The beetroot is from the Goosefoot family and both the leaves and the easily recognised bright red root can be eaten as a vegetable.  The leaves can be steamed or used in stir fries and the root is either eaten raw or as a hot or cold cooked vegetable.  Often vinegar is added when eaten cold.  A popular dish from Eastern Europe is cold borscht which is cold beetroot soup.

The colour of beetroot is due to its Betanin content which have powerful antioxidant benefits. It is thought that these antioxidants may give benefits in terms of prevention of cancer including colon, lung, prostate, skin, stomach and womb cancer.

 

A study in February 2008 by Barts and the London School of Medicine looked at the effect of 500ml of beetroot juice a day on blood pressure.   The researchers found that in healthy volunteers blood pressure was reduced within one hour of drinking the juice.  Researcher Professor Amrita Ahluwalia said: “Our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure.”

 

Also since Roman times, beetroot juice has been thought of an aphrodisiac as it contains good levels of the mineral boron which is important for bone health but also plays an important role in the production of sex hormones.  Beetroot juice is also thought to help with anaemia, constipation, prevention of gallstones, and problems with the bladder and kidney.

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