Beetroot with a red-black turnip in appearance.
It's a bit of a poisonous appearance, but are you worried that it is rich in nutrition and good for your body?
This time, I'm interested in beetroot, but I don't know the taste or how to cook it, so I'm hesitant to try it… For such people, I would like to introduce beets in detail so that you can think, "Let's try cooking with beets next weekend!"
- If you know the nutritional content of beetroot, you will surely want to eat it!
- What are the nutritional benefits of beetroot?
- Beets are effective for recovering from fatigue
- Beets also work on the intestinal environment
- Beets enhance liver function
- Beetroot relieves swelling and prevents high blood pressure
- Prevention of arteriosclerosis caused by beets
- Cancer prevention due to the antioxidant effect of beets
- Beetroot promotes beauty and diet effects
- Don't just eat beetroot, balance is important
- Eat beets deliciously [Simple recipe introduction]
- At last
If you know the nutritional content of beetroot, you will surely want to eat it!
You may not see many raw beets in the supermarket in Japan.
After investigating, it seems that some Queens Isetan, Seijo Ishii, and Kinokuniya may be dealing with it. … It is an image of a shop that handles a little expensive items, but even these shops sometimes do not appear in the store depending on the harvest time.
Here was an introduction to a shop that handles beets in Japan ↓ ↓
The most reliable way may be to have it shipped directly by mail order, or to buy canned food that has already been boiled.
When I looked it up, it seems that beets are served as a gift in return for "hometown tax payment" on farms in Okinawa and Hokkaido.
In Hokkaido, there are places where you can get beets that do not use pesticides, so it is a nice return item for those who are particular about it. It's wonderful that the beetroot producers can definitely sell vegetables and have a win-win relationship! What a thought.
By the way, it is one of the major vegetables in Canada, and it is sold not only raw but also boiled in cans and vacuum packs. Even at Costco, you can buy organic beets vacuum-packed. It may not be easy to get it raw, but it may be easier to get if it is already boiled.
Click here for the rich nutritional content of beets
First of all, if you check the main nutrients of beets (raw), it is a nutrient to note that the ingredients
in the table below contain more than other vegetables per 100g.
| Iron | 0.4 mg (especially in the leaf area) |
| Carbohydrates | 9.3g |
| Sodium | 30mg |
| Potassium | 460mg |
| Vitamin C | 5mg |
| Folic acid | 110μg |
Speaking of folic acid, I think that your doctor will recommend that you take folic acid supplements during pregnancy and pregnancy (I was recommended), but like this, women have more opportunities to take folic acid than men.
| When not requiring pregnancy or the need for folic acid in men | 240ug |
| Folic acid requirements (before pregnancy) when considering pregnancy | 640ug |
| Folic acid requirements during pregnancy | 480ug |
| Postpartum folic acid requirements | 340ug |
The weight of beets is about 200 ~ 300 g for small ones and 900 g for large ones, so if you think that if you eat one whole one, you can get the folic acid you need for a day. Beetroot is a reliable vegetable!
What are the benefits of folic acid and what other foods are high in folic acid?
Folic acid, along with vitamin B12, is a vitamin that aids in the production of red blood cells.
It is also an important vitamin for the development of the body because it is involved in metabolism and helps in cell production and regeneration.
Folic acid is an important nutritional component, especially for the fetus, because it greatly determines the division and maturation of cells.
Your doctor will often recommend folic acid supplements because adequate folic acid intake during pregnancy can reduce the risk of neural tube atresia, which is a congenital anomaly in the fetus.
Foods high in folic acid include:
・Algae (grilled seaweed, dried wakame, aosa, true kelp, etc.), meat (chicken, beef, pork liver, chicken heart, etc.), beverages (green tea, black tea),
vegetables
, eggs
, mammals
, legumes
Such as
Reference:
Health Longevity Net / Function of folic acid and daily intake
What are the benefits of potassium and what other foods contain potassium?
I've been writing passionately about folic acid, but in fact, beets also contain a lot of potassium.
Potassium is a type of mineral necessary for the human body and works to regulate osmotic pressure.
Since it has the effect of excreting sodium, it is important for regulating excessive salt intake.
Especially for Japan people, soy sauce, dried fish, pickles … Since your diet tends to consume too much salt, potassium is important!
Incidentally, potassium, along with sodium, maintains osmotic pressure in cells, maintains acid-base balance, transmits nerve stimuli, regulates heart and muscle functions, and regulates enzymatic reactions in cells.
Potassium also has the effect of lowering blood pressure because it suppresses the reabsorption of sodium in the kidneys and promotes its excretion in the urine.
The
"Dietary Reference Intakes for Japan People (2020 Edition)" sets the target amount of potassium intake per adult per day for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases at
3,000 mg or more for men and 2,600 mg or more for women.
In addition, the WHO guidelines
published in 2012 recommend
a recommended intake of 3,510 mg / day for both men and women to prevent hypertension.
Beetroot has 460mg per 100g, and even small beets weigh 200~300g,
so a simple calculation means that each beetroot contains 920-1380mg of potassium.
This amount is equivalent to 1/3~1/2 of the amount per day for women.
If you think about it, if you eat beets in soup or salad, you can get a certain amount of potassium and folic acid, which might be nice! It makes me think.
Such potassium-rich foods are:
・ Algae (chopped kelp, aosa, grilled nori, etc.), fruits (dried apricots, dried figs, dried grapes, avocados, bananas, kiwis, strawberries, etc.), potatoes and starches (sweet potato, sweet potato, nagaimato, potato), beans (natto, soybean, soy milk, azuki / red bean paste, tofu), meat (pork, beef, chicken),
seafood (sawara,
Kanpachi, red sea bream, swordfish, etc.)
and vegetables (dried radish, spinach, edamame, chives, komatsuna, sunny lettuce, pumpkin)
Such as
Reference:
Healthy Longevity Net / Function of potassium and daily intake
Compared to folic acid, there is some overlap, and if you add soybeans to beets and other vegetables,
it seems that it is already the strongest (if you focus on potassium folate).
What are the nutritional benefits of beetroot?
I know
that beets are nutrient-rich, especially high in folic acid and potassium, but … In other words, how does it work on your body?" You might have thought.
I thought so!
"After all, what are the benefits of eating beetroot?"
I would like to explain from the perspective of "what kind of effect does it have from the angle of nutrients?"
Beets are effective for recovering from fatigue
What is attracting attention now is that eating beets increases nitric oxide (NO) in the body, and there are various benefits when nitric oxide increases.
The main function of nitric oxide is that the increase in nitric oxide in the body dilates blood vessels and allows more blood to be carried to muscles and other tissues.
The effect obtained by it is like this ↓
It can deliver many nutrients, oxygen, and muscle-building hormones to the body's tissues, promoting muscle growth and speeding recovery after exercise.
・ By making the muscles of blood vessels flexible and smoothing blood flow, the occurrence of cholesterol and blood clots in the blood vessels is suppressed (expected to prevent blood clots that cause stroke and heart disease and normalize blood pressure!). ）
・Improvement of various disorders caused by poor blood circulation such as coldness, stiff shoulders, and swelling
Beets also work on the intestinal environment
Beetroot contains natural oligosaccharides and dietary fiber, so it activates the good bacteria in the intestines and is effective against constipation.
Also, if you are in good condition, it can be said that your skin condition will improve because clean blood is absorbed into the body from the intestines.
By the way, it seems that oligosaccharides can be heated for about an hour, but if borscht is stewed,
the effect of oligosaccharides may diminish.
Considering that, boiling it and eating it as a salad may allow you to get more oligosaccharides into your body.
Beets enhance liver function
The betaine contained in beetroot, a component that is deeply related to sweetness and umami, has the function of enhancing liver function and promoting fat burning, so it is said to prevent cirrhosis and fatty liver.
So, if you drink a lot of alcohol and are a little worried about your weight, beets are likely to be recommended.
Beetroot relieves swelling and prevents high blood pressure
I wrote earlier that beets contain a lot of potassium, but, for example, lettuce and tomatoes contain more than twice as much potassium.
The role of potassium is to produce excess salt in the body, which leads to the elimination of swelling. In addition, by excreting salt, it prevents the rise in blood pressure, so it can be said that it can also prevent high blood pressure.
Prevention of arteriosclerosis caused by beets
Pantothenic acid, contained in beetroot, has the effect of reducing LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in the blood and increasing HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
Therefore, it leads to the prevention of arteriosclerosis.
Cancer prevention due to the antioxidant effect of beets
The bright red pigment betacyanin in beets is a type of polyphenol that has a strong antioxidant effect.
Polyphenols are said to remove active oxygen in the body, prevent aging, and prevent cells from becoming cancerous.
Beetroot promotes beauty and diet effects
Folic acid has the function of adjusting protein components, thereby improving rough skin and maintaining the luster and firmness of hair.
In addition, by increasing the blood volume, it seems that it has the effect of raising basal metabolism along with body temperature and promoting the effect of dieting.
Just by paying attention to the effects of folic acid, beets are likely to be a very pleasing vegetable for women.
Don't just eat beetroot, balance is important
I wrote that "you can get this kind of effect" from the nutrients that beets have, but if you eat only beetroot,
you can stay healthy … I don't think so.
If you eat a well-balanced diet of various vegetables, eggs, fish, meat, etc., and try to eat beets a little among them, you will be able to maximize the above effects.
Reference:
Blood Pressure Health Life / What is the miracle food "red vegetable" that rejuvenates blood vessels?!
Eating blood transfusions!? Health benefits of NO (nitric oxide), how to eat it, recipes, etc.
Eat beets deliciously [Simple recipe introduction]
If you've read this far, I'm sure you've been fascinated by beetroot.
Beets are nutrient-rich, and their benefits are now known…
Then, I think the next question will be "So, how should I eat it?"
So, I would like to briefly introduce some recipes.
Make soup
Last time I presented you with a recipe for borscht, but it is recommended to make beets in soup.
This is because you can take the nutrients that come out of the stew with the soup as it is!
Even if it is not borscht, it is good to put beets in pot-au-feu. (I think the color of the soup will be red…)
It has to be borscht! Rather, it is better to cut the beets into bite-sized pieces when making a loose~, Western-style soup.
The rest! It's ♪ also interesting to put it in curry.
Eat it as a salad
Boil the peeled beets for about 20 minutes and cut them into pieces that are easy to eat, such as chopped.
Put it on spinach, onions, walnuts, etc. and make a salad seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil, and it's easy and ready to eat.
Roasted with balsamic vinegar
If you can get raw beetroot, this recipe is also recommended, although it is in English!
To explain,
- Preheat to 220 degrees
- Peel 3 beets and cut them into bite-sized pieces
- Line a baking sheet lined with cut beets and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes
- After about 15-20 minutes, remove the baking sheet and mix, then return to the oven and roast for at least 10 minutes until the beets are tender.
- Mix 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar with 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup) while waiting
- When the beets are soft, remove from the oven, pour the seasoning from (6) over the beetroot, and mix the beetroot.
- Return to the oven and roast for 10 minutes (remove again after 5 minutes and mix)
- When the seasoning in (6) feels like coating the beets (the watery feeling has disappeared), it is complete.
- When eating, warm it up before eating
it as it is or putting it on a salad * At that time, it seems ♪ to be GOOD to eat it with parsley or rosemary. - By the way, it can be stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days
At last
Thank you so much for reading this long.
As a lazy person, I think that if one meal is perfectly nutritionally balanced, it would be easier if I repeated the menu for a long time, and I feel that I have been pursuing "perfect balanced recipes" for a long time.
But actually, I haven't found it yet.
I think it may be best to consider the balance of various foods throughout the day, and then to create a menu that considers balance throughout the week.
After about 5 years, I would like to continue studying recipes, nutrition, and Chinese medicine at night, fantasizing that I would be happy if I could compare the previous recipes and create
a "perfect week's menu" and reduce the time and effort required to think about the menu.