Even as a girl I loved beets, they were always my favorite addition to any salad. Still today, I look forward to finding new dishes to add beets to or even just eating them on their own. Tonight for the first time I added beets into my detox shake, and was pleasantly surprised. Lucky for me, you can find these wonderful root vegetables year-round, but the ideal time to buy them is June through October, when they are most tender. Beets have a hard to define taste, I guess maybe you could say even a bit earthy.
When shopping for beets look for unblemished bulbs, with unwilted greens, make sure that the greens are still intake in order to receive the most nutritional value. There are also other varieties of beets that you will see other than just red. You will find golden beets, and pink and white striated Chioggia beets.
How do you cook beets?
I prefer to roost the beets, but there are other options out there. Here are directions on how to roost them:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 of the stems (the greens are great sauteed)
- Scrub the beets before placing in a baking dish
- Add 1/4 inch of water to the dish and cover tightly
- If the beets are small it should take about 30-40 minutes, medium beets around 40-45 minutes, and large beets around 50-60 minutes
- You will know when they are done, when they become tender
- Remove from the oven and let cool
- Once cool, strip off the beet skins
Serve on top of a bed of greens, mixed in a salad, or along with another of my favorites; goat cheese.
So what are the health benefits of beets?
- Beets are low in calories, but high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals
- Contain the compound Glycine betaine, which can help to lower homocysteine levels in the blood. High homocysteine levels have been seen to lead to coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular diseases.
- Contain high amounts of vitamin C, the powerful antioxidant which helps the body fight against free radical damage
- Betalains give beets their unique color and have been shown to provide antioxidant support, serve as a anti-inflammatory, and natural detoxifier.
- The top of the beets, the green leafy part, contains a great source of carotenoids, antioxidants, and vitamin A.
- The root is high in Vitamin B3, B5, B6, carotenoids, and minerals such as iron, manganese, and magnesium.
- Also high in potassium
Another reason to like beets? Nutritionist Jonny Bowden author of "The 150 healthiest foods on earth," created a list of the top "11 best foods that you aren't eating." Beets were on the top of the list, due to their high folate content and possible cancer fighting ability.
Grated Raw Beet Salad by Martha Rose Shulman:
- 1/2 pound beets
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon minced chives, mint, and parsley
- Sea salt to taste
- Leaves of 1 romaine heart
- Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade.
- Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with sea salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leave, top with the grated beets and serve.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
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