Come spring, I see beets on many restaurant menus here in NYC. One fave: The Beet and Tofu Salad at Blossom NYC: Roasted red and golden beets, shaved tofu, green and yellow string beans in a shallot vinaigrette. Dirt Candy even has a Golden Beet Papardelle. Yum. Nothing beats a succulent sweet beet salad, But have you ever wondered just how healthy beets are? They are super sweet and you never really hear about the health benefits of beets. What nutrients are they high in? Well, beets have a few nutrition surprises buried beneath that bright purple flesh...
Nutrition Surprise: Beets have Betalains. There is a long list of phytochemicals that certain fruits and veggies contain. But beets contain a rare phytochemical called Betalains. They are directly related to the dark purple pigment in beets. Betalains are antioxidants. One study found:
"They believe that red beet products used
regularly in the diet may provide benefits against certain
oxidative stress-related disorders. " And of course we know that antioxidants helps protect your body from a wide variety of health ailments.
Sweet Beets. Beets are incredibly tender and sweet when cooked, yet still low in calories. ½ cup of sliced boiled beets contains only 37 calories yet a nice sweet flavor boost to a dish!
Beets
from nutritiondata.com
½ cup cooked beet slices
calories: 37
fat: 0g
carbs: 8g
protein: 1g
fiber: 2g
folate: 17% RDA
Vitamin C: 5% RDA
Manganese: 14% RDA
Iron: 4% RDA
Beets are high in fiber, folate and Manganese. They also contain the pigment antioxident phytochemical Betalains. For such a sweet flavor, beets are low in calories and high in water content.
Complete nutrition data for beets: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2349/2
