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- ARTICLESBlood red and looking like a badly shaped tennis ball witha tail, beets are not high on the favorite foods list. They do show up in AuntMabel’s family reunion salad (which ranks right up there with fruitcake), but theyare not found very often on dinner plates. Let’s face it, beets are a beatenvegetable.
To beat the beaten image, we have put together a little public relations kit.
The facts: Ancient peoples believed that the color of beets was indicative of theirpower. Folklore mentions that beets were eaten to aid the blood: Greeks used beets to"cool" blood, and Romans used beets to fight fever.
The Foods and Nutrition Encyclopedia notes that wild beets were gathered fortheir greens, and that beets were cultivated for their roots around the early Christianera. By the sixteenth century, the red beet had traveled widely and was being used as foodby the English.
The facts: One cup of raw beets is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Itcontains phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium, as well as fiber,vitamins A and C, niacin, and biotin. Beets contain folic acid, which is recommended forpregnant women because it may lower the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defectsin newborn infants.
The facts: According to John Heinerman, in the Encyclopedia of Healing Juices,beets (and beet juices) are a blood-building herb that detoxifies blood and renews it withminerals and natural sugars.
Dr. H.C.A. Vogel, in The Nature Doctor, states that beet juice contains betaine,which stimulates the function of liver cells and protects the liver and bile ducts. Recentstudies point to betaine as contributing to the prevention of coronary and cerebral arterydiseases. This is because betaine is proving to be a methyl doner.
A methyl doner ensures that homocysteine, a breakdown product of the amino acidmethionine, is converted back to methionine. Mildly elevated levels of homocysteine havebeen found in patients with coronary artery and cerebrovascular diseases. This conditionis known as mild hyperhomocysteinemia, and is recognized as a risk factor for prematurearteriosclerotic disease (Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis. Vol. 14(3) March 1994).Folic acid, which beets contain, also helps combat homocysteine.
The facts: Early research in Hungary indicated that beet juice and its powderedform slowed the development of tumors. Heinerman reports that Alexander Ferenczi, M.D.,observed beets aiding cancer patients and performed studies that indicated that beets mayhelp animals fight cancer.
More recent research supports this. An article in the February 25, 1996, issue of CancerLetters reports on an animal study that shows that beetroot has a significanttumor-inhibiting effect. The abstract for the study says, "The combined findingssuggest that beetroot ingestion can be one of the useful means to prevent cancer."
Come on beet growers, if you’ve got it, flaunt it!
You can also get your beets from RediBeets.
| Carrot juice is often used as a "base" juice in juice combinations, as its natural sweetness often masks unpleasant tastes. Many people mix carrot juice with beet juice for liver health. If it is a little too sweet, add cucumber or parsley juice; these two juices are also considered good for the kidneys and urinary tract. Others add aloe vera for a potently healthful cocktail. Consider using AIMJust Carrots™ for a base of your forays into juice combination! |