Beets are some of the most underrated nutrient-rich vegetables in the world. Simply drinking a glass of beetroot juice provides the body with loads of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, among other essential nutrients required for a healthy body.
According to research, having beetroot juice helps keep your blood pressure in check, improves your athletic performance, and also contributes to reduced inflammation. Discussed below are a few health benefits of beetroots.
Health Benefits of Beetroots
1. Helps Bring Blood Pressure Down
Beets contain healthy amounts of nitrates and antioxidants. These compounds play a crucial role in fighting bad cholesterol as well as lowering both diastolic and systolic pressure. Nitrates also help to relax blood vessels, which again reduces the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
A single glass of beetroot juice provides more than 50% of the recommended daily requirements of nitrates. People with heart conditions, especially hypertension can benefit greatly from beetroot juice.
2. Contains Anti-Cancer Properties
Beets are rich in antioxidants, nitrates, and phytonutrients which help reduce the risk of development of cancerous cells in the body. Including beets to your diet could help reduce the risk of developing certain cancers including prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancer.
3. Helps Control Blood Sugar
Beetroots are particularly high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and manganese. Dietary fiber is required to regulate blood sugar in the body. Insoluble fiber is required for digestive health while soluble fiber regulates how much glucose/sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Having a glass of beetroot juice, or simply chewing the root tuber, provides the body with these essential nutrients that help keep blood sugar levels in check. Beets also contain properties that improve insulin sensitivity as well as insulin production.
4. Supports Liver Health
Beets are a rich source of antioxidants, iron, vitamin B, and betaine. These compounds help protect the liver from inflammation and oxidative damage. Although the liver’s main job is to break down toxic compounds, exposure to these compounds can reduce its efficiency.
That said, having foods rich in antioxidants, and especially vitamin B helps eliminate these toxins and protect the liver from further damage. Beets are considered the best home remedies for liver health, thanks to the rich anti-oxidative properties.
5. Promotes Eye Health
Beets are excellent sources of zeaxanthin and lutein. These compounds (carotenoids) play an essential role in your eye health. Having beets every day is recommended to help protect/reduce the rate of macular degeneration.
6. It’s A Natural Libido-Booster
Beets have long been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac. As mentioned before, beets are high in nitrates. In addition to boosting heart health, nitrates help increase blood flow to sexual organs hence aiding in a stronger and harder erection.
It also helps improve sensitivity, meaning better performance in bed. Beets can also be used to treat erectile dysfunction, which an excellent home remedy for men that deal with performance issues.
7. Boosts Immunity
As mentioned earlier, beets are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. These include zinc, vitamin A, C, and copper. Vitamin A is essential in the production of white blood cells.
Iron also helps increase the body’s ability to carry oxygen to all cells and tissues in the body. As long as there are enough white blood cells, and the body gets a constant supply of oxygen..
Final Thoughts
These are but a few of the various health benefits of beets. Consider having fresh beetroot juice to see these benefits and more.
