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Root Veggies
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Uses: Steamed, Soups or Juiced Raw |
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BEETS ARE HARD AND ROUGH roots on the outside, but when juiced or cooked, they become a delicious addition to a healthy lifestyle. While we may imagine beets having a reddish-purple hue, some actually are white, golden-yellow or even rainbow colored. Due to a high sugar content, beets taste sweet having the highest sugar content of all vegetables, and yet they are very low in calories
We have found that adding one or two beets to our juice adds a very creamy, sweet flavor. If you start to see red, don't be alarmed. You're just experiencing beeturia, or a red or pink color to your urine or stool. Do not panic; the condition is harmless.
Beet fiber contributes to the reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides by increasing the level of HDL. High level of triglycerides increases the risk for heart related problems. The nutrient betaine, present in Beets, lowers the levels of homocysteine in the body which can be very harmful to the blood vessels. Because of this, consumption of beetroot helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It is interesting then, that the Beet looks like the heart and its color resembles blood.
Cancer Protection
Although there have been caution given by researchers to not overdue one's consumption of Beets, in Hungary, Dr Ferenczi in Csoma hospital has been using raw beets to fight cancer since the 1950s. The Red pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color is called betacyanin, and this is a very powerful cancer fighting agent. In the book Food Colorants, Carmen Socaciu writes: "Beetroot has been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe for several centuries. The high content of betanin in red beetroot (300 to 600 mg/kg) may be the explanation for the purported cancer chemopreventive effects of beets" (CRC Press, 2007, p. 169). And in an article entitled “Health Benefits of Red Beets”, we read: "Beet root is a traditional treatment used for leukemia. Beet root contain an amino acid betaine which has an anti cancer properties. Red beet therapy, consisting of consumption of approximately two pounds of raw, mashed beets daily, has been favorably reported for cases of leukemia and tumors (includes cancer). Research also shows that beet juice can help inhibit the development of colon and stomach cancer" (hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_Red_Beets).
Blood Pressure
Amrita Ahluwalia, Professor of Vascular Biology at Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute, the author of the study, explained that because of the naturally occurring nitrate in the beetroot juice, people are able to find similar relief to what they would find with nitrate pills.
 Professor Ahluwalia stated: “We gave inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in the circulation. We showed that beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure. We also found that only a small amount of juice is needed –just 250 ml – to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate.” Professor Ahluwalia also found that the research is good news for people suffering from high blood pressure who want to use a natural approach to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.
Inflamation
People whose diets gave them the highest average intake of choline (found in egg yolk and soybeans), and its metabolite betaine (found naturally in vegetables such as beets and spinach), have shown levels of inflammatory markers at least 20% lower than subjects who had the lowest average intakes, report Greek researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Detopoulou P, Panagiotakos DB, et al.). Beetroot contains a significant amount of carbohydrates that provides fuel for energy and prolonged sports activities. Also, Beetroot is a source of vitamin C which helps to prevent asthma symptoms.
Birth Defects
As a rich in the B vitamin folate, which is essential for normal tissue growth, Beetroot is especially important during pregnancy because without the right amount of folate, the infant's spinal column does not develop normally. The daily requirement for folate is 400 micrograms. Just one cup of boiled, sliced beets contains 136 micrograms of folate. Beet root is recommended for pregnant women because it contain folic acid that can help lower the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects in newborn infants.
References
- George Mateljan, "Beets", Posted Online at "http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49
- "Health Benefits of Red Beets", Posted Online at http://hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_Red_Beets
- "Health Benefits of Beet", http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-beet.html
- "The Health Benefits of Raw Beet Juice", http://www.aliveraw.com/Articles/ The-Health-Benefits-of-Raw-Beet-Juice.aspx'
- healthforu.info/health/ healthfood/Beets-Health-Food.php.
- Benjamin Andrews, "Beetroot, Study of Nature’s Blood Pressure Medicine", Posted Online at http://blog.healthandmed.com/index.php/beetroot-study-of-natures-blood-pressure-medicine/
- Ian McAllister, "Beets Fight Cancer But Raw Is Best", Posted Online at http://healthforu.info/health/healthfood/Beets-Health-Food.php
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One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan
(Luke 17:15-16)
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Fast Facts on Beetroot
 
However, as a warning to pay attention to, Ian McAllister at healthforu.info cautions: "The only problem is the same one as you get with heroic injections of vitamin C. If you eat too much raw beetroot, it can kill the cancer faster than your liver can dispose of the waste products. So if you have a large cancer, start with small quantities of beetroot, and gradually increase them until you start to feel unwell, and then back off the amount".
Concerns
 Too many juiced beets can be harmful the research has shown, and so taking it easy on the beets but still using it in a therapy once in a while would seem best for me. The beet is not something I would overdue or misuse on my own. Moreover, George Mateljan cautions: "Beets...are among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating beets."
Now, this does not mean beets are always harmful. The best advice for me personally is to be smart, study and consult a nutritionist!
Now, Mateljan adds: "If you start to see red when you increase your consumption of beets, don't be alarmed. You're just experiencing beeturia, or a red or pink color to your urine or stool. No need to panic; the condition is harmless."
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Carrots
Fennel
Swt Potato
