Beetroot: The Vegetable Food Needed by HBP Patients, Others

By Maimuna Katuka Aliyu

Nigeria as a nation has been blessed with varieties of fruits ranging from oranges, banana, strawberry, mango etc.

We are endowed with fertile soil for agriculture, especially in Plateau state where you get to see different types of fruits than you’ll see in other areas in the country.

But beetroot is a fruit that is not commonly known like others. Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) is a root vegetable also known as red beet, table beet, garden beet, or just beet.

The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet.

It is one of several cultivated varieties of Beta vulgaris grown for their edible taproots and leaves (called beet greens); they have been classified as B. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris Conditiva Group.

There are different types of beetroots such as Mangelwurzel also known as fodder beet (intended for animal feeding), Common beet, Sea beet etc. which are of unique colors such as red, yellow or green. Beet is also grown as a vegetable for human consumption as a major component of bioethanol.

Beetroots are a vibrant and versatile type of vegetable known for their earthy flavor and aroma. Many people call them a superfood because of their rich nutritional profile. In addition to bringing a pop of color to your plate, beets are highly nutritious and packed with essential vitamins such as C, K and B9 along with minerals, plant compounds, many of which have medicinal properties.

What’s more, they’re delicious and low in calories which is easy to add to your diet in dishes like balsamic roasted beets, hummus, fries, and salads, among many others. They can be eaten raw or juicing it using a blender and roasting them may be more beneficial than boiling them.

The leaves of beets are dense with nutrition making them a full package health boosting food, which is used when cooking to enhance the flavor and make the food more rich.

Beet is of great importance to the human body. It is a highly nutritious vegetable and fruit that offers several health benefits such as:

• it helps check Blood Pressure
• Increase Exercise Capacity
• improves athletic performance
• Fight inflammation throughout the body
• improve digestive health
• it helps fight against cancer cells
• it helps people with heart failure and heart disease
• it helps symptoms of long-term conditions such as dementia, diabetes etc.
• Beetroot helps you keep your weight in-check
• strengthens your bones
• it maintains a healthy liver
• it can promote a healthy pregnancy
It is a highly nutritious fruit good for health but along with it are some merits and demerits of consuming it such as:

Merits

• it helps improve vitality
• it lowers blood pressure
• it can boost stamina

Demerits

• it can be bad for those suffering from kidney stones
• it poses risk to those having some kind of copper or iron conditions
• It can cause beeturia: it was found that people who had red urine and coloration of blood had suffered from such a condition after consuming beetroot. This condition is known as beeturia.

Furthermore, research shows that beetroot, as a fruit, is really healthy, but at times no matter how healthy it might seem, there are certain things in which people should take note of while making use of it such as the opposed use of fresh and stale beetroot. They can have serious consequences if one does not know the difference between the two.

Stale beet has gone bad when a person starts seeing signs of spoilage such as mold, shriveling, soft spots, or a foul odor while Fresh beets should be firm and have smooth skin, so any significant changes in texture or appearance such as it going soft like a tomato may indicate spoilage.

However, research shows that all things healthy are good for the body but along with them are side effects that people should consider. As for beetroot, they include;

• Dangerous for low blood pessure patient: While this is beneficial for people with high blood pressure, this cannot be said for people with low blood pressure. Ingredients, present in beetroot is curable for those who are suffering from high blood pressure. Its consumption can be quite harmful for low blood pressure.

Therefore, it is recommended to avoid consumption of beetroot in your daily diet if you have been diagnosed with low blood pressure problems.

• Allergic reaction: We know that beetroot juice is very good source of nutrients, including minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients, polyphenols and other dietary fiber but these nutrients can be allergic for some people. Some common allergic reactions from beetroot are skin rashes, hives, itching, chills, and even fever.

For some people, eating bit juice makes the vocal cords contract and makes it harder to swallow. Therefore, if you are allergic to bit roots, it is advisable not to take any form of bit roots.

• Consumption of beetroot in pregnancy: It is true that presence of folic acid in beetroot aids in brain development in the fetus and reduce the existence of neural tube defects such asspina bifida.

But if you are not taking it in right amount then it can cause danger during the period of pregnancy. It is recommended that the consumption of beetroot must be under the guidance of a doctor.

• Gouts: Although, beetroots are rich in oxalate, it contributes to the excessive acid formation of our body but too much uric acid is dangerous to us as it creates ventilation with common symptom such as severe joint pain, glowing red joints and high fever.

• Can be harmful for liver: this is a rich source of iron, magnesium, copper and phosphorus, which is a good part but the danger is that these are all metals, and excessive intake of them can result in accumulation in between. This can damage the overlooked pancreas.

Conclusively, the consumption of beetroot is very beneficial and nutritional to a person’s health, especially those who have low iron levels and high blood pressure.

However, anyone who is pregnant or trying to become pregnant with low blood pressure, low calcium and high iron ore in the body should consult a doctor before adding beetroot to their diet