BEETS

BENEFITS
• A source of folate, fiber, and potassium.
• The greens are a rich source of potassium, calcium, iron, beta carotene, and vitamin C.
• Low in calories.
• Rich in phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and saponins, which may bind cholesterol in the digestive tract, lowering the risk for heart disease.

DRAWBACKS
• Turn urine and stools red, a harmless condition that nonetheless alarms people who mistake it for blood.
• If prone to kidney stones or gout, avoid beet greens as they are high in oxalates. Oxalates can form small crystals and contribute to the development of kidney stones.

Beets are highly versatile vegetable. They can be cooked and served as a side dish, pickled and eaten as a salad or condiment, or used as the main ingredient in borscht, a popular Eastern European soup. Beet greens, the most nutritious part of the vegetable, can be cooked and served like spinach or Swiss chard.
According to folklore, beets were believed to possess curative powers for headaches and other painful conditions. Even today, some naturalist practitioners recommend beets to prevent cancer and bolster immunity; they also suggest using the juice of raw beets to speed convalescence. Although beets are a reasonably nutritious food source, there is no scientific proof that they confer any special medicinal benefits.
Don’t forget the tops. A half-cup serving of cooked beets provides 45 mcg (micrograms) of folate, about 11 percent of the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). The tops, if eaten while young and green, are more nutritious: 1 cup has 35 mg of vitamin C, almost 46 percent of what is advised for adult women; 720 RE of vitamin A; and 160 mg of calcium, 2.5 mg of iron, and 1,300 mg of potassium.
The most flavorful beets are small, with greens still attached. The best way to cook beet roots is to boil them unpeeled, which retains most of the nutrients, as well as the deep red color. After the beets have cooled, the skins slip off easily; the root can be sliced, chopped, or pureed, depending upon the method of serving. Beers may also be canned and pickled with vinegar; some nutrients are lost in the processing, but the sweet flavor remains.

EFFECTS OF BODY WASTES
Many people notice that their urine and stools have turned pink or even red after eating beets, this is harmless and occurs in about 15 percent of people who lack the gut bacteria that normally degrade betalains, the bright red pigment in beets. The urine and stools usually return to their normal colors after a day or two.


FACTS ABOUT BEETS
• Beets have one of the highest sugar content of any vegetable, yet are low in calories about 50 per cup.
• Beets contain betacyanin; a type of plant pigment, which some preliminary research indicates might be helpful in defending cells against harmful carcinogens. It is also being studied for its potential as a tumor fighting compound.
• Many cooks today discard the beet tops and use only the roots. In ancient times, however, only the tops were eaten as a vegetable; the roots were used as a medicine to treat painful disorders such as headaches and toothaches.
• Betalains, the bright red pigments in beets, are extracted and can be used as a natural food coloring or a dye.