Benefits of beetroot

It is not only true that beetroot is a great vegetable for making muscles work harder and boosting stamina, but the taproot portion of the beetroot plant also contains essential nutrients such as Magnesium, Potassium and Iron. Beetroot is even rich in Vitamin A, C, B6 and folic acids.

It is often said that consuming three to four baby beetroot everyday equals to the calorific value of five portions of vegetable and fruits. This plant root contains protein, carbohydrates, soluble fibers and even antioxidants that is necessary for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some of the most essential benefits of eating ruby-red beetroot everyday:

Reduces the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes

As beetroot contains high amount of nitrates, it helps in producing nitric-oxide that helps in widening the blood vessels of our arteries. Hence beetroot aids in dramatically lowering our blood pressure and its associated risks. It has been mentioned in certain studies done by the British Heart Foundation in UK, that daily consumption of 250 ml beetroot juice or 100gms of cooked beetroot helps in eradicating possibilities of heart attacks and strokes.

It is a powerful antioxidant

The color of the beetroot comes from the chemical pigment Betacyanin, which is also an extremely powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are believed to help in curbing the oxidation of LDH cholesterol, which if not reduced in time can cause arteriosclerosis that may lead to several kinds of cardiac diseases.

Helps mum’s during their pregnancy

Folic acid present in beetroot is an essential element that his needed for tissue growth. It has been clinically verified, that as high amount of folic acid contents is needed for the development of the unborn baby’s spinal cord during the first three to four months of gestation eating beetroot during pregnancy is highly beneficial for both the mother and the unborn child inside her womb. Apart from that beetroot also contains iron which is needed for restoring strength to the mothers those who suffer from unexplained fatigue during their pregnancy.

Helps in stabilizing blood sugar

As beetroot is low in calories and is virtually a fat free vegetable, beetroot has extremely low Glycaemia Load (approximately 2.9). This means beetroot when eaten gets converted into sugar very slowly and therefore helps in keeping the blood sugar level stable in spite of having a medium Glycemic Index of 64.

Slows the progression of dementia

According to recent study which has been conducted in the Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Southeastern United States it has been seen that the high contents of nitrates in the beetroot helps in fighting the advancement of dementia. As nitric oxide which is produced by the nitrates found in beetroot helps in increasing the amount of nitric oxide level in our blood, it aids in increasing the blood flow to the brain, which proves helpful for the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Apart from these eating beetroot juice also helps in reducing risk of osteoporosis and is also a panacea for the treatment of chronic hypoxia.

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