posted by Robin

Beet‘s roots and leaves have been used in folk medicine for many years to treat a wide variety of ailments.

About – Beets are related to Swiss chard, spinach and quinoa. The sugar beet is grown commercially on a large scale and used to make table sugar. Garden beets are biennials and grow to one to two feet high with heart shaped leaves. Beet leaves are rich in chlorophyll and have a bitter taste, similar to chard, but they have a higher nutritional profile than its roots. Both the roots and leaves are very powerful cleansers and builders of the blood.

Nutrition – Beets are highly nutritious and are especially rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C, and in the minerals calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron. Beets contain a higher amount of iron than spinach and of a fine quality that makes it excellent for blood building. The beet root is also a great source of choline, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and contains betacyanin, a phytochemical that gives beets their intense deep and rich color, which significantly reduces homocysteine, an amino acid which studies have shown to have a damaging effect on the arterial lining and atherosclerosis.