Winters are here and it’s the right time to prepare ourselves to fit in chilling cold days with proper health care and proper diet. Wintery vegetables and fruits are the best options for keeping your body healthy, warm, and ready to beat those bacteria and virtues.
So it’s the best time to implement ‘Prevention is better than cure’ into real action. If not, then you will soon discover yourselves in the hospital beds rather than enjoying the foggy morning with a wintery veil. As we had already discussed the winter vegetables in earlier articles, let’s know about the best vegetable in detail which can keep your body and mind revitalized and keep your body fit for the cold days.
As per research studies, it indicates that eating more plant foods, like beetroot, decreases the risk of obesity, overall mortality, diabetes, and heart disease and promotes a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy, and overall lower weight.
Let’s know about the unique specialty of this blood-red vegetable which is apparently considered to be the ‘hemoglobin creator’ of your body.
Beetroot Benefits
Here are some great health benefits of beetroot
Heart health and blood pressure:
As per research published in 2008, it is examined the effects of 500 milliliters of beetroot juice in healthy volunteers and found that blood pressure turned out significantly lowered than before.
In 2010, they found similar results which conclude that drinking beetroot juice lowered blood pressure considerably on a dose-dependent basis.
Diabetes:
If you are a diabetic patient, then beetroot is the best vegetable that you can grab. As we know, beets contain an antioxidant known as alpha-lipoic acid, which can lower your glucose level which increases insulin sensitivity, and prevent oxidative stress-induced changes in patients with diabetes. Moreover, studies on alpha-lipoic acid have also shown a decrease in symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy in people with diabetes.
Digestion and regularity:
It is also known for good for your digestion. Because it contains high fiber content which helps to prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.
Dementia:
As per Researchers from Wake Forest University, it has found that drinking juice from beetroot can improve oxygenation to the brain, slowing the progression of dementia in older adults.
Good for your hair:
It’s also good for your hair. Beetroot is also known as one of the best home remedies to fight the flakes and an itchy scalp. You can boil some beets in water and use the concentrated liquid to massage on the scalp. Alternatively, you can mix some beetroot juice, vinegar, and ginger juice and apply it to the scalp. Keep this for 20 minutes and rinse.
Beetroot Juice
Beetroot and beet juice are good sources of various nutrients.
-
One cup of raw beets contains 58 calories
-
13 grams of carbohydrate, including 9 grams of sugar and 4 grams of fiber
-
2 grams of protein
How to Make beetroot juice
Moreover, you should check the label of packaged juices, however, to check for added sugars. So it is always better to make the juice at home with a grinder machine or make a paste and then squeeze it in a glass or bowl.
Beetroot provides 1 percent of the daily needs for vitamin A, 2 percent of calcium, 11 percent of vitamin C, and 6 percent of iron.
Beetroot Recipes
Let’s know some amazing recipes for this amazing Red vegetable.
How to make Delicious and Healthy Beetroot Raita
Ingredients-
-
1 cup yogurt or Dahi,
-
1 medium-size beetroot peeled & boiled,
-
1 tsp roasted cumin powder,
-
1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak)
-
1 small green chili
Step-1- Take yogurt in a bowl and whisk it thoroughly. Add a tsp of roasted cumin powder. To make roasted cumin powder you can dry roast the cumin on a skillet or tawa for 30-40 secs and then once they cool down, pound them to make a coarse powder. Freshly roasted cumin powder tastes much better so if possible roast the cumin before making raita and use it.
Step 2- Add 1/4 tsp of black salt (kala namak).
Step 3- Add small pieces of beetroot which is peeled and boiled. By boiling the beetroot it becomes tender and a bit sweet. Hence it will balance the spices and green chili in yogurt.
Step 4- Whisk again and mix everything together. The beetroot raita is ready. Taste the raita and adjust the salt or cumin powder if required.
Step 5- Delicious healthy beetroot raita (chukandar raita) is ready to serve. Serve this dahi raita as a side dish for any main course meal. Also, you can serve this dark pink color beetroot raita with mooli, ajwain, paratha, pulao, or biriyani.
