The Health Benefits of Beets

I recently posted about beets on Facebook and my lovely friend, Wayfaring Wanderer asked how to prepare beet greens. Great question, Wayfaring Wanderer! One of the very cool things about beets is that you can eat the entire vegetable. From a gardening stand point, this is awesome. Prime real estate is taken up by a root and leaf crop, which means that valuable space is maximized for production. You can do this with turnips and a few other root vegetables as well, but none are as exciting or as diverse, in my opinion, as the beet. And of course, the health benefits of beets are pretty extraordinary. 

Detoxification 

As many of us already know, eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is beneficial in that it provides us with a variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients. In the case of the beet, a family of phytonutrients called betalaines are what give beets their striking color. Betalaines are most known for their ability to help detoxify. The liver is the primary organ responsible for removing toxins from the body and beets help to support its function. Extracts from beets containing high concentrations of betalaines have been shown to protect the liver from scarring and inflammation in the liver of rats with hepatic fibrosis, a disease characterized by excessive build up of connective tissue in the liver (1). Countless other studies have demonstrated the liver-protecting and powerful anti-carcinogenic effects of betalaines in humans (2). 

Beets offer a further detoxifying effect due to the unique type of fiber present in their tissues. Beets are high in pectin, a soluble fiber responsible for drawing water into the stool and helping us feel full longer. Pectin is also responsible for binding to toxins and helping to flush toxins from our body. 

Anti-inflammatory

Betalaines have been shown to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines in blood, which ultimately reduces systemic inflammation. I blogged about the mechanisms behind inflammation in an earlier post if you want a bit of background about cytokines. The powerful antioxidants in beets further protect our body from inflammation via the prevention of oxidative damage. Oxidative damage initiates an immune response, which results in inflammation. Consuming fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants can help prevent this effect. 

Gut Health

Interestingly enough, fermented beet juice in particular has been demonstrated to help certain species of bacteria adhere to the epithelial lining of the intestines (3). What does this mean? It basically just means that beet juice helps good bacteria to make its home in your bowels. Again, it’s the betalaines thought to be responsible for this effect, which is interesting because beets also contain a type of carbohydrate responsible for feeding good bacteria. Foods that contain these carbs, FODMAPS (I won’t go into too much detail here… that’s for a later post), can be difficult to digest for some people, but have great health benefits for those of us who have no trouble with these types of carbs. FODMAPS are essentially starches that we’re incapable of digestive without the help of bacteria in our guts, mostly large intestines. If you consider the fact that the betalaines help bacteria adhere to the intestines and the FODMAPS help feed the good bacteria, then you’ve got yourself a fantastic gut health-promoting food! Beneficial bacteria help to regulate our immune system, digest our food and take up space and nutrients that might otherwise be utilized by bad bacteria. I know I already talked about detoxification, but some of these good bacteria such as Lactobacillus species are responsible for absorbing and flushing toxins from our bodies (3). So, beets’ influence on gut health further promotes their detoxifying capabilities. 

Ergogenic aid

Some evidence supports the use of betalaines as an aid for performance enhancement (4). There are varying results from these early studies, but it is believed that betalaines help increase fat metabolism, prevent lipogenesis, help regulate blood sugar, help stimulate human growth hormone secretion, and prevent fatigue (4). 

Easy to Prepare 

The best thing about beets is that they can easily be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Betalaine concentrations are highest in fresh, raw beets, but are also present in lesser amounts in beets that have been lightly steamed or roasted. Long term storage of beets can result in the degradation of the betalaines over time, which is why fermenting beets is a good choice for betalaine preservation. Not only that, but fermented beets are higher in betanidin, the betalaine that appears to be the most powerful antioxidant of the family (3). However, the most important thing to note is that adding beets to your diet in any way, shape or form is highly desirable! Try the following ideas for beet preparation:

1. Beet greens or whole raw, beets blended into green smoothies (I’m a big fan of frozen dark sweet cherries, whole beets and almonds!)
2. Beet greens sautéed with garlic or used in a frittata
3. Beet greens chopped and added to soups
4. Raw beets grated into salads
5. Raw beets sliced thinly and used like a cracker with dips
6. Cubed and roasted beets
7. Boil and peeled beets can be eaten plain or added to salads 
8. Beets thinly sliced and grilled
9. Although I haven’t yet tried this, fermenting beets is at the top of my To Do List as soon as my beet crop comes in! I have successfully fermented a number of things and I can’t begin to tell you how easily it can done. I’ll likely start with a recipe like this. The great thing about fermenting beets straight from the garden is that soil-based organisms (SBO’s) have recently attracted much attention in the world of probiotics. The best way to consume large quantities of these beneficial bacteria is by fermenting foods that have been recently pulled from the garden. No garden? Check out your local farmer’s market! 

With beet season in full swing here in western NC, I highly recommend adding beets to your diet in any way, shape or form. I would also like to point out that yes, I’ve broken beets down into their specific benefits, but don’t forget that this can be done for most fruits and vegetables. The important thing is to eat a variety of fresh produce (the fresher, the better!) throughout the year and you’ll be preventing all sorts of disease, and eating your way to a healthier, happier you. Enjoy, my friends, and be sure to post in the comments below with your favorite beet recipes!