HEALTH BENEFIT OF BEETROOT

By Dr. Mercola
Beets are an ancient, prehistoric food that
grew naturally along coastlines in North
Africa, Asia, and Europe. Originally, it was the
beet greens that were consumed; the sweet
red beet root that most people think of as a
"beet" today wasn't cultivated until the era
of ancient Rome. 1
By the 19th century, however, the natural
sweetness of beets came to be appreciated
and beets began to be used as a source of
sugar (reportedly, Napoleon was
responsible for declaring that beets be used
as a primary source of sugar after the
British restricted access to sugar cane).2
Today, sugar beets (unfortunately often
genetically modified) are a common raw
material used for the production of sugar,
but many people are missing out on
including them in whole form in their
regular diet. There's good reason to do so,
in fact, as beets contain a variety of unique
health-boosting nutrients that you may not
be getting elsewhere. Plus, they're delicious!
Why Eat Beets? 6 Top Reasons
Beet roots have always been included in my
most recommended vegetables list, although
they are in the "use sparingly" category
because of their high carbohydrate levels.
Although beets have the highest sugar
content of all vegetables, most people can
safely eat beet roots a few times a week
(and their greens in unlimited quantities),
enjoying not only their sweet, earthy flavor
but also their powerhouse nutrients that
may improve your health in the following
ways.
1. Lower Your Blood Pressure — Drinking
beet juice may help to lower blood pressure
in a matter of hours. One study found that
drinking one glass of beet juice lowered
systolic blood pressure by an average of 4-5
points. 3 The benefit likely comes from the
naturally occurring nitrates in beets, which
are converted into nitric oxide in your body.
Nitric oxide, in turn, helps to relax and dilate
your blood vessels, improving blood flow
and lowering blood pressure.

2. Boost Your Stamina — If you need a
boost to make it through your next
workout, beet juice may again prove
valuable. Those who drank beet juice prior
to exercise were able to exercise for up to
16 percent longer.
4 The benefit is thought
to also be related to nitrates turning into
nitric oxide, which may reduce the oxygen
cost of low-intensity exercise as well as
enhance tolerance to high-intensity exercise.

3. Fight Inflammation — Beets are a unique
source of betaine, a nutrient that helps
protects cells, proteins, and enzymes from
environmental stress. It's also known to help
fight inflammation, protect internal organs,
improve vascular risk factors, enhance
performance, and likely help prevent
numerous chronic diseases.5 As reported by
the World's Healthiest Foods:6
"[Betaine's]… presence in our diet has
been associated with lower levels of
several inflammatory markers, including
C reactive protein, interleukin-6, and
tumor necrosis factor alpha. As a group,
the anti-inflammatory molecules found
in beets may eventually be shown to
provide cardiovascular benefits in large-
scale human studies, as well as anti-
inflammatory benefits for other body
systems."

4. Anti-Cancer Properties — The powerful
phytonutrients that give beets their deep
crimson color may help to ward off cancer.
Research has shown that beetroot extract
reduced multi-organ tumor formations in
various animal models when administered
in drinking water, for instance, while
beetroot extract is also being studied for
use in treating human pancreatic, breast,
and prostate cancers.7

5. Rich in Valuable Nutrients and Fiber —
Beets are high in immune-boosting vitamin
C, fiber, and essential minerals like
potassium (essential for healthy nerve and
muscle function) and manganese (which is
good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and
pancreas). Beets also contain the B vitamin
folate, which helps reduce the risk of birth
defects.

6. Detoxification Support — The betalin
pigments in beets support your body's
Phase 2 detoxification process, which is
when broken down toxins are bound to
other molecules so they can be excreted
from your body. Traditionally, beets are
valued for their support in detoxification
and helping to purify your blood and your
liver.
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Eat Your Beet Greens Too
If you simply throw away the green leafy
tops to your beets, you're doing yourself a
disservice, as these are among the healthiest
part of the plant. Besides containing
important nutrients like protein,
phosphorus, zinc, fiber, vitamin B6,
magnesium, potassium, copper, and
manganese, beet greens also supply
significant amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C,
calcium, and iron.
Beet greens actually have even more iron
than spinach (another leafy green in the
same botanical family) as well as a higher
nutritional value overall than the beetroot
itself.
Source:https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx

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Check out the 11 Awesome Beet Root Juice Health Benefits

https://choppinglife.com/blog/11-awesome-beet-root-juice-health-benefits/