The great nutritional value of beets is likely very surprising to you. Once again, this is an undersung food! If you don't like their taste, try to find creative recipes that include beets, or find some dietary supplements that include their extracts.  And, like many things, you may find that a liking of beets is an acquired taste -- that is, once you start to eat them you may start to like them even if you hadn't cared for them before.

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