Beet For Thought

“Can I eat Beet?” is the most common question I am asked by diabetics when I advise them to eat salads at lunch and dinner.

The salad adds fibre to the meal and blunts any sugar spike. Even the diabetics who are eating salads avoid beet because it is sweet. Even their doctors have asked them to steer clear of beet.

Is this deprival necessary? Let’s try to understand this. To begin with, every food item – fruit, vegetable, grain, etc is healthy and each one of them has their own benefits. So, I never ever ask my patients and clients to, ‘Not Eat’ or ‘Stop Eating’ anything, except junk. The idea is to eat everything in moderation and at the right time. It’s also about food combining and the form in which it is eaten.

High GI..Low GI

Beetroot contains eight grams of sugar per serving. But although it has a medium GI (Glycemic Index) of 64, it has an extremely low GL (Glycemic Load) of 2.9. This means that it’s converted into sugars very slowly and therefore helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.

Besides, it has alpha-lipoic acid, which may help to lower glucose levels and also increase insulin sensitivity.

Beet also has the following properties which makes it difficult for me to resist it, although I’m not a great fan of it

Ø Richest source of vitamin A which the body can easily assimilate

Ø Contains vitamins C, D, E, G and K

Ø Has rich source of folate (Vitamin B9), Vitamins B1, B2, B4, B5 and B6,

Ø Has easy to assimilate iron.. boosts hemoglobin levels.. Cures anemia and fatigue.. increases energy levels and improves athletic performance

Ø  Has the following minerals - magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and selenium

But here let me add that its mineral content is concentrated when boiled but the vitamins are lost

 

Beetroot juice

Adequate amounts of nutrients can be obtained only when beet is taken in juice form. After carrot one of the chief juices in natural healing

-         Raw oxalic acid in the juice is a good solvent of inorganic calcium deposits in the body and provides relief in arthritis, heart disease, kidney stones and varicose veins

-         Stimulates function of liver cells and protects the liver and bile ducts

-         Has lots of vitamins and minerals and improves quality of blood

-         Helps to improve appetite and is an aid to digestion

-         Lactating women will have enhanced quality of milk

-         Helpful in menstrual disturbances...even during menopause

-         In combination with carrot and cucumber juice it’s a powerful blood builder and also best for sexual weakness, kidney stones, gall bladder, kidney, liver and prostate problems

-         Promotes healthy complexion and hair

-         Used as a powerful restorative during convalescence

-         Malignant tumors cured with beet juice

-    Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its colour, is an antioxidant.. it reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke

-      Beetroot contains the mineral silica, which helps the body to utilize calcium, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.