March to the Beet of a Different Drummer
May 2016
Despite getting a bad rap in the past, beets are now among the trendiest food ingredients around with fine dining restaurants serving beet burgers and food companies adding the vegetables to juices, hummus, and even sports drink for an added boost of potassium, magnesium, and copper. Beets are also rich in betalains, which are antioxidant compounds, fiber, and folate which gives people all the reason to start adding them to their diet. The vegetable fights inflammation, provides a healthy dose of antioxidants, and has made the list of ingredients to pay close attention to in 2016.
There are a number of ways to enjoy beets. In fact, it’s not just pickling them that makes people want to eat them. Many people bake beets, eat their greens, add them to soups and salads, and even juice them. If you’re really adventurous, add them to a skewer and grill them alongside other vegetables you love. Beets make a great side dish, meal, and a snack!
If you want to know more about how many vitamins, minerals, and nutrients beets contain, pull up the INRFOOD Tracker app on your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. Do a search for the type of beets you plan to eat or have consumed. Log the food and see a rundown of how well you’re satisfying the daily recommended intake of certain vitamins, minerals, fats, and nutrients. You’ll see firsthand just how good beets really are for you.
The next time you’re stumped for an ingredient to try, see if your local grocer has fresh or jarred beets available. Grab a fruit juice blend that includes beets as an ingredient. Research a couple of different methods of preparing the vegetable to see which works best for you. You never know how much you like something until you’ve had the experience of cooking and eating it several different ways.