Weight loss, improved digestion, and more.
We often associate green with health and nutrition, but what about red? I have one specific rich-colored veggie in mind that you simply must add to your weekly menus. It’s tasty, versatile, and, of course, as nutritious as can be.
Can you guess?
It’s one of the most regenerative foods for your body—beets! It’s hard to keep up with their ever-expanding list of benefits, which seems to grow longer by the day. Beets aid digestion, thin the bile, cleanse the liver, alkalize the blood, and even improve cognitive function and sports performance. The GreenMedInfo database lists beets’ therapeutic actions as antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and anticancer— which is quite the résumé for one food group.
Full of Vital Vitamins
Beets are rich in potassium, manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamin C, iron, folate, vitamin B6, nitrates, and fiber—among others. Their carotenoid pigments (betalains) have a number of benefits as well. Beet greens and yellow beetroots are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which benefit your eyes and nervous system. The betalains partner with glutathione to help your body detox. The fiber in beets helps prevent constipation, and their nitrates boost endurance. Just one single dose of beet juice has been shown to improve cognitive function.
If you’re concerned about weight loss, beets are your best friend because of their benefits for your liver and gallbladder. First, beets are rich in betaine, which thins the bile and helps prevent gallstones. Betaine is a derivative of choline and is found in the peel and fleshy part of the beet. Betaine is also a rich source of hydrochloric acid and triggers the release of bile by your gallbladder—which, it is hoped, you still possess. Betaine is known for its ability to reduce homocysteine levels by conversion to methionine. Homocysteine is a toxic amino acid that increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Betaine also increases serotonin, which can boost mood.
The Two B’s
Beets help build strong bile. What does bile have to do with losing weight? If you don’t already know, bile is responsible for breaking down fats so they can be used for fuel, instead of padding for your hips and thighs. And bile requires the assistance of your gallbladder.
The gallbladder is a muscular pear-shaped organ next to your liver. Your liver produces about 1 to 1½ quarts of bile per day, which it makes from cholesterol. Your liver sends bile to your gallbladder for storage and concentration. Adding bile to the food in your gut is like adding soap to your dishwater—it breaks down and disperses the fat. When fats pass from your stomach into your intestine, your gallbladder receives a message to release bile in order to emulsify the fats, which prepares them for further processing by the pancreatic enzyme lipase. Once bile is used up, your liver must produce more of it, and it uses cholesterol for this. Therefore, beets help optimize cholesterol levels.
When bile is insufficient or too thick and “sludgy,” oversized fat globules make their way into your bloodstream. Because they’re not properly broken down, your body can’t use them for fuel, so it stores them in fat cells instead . . . helloooo cellulite. Bile is also a powerful antioxidant that helps detoxify your liver.
Bile acids have multiple functions such as increasing the metabolic activity of brown fat, flushing little gallstones out of the liver, improving insulin sensitivity, stimulating the production of active thyroid hormone in fat cells, and helping your body absorb calcium, iron, and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. The latest research shows that bile acids also trigger regeneration in damaged areas of the liver.
With or Without a Gallbladder…
Beets are not a substitute for bile acids, but their betaine does stimulate and protect your liver and bile ducts.
If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, building up your bile is even more important. Gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries in the United States today. Without a gallbladder to store bile, the bile continuously trickles into your intestine regardless of whether you’ve consumed fat. Then, when you do consume a fatty meal, there is no reserve, and over time this can result in packing on the pounds, as well as developing nutritional deficiencies.
The last way beets can help you is by acting as a bile sequestrant. A significant portion of spent bile acids is reabsorbed by your body, from your intestine back into your bloodstream, along with the toxins bound to them. Beets come to the rescue! Many vegetables are natural “bile sequestrants,” meaning they bind to bile acids in your intestine and prevent their reabsorption so they can be eliminated via your stool. A USDA study compared the bile-binding potential of various veggies—cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens, broccoli, kale, and several others—and beets topped the list.
The Best Beets
When selecting fresh beets, note that the leaves last only a few days in your fridge, but the roots can stay fresh for two or three weeks. Also, it’s best to store them separately. They are many ways to enjoy beets in a meal, but do opt for steaming your beetroots regularly, as it significantly improves its bile acid–binding capacity.
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