Can you eat beetroot raw? What to look out for

Beetroot is one of the oldest vegetables. The beet originally comes from the Mediterranean region, but has been native to us since Roman times. If the beetroot was often on the menu in the past, it has been forgotten in this country. However, it has been experiencing a renaissance for several years. As a result, there is more and more discussion about whether beetroot can only be cooked or eaten raw.

ingredients

Ingredients of beetroot

Some refer to beetroot as a superfood because it contains many ingredients that are healthy for humans. Unfortunately, the beet is so rich in ingredients that in addition to these healthy ingredients it also contains some that can have a negative impact on human health.

The healthy ingredients include:

• Anthocyanins (betanin) and flavonoids
• Iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc
• Vitamin B1, B2. B6, C and folic acid

Betanin belongs to the secondary plant substances. The beet owes its red color to this pigment.

vitamin B and iron contribute to the formation of blood in our body. Also helps Betanin the liver in the breakdown of metabolic products. Since the beetroot also has an antioxidant effect, the beetroot is also known as a fountain of youth for skin and hair. There are around 166 µg in 200 grams of raw beetroot Folic acid and 1.8 milligrams iron contain. That's just under 15 percent of the recommended amount of iron you should be eating per day and 40 percent of the recommended daily amount of folic acid.

Tip: The human body cannot utilize vegetable iron as well as animal iron. Therefore, you should have a drink containing vitamin C with beetroot. This improves the absorption of vegetable iron.

Unhealthy ingredients

The unhealthy ingredients in beetroot include:

• Oxalic acid
• nitrate

Oxalic acid

Oxalic acid interferes with the absorption of calcium because the acid binds calcium, making it insoluble in the intestines. Oxalic acid also contributes to the formation of kidney stones. Therefore, people with kidney problems or kidney stones should not eat the beetroot raw.

nitrate

The beetroot is one of the vegetables with a high nitrate content. This means that the proportion is over 1,000 milligrams per kilogram. A low nitrate content is 500 milligrams per kilogram, which applies to tomatoes or onions, for example. If red beets are stored incorrectly, they should always be stored in a cool and dark place, or bacteria in the mouth will convert the nitrate in the beet into nitrite. Nitrite inhibits the transport of oxygen in the blood, which can be particularly dangerous for babies in the first few months. Therefore, you should feed the beetroot at the earliest on the sixth month.

Tip: The conversion of nitrate into the harmful nitrite can be prevented by adding lemon juice to the dish. Foods containing vitamin C also fulfill this function.

Can also be made from nitrite Nitrosamine develop. Animal experiments have shown that nitrosamine is carcinogenic. However, the connection between nitrate and cancer, including an increased risk of cancer, has not yet been proven. In addition, vitamin C and secondary plant substances inhibit the formation of nitrosamine.

preparation

Beetroot can be eaten cooked or raw. However, care should be taken when eating raw beets. Although the beet is not poisonous in the sense of a poisonous plant, too much oxalic acid can have harmful effects on the human body.

Raw food

Beetroot as raw food

Who the new resp. If you want to enjoy old superfood raw, the daily amount should not exceed 200 grams because of the oxalic acid it contains. Also, make sure that you only consume foods that are low in oxalic acid in addition to the beetroot. Since oxalic acid binds calcium, you should also pay attention to your calcium balance if you consume the beet regularly.

Tip: The foods rich in oxalic acid, which have a much higher proportion than the beetroot, include, for example, spinach, rhubarbpeppermint or amaranth.

Cook

Cooking beetroot

Beetroot is always cooked with the skin on. When the beet is done, the peel can simply be peeled off with your hands when it is peeled under cold water. When cooking, some of the oxalic acid is also washed out, so that the acid content in a cooked beetroot is lower than in the raw beet. Folic acid is extremely sensitive to light and heat. Therefore, beetroot should always be prepared gently or eaten raw.

Tip: It is best to prepare the beetroot in a pressure cooker.