- There are a myriad of benefits of beetroot and its juice. Drinking beet juice can help combat heart diseases, lower blood pressure and relieve constipation by improving digestion.
- Historically, only the green part of the beets plant was eaten. The roots of the beet plant were held in high regard, and were either offered to the gods or used for medicinal purposes only.
PhotoMIX-Company/Pixabay. Only the green plant of the beets was eaten historically.
- The words beetroots and beets are essentially the same thing. The British refer to the red root of the vegetables as beetroot, while in the United States and other parts of the world, it is called beets.
- The size and shape of the beet vegetable varies to a great extent. It can be as small as a marble, and could be round, flat, long or oval in shape, depending on the kind of beet plant.
- The most common beetroot type is the red-colored vegetable, however, beets often come in other colors, such as yellow, white, or with white and red stripes, called the candy cane beets.
- It is a little-known fact that beets are high in sugar content. A type of beet plant, called the sugar beet, provides more than half of the world’s refined sugar. Red beets have a sugar content of 8%, while sugar beets have a sugar content of 20%.
mp1746/Pixabay. Beets are a great source of Betamin, used to extract red food coloring.
- The beet plant belongs to the chenopod family of vegetables. Fun fact: Chard, Spinach, and quinoa are all related to the same chenopod family.
- Beets were a highly sought-after plant among the Greeks. The famous Greek physician Hippocrates would recommend beets for the treatment of skin conditions, indigestion, blood purification, and binding open wounds.
- The cultivated beet we use today grew from the wild sea beet, which was found in Africa, Europe, and some parts of the Middle East. Beets have been grown since prehistoric times when only their leaves were consumed as food.
feelphotoz/Pixabay. Beet plant is a great source of refined sugar.
- Beets are a source of the red coloring found in food. Betamin, a substance derived from the beetroot plant, is usually used to give the natural red color to tomato sauces and pastes, candies, jams and jellies, and ice creams.
- Betalin, a compound found in beets, which is responsible for the red color of the plant, captures toxins and helps flush them out through urine.
- Eating a lot of beets can cause ‘beeturia’, a condition where a person’s pee turns red or pink.
