With the arrival of fall, a chill is in the air, leaves in shades of red and yellow are covering the ground, and beets have arrived. Yes, the beet, my favorite root vegetable, is in season and I’m ready for some delicious salads and soups.
Beets Are Nutritious
Both the reddish-purple root and the leafy beet greens are loaded with nutrients. The beet tops are a good source of iron, vitamin A, potassium, and calcium while the beetroot is rich in folate, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, iodine, choline, and zinc. With nearly 3 grams of fiber per 100 gram serving , beetroot is an excellent digestive aid and can help with constipation. Some oriental medicine practitioners recommend beets for their liver and blood cleansing benefits.
Recently, beets have been shown to enhance athletic performance. Two studies out of University of Exeter found that cyclists, who drank a half-liter of beetroot juice several hours before cycling, were able to ride up to 20 percent longer than those who drank a placebo blackcurrant juice. They discovered the high nitrate content in beetroot juice allows cyclists to exercise using less oxygen than normal by reducing the energy requirements of the muscles.
Beets Are Tasty, Too!
Beet greens can be eaten raw or sautéed in a bit of olive oil and tossed with some nonfat feta cheese. Beetroot can be cooked by boiling, roasting or steaming and then eaten as a side dish, in a salad or soup. Raw shredded beetroot is a healthy addition to any meal and pickled beetroot is popular as a condiment. Beets can be juiced and then combined with other vegetable juices for a different flavor.
Barszcz
My favorite way to eat beets is in a soup. I grew up eating my Polish grandma’s barszcz (or borscht), a flavorful soup using both the beetroot and greens. It can be made with diced vegetables, cabbage, potatoes, beets, and heavy cream in a base of beef broth and topped with sour cream. I prefer a healthier version in a vegetable stock base without the heavy cream.
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