Don't Miss the Beet!

This week I learned something very interesting about beets. You are probably thinking I am crazy for bringing up this very under-rated vegetable. Can’t say as I blame you because I don’t ever recall hearing someone sing the praises of beets. Sure you hear about the lycopene in tomatoes, the calcium in spinach, the vitamin C in oranges, omega 3 in olive oil & nuts, etc. But have you ever heard about the betalains in beets? I doubt it. 

Before we go any further Dave Lieberman and Anahad O’Connor in their book 10 Things You Need To Eat say that “betalain may be the new vitamin C.” So next time you feel a cold coming on you might want to reach for the beet instead of an orange.

The pigment in foods like beets are betalains that give the beet its rich red color. They include powerful antioxidant pigments and are found in beets, rainbow chard and the fruit of the nopal cactus. These power houses are an incredibly effective all natural anti-inflammatory and produce no known side effects.

Additionally, betalains strengthen your cells so they are resistant to toxins and bad bacteria. They are like body armor around your cells. Research shows they can also help protect your body from free radical damage. 

Each betalain contains a powerful protein matrix with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics. Considering that all known autoimmune diseases such as lupus, Crohn's disease and fibromyalgia are caused by or associated with chronic inflammation in the body it is hard to say why we don’t hear more about betalains.

When you take betalains into your system they begin to restore your vitality on a cellular level. Betalains help reduce the toxins surrounding your cells and enable essential nutrients to reach each cell and reduce inflammation in your body which leads to disease.

Scientific research shows that betalains help to:

• Reduce the risk of blood clots - betalains protect the thin lining of your blood vessels which helps reduce the inflammation that makes your blood sticky and leads to clots
• Reduces bad cholesterol - betalains strongly reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol
• Protect cells from toxins - betalains protect many types of cells, especially brain cells, from toxins known to trigger tumors
• Protect your liver - betalains provide significant protection from toxins that directly affects your liver
• Protects your body from oxidative stress that leads to aging and disease
• Protects your body from nitrosamines which are linked to stomach, bladder and pancreatic cancers.

So the next time you are in the produce section of the grocery store - don’t miss the beet!