Beetroots and beet greens are superfoods, they aid detoxification of the body, boost your stamina and increase your energy level and in general improve your overall health.
This humble vegetable has been used since ancient times as both food and medicine, it is a storehouse of vital nutrients and phytochemicals that your body cannot do without.
Beetroot is a vegetable with the highest sugar content and it is a source of refined sugar apart from sugar cane. It is also used to add color to foods and it has a unique earthy taste.
For thousands of years, beets have been used as an aphrodisiac and they are associated with sexuality in many traditional healing systems. Another name for beets is “Blood turnips”.
Regular intake of this highly nutritious root vegetable is a sure way to improve your health and prevent diseases. It will even add years to your lifespan. Below are some of the impressive health benefits of beets.
Health Benefits of Beets
Increase the Level of Energy
Beet juice helps increase energy and boosts endurance and stamina during exercise or any physical activity. They contain nitrate which the body converts into nitric-oxide, this compound increases energy and performance.
Beetroot makes your muscles to handle fuel effectively, it aids cell signaling, functions of hormones, and increase the flow of blood all through your body thereby boosting energy and stamina.
Beets reduce the usage of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s main form of energy thus helping to conserve energy. It helps you stay active for a long time and it increases the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen.
This wonderful veggie reduces the amount of oxygen your muscles need to function optimally and it boosts athletic performances. It increases the flow of blood to the limbs and enables people with peripheral artery disease to perform some exercises.
Prevent and Treat Cancer
Beets are powerful anticancer foods because they contain cancer-fighting phytonutrients like betalains which have the ability to both treat and prevent cancer.
This herb prevents the formation of carcinogen in the body and it accelerates the production of immune cells and enzymes that stop the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body.
Beetroot also prevents the formation of tumors in your organs and a study has revealed that a 50 year old man from lung tumor/lung cancer after 6 weeks of consuming beetroot regularly. The tumor disappeared after the 6th week and he gained over 20 pounds of weight 4 months later.
Improves Skin Health
Beets are dense in skin-friendly nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoid, lutein, and many other important antioxidants that promote skin health and protect your skin from the damaging effects of free radicals.
They are also very effective in preventing skin cancer and they protect your skin from harmful rays. The vitamin A present in beetroots helps to maintain healthy mucous membrane thereby improving skin health.
Beet has a strong anti-aging property, this is because it contains a large number of antioxidants which slows down the aging process and clears the signs of aging like wrinkles, age spots, and spots.
Aid Weight Loss
Beets aid weight loss by helping to detoxify your body, they are rich in dietary fiber and they contain no fat. This fiber aid regular bowel movement and eliminate excess fat and cholesterol from the bloodstream.
They are also a storehouse of magnesium, this vital nutrient promotes optimal function of the nerve and muscles and this is beneficial in weight loss.
Also, high levels of magnesium in the body help burn fats and it increases muscles by increasing the levels of testosterone. There are powerful phytochemicals present in beets that also aid weight loss, these are betalains, vulgaxanthin, and betanin. These chemicals aid weight loss, they detoxify the body and fight inflammation.
Improve Brain Health
Beet is one of the best foods for the brain, it slows the formation of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative conditions. It improves the health and functions of the brain even in aged individuals because it increases the flow of blood to the brain and this leads to an abundance of oxygen in the brain.
Beet is very dense in nitrate, this mineral increases the flow of blood to the white matter of your frontal lobes, and this is the area of your brain that is affected by cognitive disorders. It also contains folate which prevents damage to your hippocampus, this is the area of your brain that is in charge of learning and memory.
Folate also increases the number of brain cells in the hippocampus and it prevents high levels of homocysteine in the brain. High levels of homocysteine in the brain can cause damage to the DNA of your nerve cells in your brain. Folate helps the nerve cells to repair themselves and the damage to the DNA.
Prevent Osteoporosis
Nitrates which are found abundantly in beets help prevent osteoporosis. They also contain silica, this mineral helps the body to efficiently utilize calcium, an important mineral required for strong and healthy bones. It is believed among health experts that a glass of beetroot juice a day prevents osteoporosis.
It also prevents brittle bone diseases and demineralization or thinning of the bones. Betaine, a phytochemical present in beets reduces the levels of homocysteine, an excess amount of homocysteine raises the risks of osteoporosis, even in young adults.
Improve Digestion
Beets are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, these fibers are essential for healthy digestion, regular bowel movement, proper functioning of the digestive system, and also for a strong immune system.
They excite the nerves in your intestines and this helps improve poor digestion of foods. The fiber in beets serves as food for the healthy bacteria in your gut thus fighting against overpopulation of bad bacteria in your gut and a weak immune system.
Improve Liver Health
Excess of toxin in the liver is the leading cause of liver problems and liver diseases. This leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Other causes of liver problems are poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyle, exposure to toxins, and excessive intake of alcohol and other poisonous foods. Beetroots prevent all these causes thereby protecting your liver and improving its functions.
It is highly nutritious thereby fighting nutritional deficiencies, and it contains betaine, a powerful phytochemical that protect your liver from toxins by breaking down toxins and fatty deposits and expelling them from the liver.
Detoxifies the Body
Betalain helps detoxify your body, it is used by the body in the phase II detoxification process. In this process, betalain helps break down toxins and attached them to other molecules so that they can be easily eliminated from the body.
Beets also help purify your blood and liver, your liver is the major detoxification organ of your body and when it is not overloaded with toxins, its work will be fast and they will be no accumulation of toxins in your body.
Improves Sexual Health
Another name for this superfood is “natural Viagra” because of its ability to improve sexuality and treat sexual problems, most especially weak erection.
This is possible because beets are rich in nitrate, the consumption of beets leads to increased production of nitric oxide in your body. This nutrient dilates blood vessels and increases the circulation of blood to all parts of the body including the penis.
This help to give men a strong and long-lasting erection thereby promoting better sexual intercourse and it also helps them last longer in bed than usual.
Beets are also dense in boron, this mineral helps your body to produce a sufficient amount of sex hormones, abnormal levels of sex hormones in the body can lead to sexual dysfunction and even infertility.
They contain tryptophan also, an important amino acid which relaxes your mind and makes you happy, this helps sexual arousal by getting you into the mood.
Promotes a Healthy Pregnancy
Beets are rich in folate, a B vitamin that promotes a healthy pregnancy and prevents complications and birth defects like anencephaly and spinal Bifida and other neural tube defects.
It reduces the risks of giving birth to a premature baby when it is taken regularly by a pregnant woman. Beetroot is very good for women of childbearing age and it should be added to their diet regularly.
Improve Heart Health
Betaine is a powerful compound found abundantly in beets, it reduces the levels of homocysteine in the body. This compound increases the risks of heart disease, stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular diseases when its level is high in the body.
It also stops the formation of chronic inflammation, one of the biggest risk factor for heart disease. The fibers present in beets reduce high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream.
While doing so, they raise the levels of good cholesterol, the HDL cholesterol which protects the heart and blood vessels. Regular consumption of beets will reduce your risks of heart disease and cardiovascular diseases in many ways.
Reduce High Blood Pressure
Beetroots can effectively bring down high blood pressure better than some medications and it does that without causing any adverse side effects. In a study, men and women were given 17.6 ounces of beet juice and their systolic blood pressure dropped six hours later.
The high content of nitrate in this superfood is responsible for this effect and for the heart-friendly effects of beets also. This nitrate is converted into nitric oxide which helps to dilate and relax your blood vessels.
This increases the flow of blood to your body without any pressure, thereby preventing and treating high blood pressure.
Fight Inflammation
Beets are among the best anti-inflammatory foods on the planet. Their rich content of betalains, fiber, and folate, help them fight chronic inflammation in the body.
They treat inflammation in all part of the body including the kidneys and this helps in improving your overall health and increasing your lifespan because chronic inflammation is the root cause of chronic diseases.
Prevent and Treat Respiratory Problems
Beetroot is a storehouse of vitamin C, this powerful antioxidant protect your respiratory system and relieve symptoms of asthma. It also prevents asthma from happening when taken regularly and it fights the effects of free radicals which can damage your respiratory system.
Vitamin C boosts the production and the activities of the white blood cells which fight invading germs, parasites, and pathogens that can invade the respiratory system and cause infections and other respiratory diseases and disorders.
Promote Eye Health
Beta-carotene and vitamin A present in beets help protect your eyes and improve your vision in many ways. They prevent cataract, night blindness, and other types of eye problems including age-related blindness.
Beets also reduce the risks of macular degeneration due to their rich content of beta-carotene. It slows the formation of this age-related eye problem by neutralizing free radicals because an increase in free radicals has been linked to macular degeneration.
Beta-carotene is a powerful form of vitamin A, it defends the eyes against the damaging effects of free radicals which macular degeneration is one of it.
Beets also stop premature aging of all your body parts including your eyes. People with eye problems and those who depend on glasses to see well should increase their intake of beets and they will see a tremendous improvement in their eyesight.
Promotes the Health of Blood vessels
Beets contain nutrients like vitamin C and flavonoids that help to protect your blood vessels, especially the capillaries. These are the smallest blood vessels in your body and they are prone to damage and tear.
These nutrients support the structure of the capillaries and prevent them from tearing or getting blocked. A sure way to improve your overall health and even lifespan is to increase your consumption of beetroot, beet leaf, and beetroot juice. They keep chronic diseases at bay, they improve your mental performance and even improve your sexual performance and fertility.
Care has to be taken though when consuming beetroot juice because it has a very high content of sugar but it is not as harmful as refined sugar. Also, beetroot extract should not be taken along with prescription drugs unless you have consulted with your doctor to know if it is safe.
