HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEETROOTS / BEETS

Hello people, it has been a long weekend here in Nigeria and driving in Lagos these past few days has been blissful. How I wish the roads could be traffic free all the time. I have had a beautiful weekend. I was able to get out of the studio and attend an event with my good friend/ co blogger Dabs of Naija Hair Can Grow. I did cheat a little bit as I indulged in some small chops/finger food and yummy cheesecakes and doughnuts. (I could not resist). Anyway, I was going through my past posts and realized that I did not have a post on “beetroots”. How could I forget such a delicious and powerful vegetable?

Beetroot was highly featured in my childhood. My grandfather loves it and for him, a salad is not complete without them. This is one food you can get to love as it has multi-uses. You can add it to salads, you can juice it, and some people make beetroot soup. Have not tried that yet. Even better, is the nutritional/health benefits of it? Here are some reasons why beetroots are your friend.

Research shows that beetroot can help reduce blood pressure as well as its associated risks such as heart attacks and strokes. This is because the high content of nitrates in beetroot produce a gas called nitric oxide in the blood which widens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. (I am not surprised given its rich red colour. It always reminds me of blood)

Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its colour, is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants are believed to help reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, in turn protecting artery walls and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Because of its high fiber content, beetroot helps to prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.

Research shows that beetroot juice or supplementation improves muscle oxygenation during exercise, suggesting that increased dietary nitrate intake has the potential to enhance exercise tolerance during long-term endurance exercise. Thus, If you need a boost to make it through your next workout, beet juice may be your perfect antidote.

Beetroots are high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium (essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas). Beets also contain the B vitamin folate, which helps reduce the risk of birth defects.

Some new facts I discovered about beetroots during this research:

There are sugar beets which are genetically different from the regular red beets we eat and these sugar beets are white in color and commonly used for sugar extraction and sweetening manufactured foods.

The leaves found on red beets are also edible, but bitter in taste

Do you have a special beetroot recipe? Please share with us

NUTRITIONAL/HEALTH BENEFITS OF PLANTAINS

P lantains are widely eaten in West Africa. Plantains are similar to bananas but larger in size. While bananas are termed fruits, plantains are vegetables. Bananas are mostly eating raw, while plantains are usually cooked before consumption. Plantains can be eaten unripe, ripen or over-ripe. When unripe, plantains are usually green in colour, when ripen, they turn yellow. In Nigeria, for example, unripe plantains are usually used to cook plantain porridge, ripe plantains are mostly fried and used as a supplement to main dishes like rice and beans. Over-ripe plantains are used to make snacks like plantain fritters.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF ZOBO/SORREL DRINK

z obo/sorrel was a must have during family gatherings. As children, we loved drinking it, not only because of how nice it tasted, but also because it coloured our lips and tongues red. Zobo (Nigerian) or Sorrel (Jamaican) is a red coloured drink made from a flower called Hibiscus sabdariffa. The sorrel plant contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and a group of compounds called flavonoids. Flavanoids not only gives the sorrel plant its deep red colour, but, are also rich in antioxidants which rids the body of toxins. The sorrel plant also contains nutraceleuticals, which are said to be helpful to the health. Nutraceleuticals can help prevent and treat several diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF LIME AND HONEY

L ime and Honey are two must haves in my house. I use honey as a substitute for white sugar. I remember a friend of mine visited me once and she wanted to drink garri (drinking garri is local to Nigerians, i.e. eating dried cassava with cold water as opposed to hot water), she was astonished when I told her to use honey to sweeten her garri. I'm not a tea person, but my parents are, and a cup of tea for them is not complete without limes.

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