In my experience, people tend to have a love/hate relationship with beets: they are either a favorite or a pariah at the dinner table. In our house, they happen to be well loved, so with the help of a pressure cooker (one of my favorite kitchen tools!) they can be prepared simply and quickly, usually tossed with a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt. Another easy way we love them is just shredded raw atop a salad. For those who need some fancying up, we like to use them to sweeten and moisten a delicious chocolate cake (sort of like carrot cake), sneaking in some of their springtime health benefits. Chef Lilly also has a wonderful recipe for beet pasta she is sharing this week which is sure to make little mouths happy.
So, why are beets one my favorite detoxification foods? There are three different ways they meet our criteria for springtime health. As I mentioned in last week’s article Nourishing Ourselves in Springtime, we want to remove any obstacles to health by encouraging elimination and provide optimum nourishment through seasonal foods. Beets improve the eliminatory function of the liver and large intestines and nourish the body with their high concentration of antioxidants.
Beet roots and greens have been shown to protect the liver. The deep red pigments act as antioxidants in the body, nourishing the liver by protecting it from damage. Studies have shown a significant increase in superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase after ingestion of beets. These three substances take free radicals that damage the DNA and our cells and turn them into harmless substances like oxygen and water. This has two primary effects: it protects the liver from chemical damage and helps it work faster and more efficiently.
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This antioxidant effect is not restricted solely to the liver; For those of us who have eaten beets for dinner and then had bright pink pee a few hours later have proof in living color that beet pigment circulates to the whole body! Betelains are one of the primary pigments found in red beets and have been shown to have strong antioxidant activity. These compounds have been associated with decreases in atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular disease.
Finally, beets are one of the best detoxification foods out there because they seem to really improve elimination. Eating beets tends to bulk and move the stool more efficiently. If you add in the greens, the insoluble fiber will only add to this effect. Proper elimination is one of the most important ways that we can support the health of the body during the springtime. While the liver is crucial to properly process toxins and wastes, we only derive benefit from this if we can them eliminate them properly through the stool and urine. (You don’t have to explain this part to your kids, you can just enjoy their delight at having magenta poops.)
So, get out your grater, your pressure cooker, your juicer, or just a knife and a pot and share some beets with your family!