Beets: Aphrodisiac, Brain Booster, Pain Reliever & More

 A single serving of beets can boost your energy and lower your blood pressure.
Eating beets long term can help fight cancer, reduce arthritic pain, lose weight and assist in a number of other health areas.

Many people don’t like beets or consider it a special occasion dish but we think this powerfood should be on your plate every day.

Watch this video of Dr. Oz and then read on about the details.

8 Healthy Reasons to Eat Beets:

1.  Weight Loss:

Beets taste sweet but a cup of cooked beet contains only 60 calories and is full of fiber.

This is a perfect recipe for weight management.
The sugars in beets are smart carbs since they come in a natural whole food form.  Unlike white sugar, the beet calories come with a lot of nutrients and phytochemicals.

2.  Brain and Energy Boost

Beets are high in natural nitrates which are converted to nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide is known to expand the wall of blood vessels so you can enjoy more oxygen, more nutrients and more energy.

Studies have shown nitric oxide to increase the efficiency of the mitochondria. (your energy powerhouses). The results of these studies were impressive.

• A single small serving (70 ml)  of beetroot juice, reduced resting blood pressure by 2%.
• A single small serving increased the length of time professional divers could hold their breath by 11%.
• Cyclists who drank a single larger serving (500 ml)  of beetroot juice were able to ride up to 20% longer

3.  Nature’s Viagra

One of the first known uses of beets was by the ancient Romans, who used them medicinally as an aphrodisiac. Many plants have been considered an aphrodisiac by some culture at some time but in this case it may be more than just hopeful thinking.

As noted above beets can increase blood flow due to its nitrates. Increased blood flow to the genital areas is one of the mechanisms Viagra and other pharmaceuticals create their effects.  Beets also contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.

4.  Super Antioxidant for a long healthy pain free life

Antioxidants help to reverse the daily accumulated wear and tear on the body know as aging.

Beets are very good source of commonly know antioxidants vitamin C and manganese but it is their lesser know antioxidants which give them their true value.

The blood red color from beets comes from a powerful group of a antioxidants called betalains.  There are hundreds of studies on the positive health benefits of betalains.  A short list of the results shows help in the areas of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and inflammation.  If you go to google scholar and type in ‘betalains’, you will see 3790 scholarly references on this subject.

5.  Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

The inflammatory response is a natural function of the body which saves our lives when it responds to the acute stresses in our lives like bacterial infection and injury.  Due to the constant  stress in our modern lives this inflammation becomes chronic.  It is like our body is constantly in a battle.   Inflammation has been linked to a number of symptoms and diseases including:

• Wrinkles
• Susceptibility to infections
• Cancer
• Arthritis
• Bronchitis
• Chronic pain
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Osteoporosis
• Heart disease
• Candidiasis

The blood red betalains in beets have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation.

6.  Cancer Prevention:

Preliminary tests suggest that beetroot ingestion can be one of the useful means to prevent lung and skin cancer. Other studies have shown that beet juice inhibits the formation of cancer causing compounds called nitrosamines

7.  Cell Detoxification and Cleansing:

The antioxidants in beets have been show to support what is called phase 2 cleansing.  In phase 2 cleansing unwanted toxic substances are chemically combined with a small nutrient group. This combination neutralizes the toxin and makes them sufficiently water soluble so they can be excreted through the urine.

This is therefore deep cleansing on a cellular level that has long term health effects.

8.  Improved Mental Health

The betalains in beets has been used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains Tryptophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being, similar to chocolate.  Enjoy!

Concerns:

Beet greens are one of the many high nutrient foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates. Individuals with known or suspected kidney or gallbladder problems are recommended have been advised not to eat these high oxalate foods. This is a much disputed subject. See  Oxalic Acid Controversy

Some individuals are concerned when their urine and stools turn red after consumption.   This condition,called beeturia is not considered harmful and occurs in 5-15 of healthy Americans. Individual with iron metabolism problems are more likely to experience this situation.

Suggestions:

• Raw beetroot juice is one of the most powerful ways you can consume it. It is rather intense by itself though, and tastes much better mixed with other vegetables. We have thus included a great juice mixture recipe below.
• The nutrients in beets are more susceptible to degradation from long cooking times than other foods so if you are cooking it the ideal would be 15 minutes steaming maximum.
• Beetroot tops and stems contain much of the same benefits as the root but with additional nutrients and phytochemicals associated with green leaf vegetables.

“For pink pee, eat a beet! Children are notorious for refusing to eat their fruits and vegetables, but what child can resist the allure of orange, pink, and even green pee?”  Pee Funny by Benjamin Picard

Beet Recipes:

Borscht with a Difference A favorite way to consume these red powerhouses. With photo directions.

 Perfect Vegetable Juice This delicious recipe contains four other superfoods and thus multiplies your health benefit many times.

 Alkaline Steamed Vegetables The most nutritious and tasty way to eat cooked beets.

Learn When and How to Cook With Beets:

We  consider beets such a great Superfood that we include it in many of our detox and weight loss classes.  It is suitable for may different seasons.

READ Inflammation: Is it Good or Bad for Your Body?

We hear about inflammation often but do we really know what it is? Inflammation is an important immune system function. When it is out of control, it can cause serious damage. Inflammation has been linked to major diseases such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and signs of aging. There’s good news: many foods are naturally anti-inflammatory. Adding Natural Anti-Inflammatory Foods to your meals is a very good way to reduce inflammation. Antioxidants found in foods protect your cells from the effects of free radicals and can help reduce an overabundance of inflammation in your body.