Put some red on your plate! Beetle, or Beta vulgaris, belongs to the large family Amaranthaceae, which also includes beets. This sweet-meat vegetable is a tubercle: only the root is tasted because its leaves are not edible. The red beetle, or "potagère" beets recognizable by its intensely purple meat, withstands the cold very well: it is ideal for coloring your plate, summer as well as winter. This elegant tubercle is delicious and has surprising nutritional qualities. Some even associate the longevity of some Eastern European peoples with their regular consumption of this type of tubercules, in the "bortsch", a traditional soup composed mainly of this juicy vegetable. (1). A little round the horizon.
Nutritional information
Beets contain a very large dose of phenolic compounds all beneficial for your body, including betalains (2), pigments known for their detox properties (3). These active substances help the kidneys to remove “bad” toxins and strengthen the liver. Bethanin, which gives them its bright red color carmin, is an active anti-carcinogen. It actively prevents the development of certain cancers by eliminating free radicals harmful to the body. The effects of bethanine have now been tested on the onset and progression of skin, lung (4), liver (5) and colon cancer, and experiments are under way on other types of cancer. This “miracle” compound also ensures the cardiovascular function (6) of your body byining your blood vessels.
This protective effect is enhanced by the nitrates present in large quantities in beet juice. They thus allow your body to withstand the effort better, making the distribution of oxygen into the blood more efficient (7). So don’t hesitate, before your next sporting session to drink a large glass of beet juice: your performance will definitely be improved! Like carrots, beets are great for vision and skin (8). They contain carotenoids, which help protect your cells against aging, causing conditions such as DMLA or cataract.
Cooking and tasting beets
Beet is very juicy and is mostly consumed raw, alone or as a salad, watered with a net of lemon juice or baked in a cold salad raised with pepper and balsamic vinegar or Xeres. It is delicious in a salad with spinach shoots, ham or rocket, cheese and pine pins for example. For an original declination, think also of the famous bortsch, mixing it with potatoes and onions, or even navets. This soup will be unanimous even among the skeptics of raw beet!
Cooked, it does not lose its nutritional qualities and it will adorn your most sophisticated dishes, roasted with shrimp and sweet potatoes, sprayed with sesame seeds. The flavor of this mix combines surprisingly well with that of filled meat, in an elegant “sweet-salted” dish. You can also surprise your guests by simply serving appetizer-cooked beets. Let your imagination run!
Sources: whfoods, passportshealth, ohsheglows.
References: (1) KUMAR, Yashwant. Beetroot: A Super Food. IJESTA, 2015, vol. 1, no. 3, p. 20-26. (2) Escribano J., Pedreno M.A., et al. Characterization of the antiradical activity of betalains from Beta vulgaris L. roots. Phytochem Anal 1998;9:124-7. (3) Kanner J, Harel S, Granit R. Betalains--a new class of dietary cationized antioxidants. J Agric Food Chem 2001 November;49(11):5178-85. (4) Kapadia GJ, Tokuda H, et al. Chemoprevention of lung and skin cancer by Beta vulgaris (beet) root extract. Cancer Lett 1996 February 27;100(1-2):211-4. (5) Kapadia GJ, Azuine MA, et al. Chemoprevention of DMBA-induced UV-B promoted, NOR-1-Induced TPA promoted skin carcinogenesis, and DEN-induked phenobarbital promoted liver tumors in mice by extract of beetroot. Pharmacol Res 2003 February;47(2):141-8. (6) He FJ, Nowson CA, et al. Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables is related to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of cohort studies. J Hum Hypertens 2007;21:717-28. (7) Muggeridge DJ1, Howe CC, Spendiff O, Pedlar C, James PE, Easton C. A single dose of beetroot juice enhances cycling performance in simulated altitude. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014 Jan;46(1):143-50. (8) Lucarini M, Lanzi S, D'Evoli L et al. Intake of vitamin A and carotenoids from the Italian population--results of an Italian total diet study. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2006 May;76(3):103-9. 2006.