This is my fifth article in my series of in season Veg. Today it’s all about the nutritional powerhouse the humble beetroot.
Belonging to the same family as chard and spinach, both the leaves and root can be eaten; the leaves have a bitter taste whereas the round root is sweet.
History
Oldest archeological proofs that we used beetroot in ancient times were found on the Neolithic site of Aartswoud in the Netherlands and in Saqqara pyramid at Thebes, Egypt, which dates from the time of the Third Dynasty (third millennium BC). Beetroots appeared in 16th and 17th century Europe. It needed a few hundred years more to become popular in Central and Eastern Europe where new cuisines with beetroot started appearing (borscht for example). In Victorian times, beetroot was used to bring color to an otherwise colorless diet and as a sweet ingredient in desserts. After the Second World War, because of the rations in some places, the most available vegetable was pickled beetroot in jars.
Nutritional highlights
Beetroot is of exceptional nutritional value, especially the greens, which are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fibre, manganese and potassium. The greens should not be overlooked – they can be cooked up and enjoyed in the same way as spinach.
How to eat/drink
Beetroot can be eaten raw and shredded into a salad (alone or with other vegetables), boiled, cooked, pickled, or cold as a salad after cooking. Or for a nutritional kick juice add to smoothies or have on its own as a beetroot shot!
Just as an added extra:
Many athletes now use a shot of beetroot as part of their sports regime. In a recent literature review to determine the effects of beetroot juice supplementation and the combination of beetroot juice with other supplements on cardiorespiratory endurance in athletes. The available results suggest that supplementation with beetroot juice can improve cardiorespiratory endurance in athletes by increasing efficiency, which improves performance at various distances, increases time to exhaustion at submaximal intensities, and may improve the cardiorespiratory performance at anaerobic threshold intensities and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max)
Thank you for reading. Locally produced #SeasonalVeg is tasty, nutritious, and sustainable. Find out more at www.vegpower.org.uk/seasonalveg @VegPowerUK
