Beets, Beets, Beets

We love beets, white with red swirly ones (candy-cane), yellow ones, dark red ones…we love them all. They not only taste amazing, but they are super nutritious too.

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Beets are high in folic acid (great for pregnant women), potassium, calcium and antioxidants (betacyanin, which is what gives beets their rich red color.).

Now the beets we are talking about so far are the beet roots, the portion that grows below the ground. However, leafy beet greens are also very nutritious and can be used for juicing, or cooking as you would any other green. In fact the beet tops

are more nutritious than the roots. The greens contain significantly more iron, vitamin

A, potassium and calcium than the roots. But for today’s post, we’ll only show you the boiled and peeled ones – our favorite way of eating them.

Here’s how we make them:

Cut off stems and boil covered in water for 30 – 40 minutes depending on the size of the beets, or until they are fairly soft when poked with a metal kabob stick. I put on my gloves, and rub off the skin so that my hands don’t get discolored. Slice them, sprinkle them with sea salt and add a tiny bit of butter, and perhaps some fresh cracked pepper.

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Ok, here’s some more about beet nutrition. Beet juice is rich in natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, chlorine, iodine, copper and vitamin B1, B2, C and bioflavonoids. Some holistic practitioners believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot and cucumber are excellent for cleansing the kidneys and gallbladder and for restoring health to these organs. Additionally, beet, being a fibrous root, is excellent for aiding in and eliminating constipation. The fiber adds bulk to the diet and therefore helps to improve peristalsis activity in the large intestine.