written by Lilian Ndongmo. ESL Teacher

Beet? What is beet?  Then, you look at the picture and say, “ah yes, I know what that is!” Call it betterave, beterraba, barbabietola rossa, remolacha, Rübe, 甜菜,  ビート or beetroot, here’s what beet can do for you.

1. Beets can help you lose weight.

A beet is a vegetable. It has zero fats and it is low in calories. It also has a natural sweet taste. I like to eat raw beet. Don’t say “Yuck!”. Try it.

2. Beets are high in folic acid. If you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, beet is a good source of folic acid.

3. Beets can help reduce high blood pressure. Doctors recommend drinking a cup or two of beet juice (made from fresh beet root) a day.

4. Beets are very good antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight disease in your body and protect your cells.

5.  Beets help keep your heart healthy.

6. Beets help fight osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease which affects your bones. You need to maintain strong bones, especially as you grow older.

7. Beets are rich in iron. If you have anemia, beets can help you.

8. Beets are also a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, B6 and C.

Using “beet” in a sentence

Beet is usually used with the adjective “red”.

Examples:

The boy’s face turned beet red because he was embarrassed.  (His face became red like the colour of a red beet)

After the farmer got stung by insects his skin turned beet red.

Some people turn beet red after they drink alcohol.

How to eat beet

The best way to eat beet is raw. Cooking beet reduces its nutritional value. I had some raw beet for dinner today. Here’s my simple beet salad recipe. You don’t need to know how to cook to do it. That’s just how simple it is.

Lilian’s beet salad

Ingredients

1 large beet

1 cup fresh cooked corn or canned corn

1 carrot

1 cup cooked chickpeas (optional)

2 cups romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or juice of half a lemon

Procedure:

1.  Wash all vegetables carefully and thoroughly

2.  Peel beet and grate it on the largest blade of a grater. (Use a box grater if you have one)

3. Grate carrot using same grater

4. Mix lemon juice, honey or maple syrup and olive oil in a large bowl

5. Add carrot, corn, chickpeas, lettuce, grated beet and carrot,  and mix well.

6. Let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours.

7. Eat as is or with your favourite whole wheat bread.

Enjoy!

Note: After eating beets, you may notice a change in the colour of your urine or bowel movement. This is perfectly normal.

The red stain of beet on your hands is harmless and comes off quickly. Just wash your hands with soap and water.

 My beet salad dinner. Click to enlarge.

Sources:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/benefits-beet-juice

http://www.lovebeetroot.co.uk/healthy_info/beetroot-benefits.asp#.Uldxa1DryZA

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-beet-benefits-aphrodisiac-brain-booster-more.html

Beet photo credits: Nick Saltmarsh

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.