Beets. You either love 'em or you hate 'em. If you identify with the former then you probably don't need another reason to add beets to your diet, but if you're part of the latter group, AKA beet haters, read on.
Beets have a delicious, earthy taste and a beautiful, rich colour. They pair up nicely with cheese if you're making a salad and they also make a mean juice ingredient if you're still on that juicing craze.
If we've learned one thing from Dwight Schrute, it's that beets truly are the best food. And here's why.
1. They can lengthen your workouts
It's still January which means were all still on that "New Year, New Me" phase. *blech.* But if you're serious about getting physical this year, beets can help you reach your goals. A 2015 study by American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology found that beets can "enhance oxygen delivery to the muscles and reduce the work the heart does during exercise." Basically, you can work out for longer without getting tired.
2. Beets help improve brain health
Beets have high nitrate levels, which probably means nothing to you but it's actually great news. Research published in Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry found "nitrites can help open up the blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen specifically to places that are lacking oxygen."
3. They also help lower blood pressure
A recent review in the US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health stated that many studies have reported that beets helped reduce blood pressure.
4. Beets help prevent diseases
The antioxidant nutrients in beets can help prevent diseases such as cancer and others where parts of the body slowly deteriorate over time. The anti-inflammatory effects of beets have been linked to cancer by helping fight tumors.
So, beets aren't just tasty, they also provide wonderful and natural health benefits. It's an easy addition to make to your diet that your body will thank you for.