Benefits of beetroot
Posted on: 13/Jul/2015 4:01:44 PM
Beetroot is a dark red, sweet root vegetable that has a bit of an acquired taste. This power food can be eaten, raw, boiled, in a salad, as a side dish or in your veg biryani. Here is why you must add beetroot more in your diet.
Beetroots contain nitrates that, when eaten, convert into nitric oxides. These help to widen the arteries and controls blood pressure. Having 500 grams of beetroot reduces blood pressure in 6 hours. Betacynanin in the beetroot is what gives the purple colour. This is a powerful antioxidant. This ingredient also lowers harmful LDL cholesterol in the body, thus preventing heart attacks or strokes.
Beetroot has a large amount of folic acid. This is especially good for expectant mothers. Folic acid helps in healthy bone formation in the unborn child. Another major component of beetroot is silica, which helps in proper absorption of calcium in the body, thus preventing against osteoporosis or brittle bones.
Although this is a sweet vegetable, it releases sugar into the blood stream very slowly, making it appropriate for diabetics. Another plus point is that it has very little calories, while satisfying the sweet tooth. Also, iron in beetroots helps increase haemoglobin in the blood, thus helping anaemic persons.
