16 Reasons BEETS are UnBeatable...and Ellen's Easy Stacked Beets and Herbed "Cheese"

Are beets on your shopping list?

They absolutely should be!

I fell victim to thinking of beets as either a bowl of fuschia-pink borscht with a dollop of sour cream floating on the top (a beautiful color but not an appetizing dish to me as a child) or the soggy canned burgundy balls sitting in salad bars. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not that there’s anything wrong with borscht or salad bar beets.  But beets are so much more and, nutritionally, they cannot and must not be ignored! 

16 REASONS THAT BEETS CAN’T BE BEAT!

 1) Lowers Blood Pressure:   Research has shown that beets can lower blood pressure. Beets and beet juice is one of the richest dietary source of naturally occurring  nitrites, which are compounds which help improve blood flow throughout the body including the brain, heart and muscles.  These natural nitrates increase a molecule in the blood vessels called nitric oxide which helps open up the vessels and allows more oxygen flow as well as lower blood pressure.

2) Great Source of Folate:  A half a cup of beets provides 17% of the recommended daily folate intake. Folic acid is necessary for cell development and for metabolism of certain biochemical reactions in the body. Ingesting the proper amounts of folic acid is especially important to pregnant women and women of childbearing age.  

3) High in Powerful Antioxidant Properties: The pigment in beets is called betacyanin and it’s anti oxidative properties help reduce LDL cholesterol, protecting artery walls and reducing risk of heart disease and stroke, protect against development of cancerous cells 

4) Prevents Some Cancers: Tests have suggested that beets can prevent lung and skin cancer and that beet juice slows the development of tumors due to the high content of betanin in beets

5) Lowers Cholesterol:  Beets contain carotenoids and flavenoids which can also help lower LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol by preventing from being oxidized and deposited in the arteries.

6) Treats Anemia and Fatigue: Beets’ high iron content can help treat anemia and fatigue.......

Vegan American Princess

Voted #2 in Skinny Scoop's Top 25 Vegan Blogs of 2013

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