What Is Beetroot?

What Is Beetroot And Where Can It Be Found?

In case you are wondering: is beetroot a vegetable or a fruit?

I can confirm it is very much a vegetable.

This brightly colored plant originated from the middle east.

Originally it was grown mostly for its greens – which, despite their positive nutritional profile we tend to forget about these days.

Beetroot is a root vegetable – which means it grows under the ground – with its leaves visible above soil level.

It can grow in many places  – but it tends to prefer cooler climates, which is why beetroot is incorporated into many northern European cuisines.

You probably think of beetroot as being a deep red color, but in terms of what does a beet look like? It also comes in a number of other varieties.

Some are golden in color, and others have pink and white stripes.

Nutritional Breakdown Of Beetroot

Beetroot has a modest carb content of around 8%. It also contains fiber, as well as a reasonable amount of water.

Beetroot contains simple sugars – which can provide the brain and body with valuable energy.

But it doesn’t have a high glycaemic load, which is ideal if you are looking to control your blood sugar levels.

And moving on to vitamins and minerals – beetroot is pretty jam-packed with a selection of the best nutrients.

Here are some of the key nutrients you can find in beetroot:

• Vitamin C – can help to protect you against annoying coughs and colds, as well as increase your antioxidant levels.
• Iron – which is perfect if you follow a plant-based diet and are looking for a top-up of this key mineral.
• Potassium is an essential electrolyte that can support your blood pressure and fluid balance.
• B vitamins – in particular, beetroot is rich in folate, – which is a must for women who are trying to conceive. It can also support the function of your cells too.

What Is Beetroot Good For?

Beetroot offers you a wide range of vitamins and minerals which each have their unique health benefits.

But, beetroot also contains some unique compounds responsible for its superfood status.

Specifically, beetroot has a high amount of nitrates, which, when ingested, transform into nitric oxide.

It’s these unique chemicals that offer many of the positive health effects that beetroot has to offer.

Here are some of the main reasons that beetroot is so good for you:

1. It Might Lower Your Blood Pressure

Having high blood pressure is a significant health hazard. It can contribute to your risk of heart disease and stroke – two of the biggest killers.

High blood pressure can sometimes be raised due to genetic variability, but often it’s the result of less-than-ideal lifestyles.

Being active, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding excess stress can help to keep your blood pressure in the green.

But so can eating beetroot regularly.

Studies have shown that beetroot (usually in the form of beetroot juice) can reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure when compared to those who took a placebo.

These beneficial effects occurred after the consumption of 250ml of the juice, which is a manageable amount for most people.

Aside from being a source of blood pressure-lowering potassium, its thought that beetroot mainly reduces blood pressure through its high nitrate content.

When these nitrates become nitric oxide, they help to dilate (relax) blood vessels – which encourages lower blood pressure.

2. It May Help Your Liver Health

If you’re partial to the odd glass or two of pinot, your liver could do with a helping hand.

Luckily, beetroot can support the natural workings of your liver. This is because it’s rich in a compound called betaine.

While there is no such thing as a detox supplement – betaine can help the liver to do its job correctly and reduce the number of toxins that accumulate there.

At least, this is what the studies conducted on rats have shown. One study also showed that betaine in beetroot might also be able to reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver.

As a fatty liver is something we all want to avoid, upping beetroot might be an easy way to reduce risk.

3. It Can Help You To Work Out Harder

Beetroot has been found to enhance athletic performance. This is why some people take a shot of beetroot juice before an important match or event.

This might have to do with beetroot’s ability to relax the blood vessels.

Because a consequence of this is that more oxygen can reach the muscles. Which in turn may help with both endurance and recovery.

Studies have shown that beetroot can work as a performance enhancer in sports such as cycling and running.

And it’s not just professional athletes that can benefit. Studies conducted on those doing recreational activities (think footie in the park) also took longer to become exhausted.

The current recommendation is to take beetroot juice around 3 hours before exercising. 

As this leaves enough time for the all-important conversion into nitric oxide.

4. It Could Reduce Cognitive Decline

Many things suitable for the heart are also good for the brain.

And beetroot is no exception.

In the same way that nitrates can help with increased blood flow through the body – they can also improve the blood flow to the brain.

And this might explain the results of a study that showed that if elderly people increase their beetroot intake, they may benefit from a reduced progression of cognitive decline.

5. It May Reduce Your Bad Cholesterol

As well as maintaining healthy blood pressure, it’s essential to ensure you have the correct cholesterol ratio.

It’s easy to oversimplify and say you just need to ‘reduce your cholesterol’. But it’s not that straightforward.

Yes, you want to keep your overall cholesterol levels under the maximum levels – but you also want to look and see what proportion of your cholesterol is good or bad.

The type to watch is the LDL form. An easy way to remember this is that it’s better to have more HDL (helpful cholesterol).

And this can mean cutting back on excessive saturated fats and switching to a more Mediterranean way of life.

But also, studies show that beetroot can help you out too. This may be because it can help your body to get rid of excess bad cholesterol.

But again, the evidence currently relates to studies on rats, so more human-based experiments are needed to solidify these claims.

How To Eat Beetroot?

When it comes to getting more beetroot into your diet – there are many different options for you to try.

Some people enjoy beetroot juice blended with a little apple and ginger for an improved taste.

Others may prefer baked beetroots topped with goat’s cheese.

And if you have a sweeter tooth, there’s always the option of sneaking them into a beetroot brownie – which can be great if you have kids, as they’ll never guess the secret ingredient behind that earthy sweet taste.

But, if you don’t like the sound of any of those options, or would struggle to find the time to incorporate them into your daily diet – there is another option.

Why Not Try Red Tonik Instead?

We’re not saying that a supplement can replace a vegetable. The truth is that eating a fiber-rich veg-heavy diet is always a good place to start.

So try to focus on a food-first approach when you can. But let’s be realistic – eating the rainbow is not always possible.

Some days you might struggle to get in the full spectrum of nutrients required for optimal health.

And it can take a lot of work to ensure you’re getting in your greens, reds, and blues daily.

So, enter – Red Tonik.

This unique blend of nutrients offers you a valuable source of beetroot powder – amongst myriad more benefits.

Red Tonik helps to cover your key nutritional bases. It includes the vitamins and minerals you need to feel your best.

These include Vitamin C, D, and E, but also include minerals such as selenium which can be hard to get enough of through a regular diet.

But also, with Red Tonik – you can gain from various adaptogens, antioxidants, and more.

And while many vegetable risks being tainted with unnecessary pesticides – you can be confident that the beetroot (and other ingredients) within Red Tonik is entirely free from glyphosate and other nasties – including heavy metals.

This is because the full transparency labeling ensures you know just what you’re getting ( as well as what you’re not).

Remember – because beetroot is so brightly colored it has the ability to turn both your urine and poo a deep shade of red. So don’t panic if this happens to you!

Julia Ebbens, MSc

Julia is a health content editor and nutritionist from Norwich, UK. She has worked as a health coach in private practice and for the national health service. She undertook an MSc in nutritional medicine to deepen her knowledge.

She enjoys producing evidence-based content which inspires people to become healthier and happier.