The health benefits of beets will be discussed in this article as we reveal why millions of people have been consistent in eating the plant for the past few decades.
Before we proceed, let’s get a good understanding of beets and how it came into existence.
What Is Beets?
The beet is a bulbous, sweet root vegetable that most people either love or hate. It’s not new on the block, but it’s risen to superfood status over the last decade.
Beetroot the red part of the beet plant has been eaten since the times of ancient Rome – and with good reason.
The prehistoric root vegetable originates from the coastlines of North Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Thanks to its sweet flavour and powerful health benefits, it has become popular worldwide.
Let’s checkout ten health benefits of beets.
10 Health Benefits Of Beets That Will Help You
1. Helps To Reduce Blood Pressure
Beet juice may help lower your blood pressure.
Nitrates, compounds in beet juice that convert into nitric oxide in the blood and help widen and relax blood vessels, are thought to be the cause.
Studies have shown that people who drank 250 millilitres of beet juice daily lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
2. Help People Heart Disease
Heart Disease has become a threat to various life but studies have shown that beets can help in preventing this ailment.
The nitrate level in beets increased power in our muscles – including our heart, a move that prevents heart failure or disease.
3. May prevent cancer
Beets get their rich colour from betalains, which are water-soluble antioxidants. According to a 2016 study, betalains have chemo-preventive abilities against some cancer cell lines.
Betalains are thought to be free radical scavengers that help find and destroy unstable cells in the body.
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4. Good Source Of Folate
What is folate; Folate is a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spinal bifida and anencephaly. It may also decrease your risk of having a premature baby.
Beet juice is a good source of folate and it’s advisable to add it to you diet especially when you’re of childbearing age.
Adding folate to your diet can help you get the daily recommended amount of 600 micrograms.
5. Helps The liver
Poor diet, Excessive Alcohol Consumption and so on can lead to an overloaded liver. An overloaded liver will see you develop a condition known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
However, the antioxidant betaine potentially helps prevent or reduce fatty deposits in the liver.
Betaine may also help protect your liver from toxins.
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6. Helps To Reduce Cholesterol
Oftentimes people tend to stay away from cholesterol but ends up consuming it. If you have high cholesterol, consider adding beet juice to your diet.
Studies have shown that beetroot extract lowered total cholesterol and triglycerides and increased HDL, or “good,” cholesterol.
It also reduced oxidative stress on the liver.
7. Helps Improve Exercise Stamina
Drinking beet juice increases plasma nitrate levels and boosts physical performance. This is one of the health benefits of beets that can’t be overlooked.
Studies shows that trained cyclists who drank 2 cups of beet juice daily improved their 10-kilometer time trial by approximately 12 seconds.
At the same time, they also reduced their maximum oxygen output.
8. Helps Maintain Healthy Potassium Levels
Not consuming enough potassium can cause fatigue, digestive issues and weakness.
Adding beetroot to your diet can help increase your potassium level. 100 grams of beetroot contains 9% of our RDA of potassium.
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9. Beetroot Strengthens Your Bones
We all desire a strong bone. To get this without any form of stress, adding beetroot to the diet will go a long way.
6% of our daily magnesium. Along with copper and folate are found in beetroot – these minerals help our bones grow stronger.
10. Great Source Of Fiber
Beet greens and beetroots are a great source of fiber and it’s advisable for anyone eager to improve their gut health to have a shot.
The high fibre content of beetroots aids digestion by proving our gut with good bacteria.
This increase in dietary fibre can help with conditions linked to your digestive system too, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and preventing constipation.
Summary: Top 10 Health Benefits Of Beets That Will Help You
The health benefits of beets have been discussed in this article and we’ve come to understand that the plants helps in various aspects.
