Contents of the article:
In the list of garden crops beet is not the last place. This vegetable is unpretentious, beautifully stored and used in many dishes. If the cultures growing on our beds are arranged according to the degree of their usefulness, the red beet will become the undisputed leader.
So how is beets good for the body? What are the beneficial substances in its composition make to pay close attention to the vegetable and traditional medicine and medical professionals who use traditional methods?
The chemical composition of beets
Both the benefits and harms of red beets are determined by the presence in root crops of a large number of substances acting on human organs.
Beetroot in this respect has a rich set of macro- and microelements, acids, vitamins and other substances. But it is worth starting with finding out the energy and nutritional value of root crops.
Per 100 grams of raw red beets accounted for 42 kcal. Depending on the variety and growing conditions, roots can accumulate up to 14% of sugars, beets contain up to 1.5% of proteins, a lot of dietary fiber and insignificant amounts of fats and ashes. At the same time, in the burgundy flesh there is sufficient B vitamins essential for the body, vitamins PP, C and K, as well as a long series of mineral salts. Potassium takes the main place among macronutrients, followed by iron, magnesium and sodium, manganese and iodine, zinc, phosphorus, rubidium, chlorine and such a rare element cesium.
Organic acids in the composition of red root vegetables are oxalic, citric, and malic acid; beetroot contains pectins and anthocyanins, flavonoids, and amino acids.
How is raw beet useful, and do its properties change after cooking or stewing? Since red beets are often consumed in boiled or stewed form, it is worth mentioning the changes in vegetable composition that occur as a result of heat treatment:
- Beets lose some vitamins, especially ascorbic acid and some other compounds.
- The calorie content of the vegetable slightly increases, reaching 44 kcal.
- C 30 to 65 increases the glycemic index of a boiled root, that is, beets after heat treatment causes the rise in blood sugar two times faster, which diabetics need to take into account.
For the rest, the beneficial properties of cooked and raw beets are very close. What is the effect of vegetables on the human body?
Red beet: the benefits and harms of
Some of the beneficial properties of red beet and contraindications for its consumption can be attributed to most vegetable crops.
Due to the abundance of non-digestible cellulose that passes through the entire digestive tract, a serious stimulation of the intestinal motor function occurs. The result is a cleansing of the body, improves metabolism and digestion.
The normalization of metabolic substances is actively influenced by the B vitamins present in red beet.
Dietary fiber restrains the absorption of cholesterol, which, if it enters the blood, can cause atherosclerosis and other diseases of the heart and vascular system. This is useful and raw beets, and the last heat treatment.
The vitamin composition of root vegetables provides significant support to the immune system, which is especially important given the good beet preservation until the spring, when vitamins are most needed.
Carbohydrates in the composition of beets are able to quickly replenish energy reserves and return the person vivacity.
But there are beneficial properties of boiled beets and raw root crops, which no other vegetable crop has.
- Due to the content of iron, copper and vitamin B1 in root vegetables, beets increase hemoglobin levels.
- Consuming beets helps stimulate brain activity.
- Vegetable, if consumed systemically and for a long time, has the ability to clear the blood vessels of excess cholesterol, which reduces the risk of atherosclerosis, strengthens the walls of capillaries and positively affects the state of the walls of blood vessels.
Red beet is good for the body:
- in case of hypertension, with increased pressure;
- as a mild natural diuretic and laxative;
- with the existence of risks of cancer;
- as a protective agent for the possibility of liver obesity;
- is an anti-aging, effective antioxidant.
With such a significant beneficial effect of red beets, raw root vegetables sometimes act differently than boiled vegetables.
How is raw beet useful?
When using red beets and products from this vegetable, raw root vegetables are often used.
Indeed, in this case, the beets fully preserves all bioactive substances, vitamins and amino acids. In particular, the usefulness of raw beets is determined by the presence of betaine, which has a beneficial effect:
- on the health of the liver and its health;
- exchange processes;
- on the course of the fight against heart disease and atherosclerosis;
- at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Raw root vegetables are extremely active in the digestive system, purifying the body from toxins and slags. Beets for the body is also useful in that it resists the development of tumors.
It should be noted that:
- fiber in fresh root crops is almost twice as effective in adsorbing harmful substances and slags;
- raw beet juice is the strongest cleansing agent that requires careful use;
- in a fresh vegetable all vitamins are preserved;
- green beet tops are good for the body, like root vegetables, and can be used for food and for medical purposes;
- raw root vegetables are less dangerous for people with diabetes.
Juices and salads are made with the addition of carrots, pumpkins, fresh herbs.
Useful properties of boiled beets
How is heat-treated beets useful for the body? First of all, it should be noted that after cooking or stewing, the roots lose not very many useful substances. In addition to ascorbic acid and vitamins B5, B9, all trace elements, including phosphorus, copper, iodine and iron, potassium and sodium are still active and ready to make their impact.
Some components after cooking are converted to a more accessible form and are easily absorbed by the body.
As a result of heat treatment, such a side effect of beet action as an irritating effect on the stomach and intestines disappears. For example, if, in acute pancreatitis, beets in their raw form are strictly contraindicated precisely because of the possible exacerbation of the disease, then boiled root crops can be used as food during periods of remission.
It is important to remember that the beneficial properties of boiled beets will be preserved to the greatest extent if root vegetables are cooked without peeling. In addition, during cooking, most of the nitrates that this vegetable can accumulate during growth are destroyed and transferred into the water.
Contraindications to the use of beets
The use of burgundy root vegetables not only for medicinal purposes, but also as part of the usual dishes is not always beneficial, red beet is harmful in a number of diseases, as well as in the presence of an allergic reaction to a vegetable.
When can beets cause a person to feel worse? Obviously, the use of root crops is dangerous:
- with a tendency to diarrhea, due to the laxative effect of beets;
- with urinary and gallstone disease, due to the presence of oxalic acid in vegetables capable of forming sand and stones;
- for hypotension, due to the risk of uncontrolled pressure reduction;
- with pancreatitis, because the beets in their raw form can irritate the gastric and intestinal mucosa.
- in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, due to the stimulation of hydrochloric acid production.
It is undesirable to get involved in beet salads and juice, if a person has osteoporosis and diabetes mellitus, and there is a danger of allergic reactions to substances that are part of the roots.
