May 4, 2020
Hailed as a superfood, beetroot (also known as beets) has a multitude of health benefits. Beets come in different colours: orange and white add variety, but they are most well known for their deep red-purple colour. The dark root of the vegetable is what most people eat but the green leaves are deliciously edible and have an abundance of nutritional and immunity-boosting benefits as well as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties..
5 Benefits of Beets
- Helps to lower and control blood pressure – drink beetroot juice, beneficial nitrates in beets help with blood pressure.
- Powerful antioxidant – helps fight free radicals which cause oxidative damage.
- Rich in essential vitamins and minerals – folic acid, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, zinc, iron and copper.
- Natural immunity booster with anti-cancer benefits.
- Supports healthy liver function through detoxification of the liver.
Ways to Incorporate Beets
Many people think of beets as pickled in a jar from the grocery store, but there are many more creative and fun ways to incorporate this tasty, nutritious vegetable into your diet. One of the easiest ways is to grate it raw into a salad adding colour and a delicious crunch. Other favourites include roasting in the oven alone or with other root vegetables, incorporated into bean & grain burgers, juicing, blending into dips and sauces or very simply steamed with a light shake of pepper and squeeze of lime or lemon.
One of my favourite ways to use beets is in a hummus recipe that I have adapted from many others. I could literally eat this by the spoonful (and do!), using it as a sandwich spread in place of mayo and as a dip for veggies and pita chips. One of my go-to breakfasts is toasted whole-grain sprouted bread with a thick layer of beet hummus, half an avocado, sauerkraut then topped off with some homegrown broccoli sprouts and fresh ground pepper.
I play with the amount of water as the more beets you add the less water you will need. If you like more garlic, add it…I use very big cloves of garlic and sometimes add more than called for. (You can substitute garlic powder for raw garlic for those with stomach issues). I prefer to use Tamari over regular soy sauce to keep it gluten-free and lower sodium, but soy sauce would work as well.
Beet Hummus
- 2 cooked (boiled, steamed or roasted) beets (the size of baseballs)
- 4-5 cloves garlic – peeled but just smashed
- 6-7 tablespoons Tahini
- 1 tablespoon Tamari
- Juice of 1 1/2 lemons. Use pulp as well
- 1 3/4 cups chickpeas – best to cook your own but canned low sodium will work.
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tsp sea salt
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and mix till fairly smooth consistency. Add water as needed.
