Beets are one of the few vegetables whose roots and tops are both consumed as food. There are several varieties that range in color from the familiar ‘beet red’ to yellow, white, and rainbow colored.
Beets may be pickled, juiced raw, and cooked and served hot with butter. Beets have the more sugar than any other vegetable. ‘Sugar beets’ are grown for the commercial production of sugar. Beets are a good source of folate, manganese, sodium, and potassium. They also provide vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.
Beets provide an effective defense against heart disease and birth defects. The red color of the beet is the active ingredient that protects against cancer as it promotes the formation of antioxidant liver enzymes. Beets counteract the cancer causing nitrates found in the stomach from eating processed meats such as wieners, making beet juice a great ally for fighting stomach cancer.
