Beet (also: beet, beet) has been consumed for several centuries. However, there is no wild form: the Romans made the beet known in Europe, from which the beet was bred and further refined. Many people remember it mainly because of its color. Beet contains many valuable ingredients that can have a positive effect on our health.
Beet: ingredients such as iron
As a slightly acidic side dish in herring salad or raw with other vegetables, it often receives little attention. Yet it was previously assumed that beet juice had a blood-forming function due to its color. But it is not the red pigment betanin that makes the root vegetable so valuable: It is rather the ingredients vitamin B, folic acid and the trace element iron contained in beet that are involved in blood formation. Beet juice is therefore often recommended for iron deficiency. However, the human body can utilize animal iron better. Nevertheless, beet is a good source of iron for vegetarians, for example. It is recommended to take beet with foods and drinks rich in vitamin C (such as orange juice), or as beet salad in raw form, because many nutrients are lost during preparation.
Beet boosts stamina
Scientists have found in studies that athletic endurance is increased by regularly drinking beet juice. When compared with currant juice of the same color, beet juice performed significantly better. This is presumably related to the plus in nitrates in beet juice, which the body converts into nitrites. These in turn react with the iron atoms during cellular respiration of the enzymes.
Beet juice against high blood pressure.
However, beet juice has a completely different effect: high blood pressure can be lowered quickly and significantly. Again, this effect is believed to be triggered by the nitrates. Anyone suffering from high blood pressure would do well to drink half a liter of beet juice. Already after one hour one can notice the blood pressure lowering effect, the greatest effect occurs after about three to four hours. Since the positive effect can last up to 23 hours, patients with arterial hypertension can achieve a significant positive effect with just two glasses of beet juice daily. But be careful: beet also contains a lot of oxalic acid, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Those who are prone to kidney stones should only consume beet in small quantities. Vegetables in winter
Recipes with beet
Although beet always looks good in a salad, for example with lamb’s lettuce and goat’s cheese or even finely grated with apple and lemon, why not try an unfamiliar beet recipe? After all, beet is healthy and goes well with many dishes.
Beetroot soup
With this recipe, you can quickly conjure up a beet soup for the cold days:
- A glass of beet
- 2 tsp large-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp cream
- Optionally salt and pepper or vegetable stock cube
- At will sugar
The beet is briefly boiled (in its own juice) and seasoned with spices. Now finely puree and add to the plate parsley and cream. Already the beet soup is ready!
Beetroot and orange soup
If you have a little more time, you can also try a delicious beetroot and orange soup. To do this, simply mash the beet with potatoes and half a liter of orange juice. Add broth and season to taste with cinnamon, cayenne pepper, sherry and ginger. Add a little salt, and finish with a teaspoon of crème fraîche and chive stalks per serving. Beet carpaccio is also great as an appetizer.
Boil down beet
Important in all beet recipes and also when pickling is, when cooking apron and preferably rubber gloves do not forget! The juice is difficult to get out of the clothes. If you want to preserve beet, you should definitely pre-cook it beforehand. Then cut them into small pieces and put them into jars. Boil a decoction of two-thirds water and one-third vinegar with finely chopped garlic, onions, caraway seeds, salt and sugar and fill it into the jars. Beet has few calories both raw and boiled down. For comparison, the kcal value is even just below that of an apple.Anyone who wants to lose weight healthily through exercise and a balanced diet kills two birds with one stone by adding recipes with beetroot to their menu, as the low-calorie vegetable simultaneously increases athletic performance.
