Beets and Blue Foods! Promote Collagen, Veins, Capillaries, Circulation, Anti-Inflammation, Reduce Cholesterol and more! Why I Eat Beets Now -Anthocyanidins the Blue and Purple Antioxidants Five years ago a friend and I noted, "Beets are so weird and uninteresting on the vitamin/mineral charts you just know they have something special - like cauliflower did. No one ate cauliflower except now and then before they discovered the anti-cancer compounds." Then scientists discovered a new food property called antioxidants and beets suddenly were Super Foods! anthocyanidins People with circulation problems or damaged veins and vascular tissue may want to eat beetroot (beets), blackberries, blueberries, cherries, purple and red grapes, and purple cabbage. These purplish, bluish foods are rich in antioxidants known as anthocyanidins which produce that purplish pigment and do some wonderful things. Raw Beets, for Juicing Steamed Beets with Skin "Beetroot a la Vapeur" Anthocyanidins - anthocyans promote blood flow, are anti-inflammatory, promote collagen formation, improve microcirculation (those little veins at the surface that give you rosy cheeks and help prevent wrinkles) protect capillaries and blood vessels from oxidative damage help to rebuild vascular tissue and connective tissue reduce cholesterol all of which sounds like good news for skin anti-aging and general circulation problems. Blueberries, of course, have other wonderful properties including an antioxidant that protects the motor-coordination cells in the brain that get dull as we age. Dr. Perricone says it is the ONLY known food to have this property and people I know in France now eat blueberry jam every day. Beets and Health Nutrients Before beets were a superfood they were somewhat interesting for their 2 grams of fiber per 100 grams of beet, which is a decent amount for a vegetable and enough for it to help somewhat with constipation. The same amount also contains 80 mcg of folate (109 if raw or raw juice) which is one of those important B-vitamins that's rare in foods but essential for the absorption of iron, and many women are deficient in it because of a problem absorbing it from foods. (This is why new "beet supplements" say they help with iron assimilation.) While 400 mcg of folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) is the RDA, a recent study of adults 50-70 years old showed that 800mcg of folic acid in supplement form improved memory and slowed decline in muscle skills and information processing. Beets are good for the brain. Beets are good for the heart, too, for reasons besides their stellar antioxidants. Beets contain betaine and betaine helps to prevent strokes. It does that by controlling homocysteine levels, the amino acid you probably heard about before you heard about betaine. High levels of Homocysteine are a risk factor for atherosclerosis, blood clots and can harm blood vessels and therefore contribute to that vascular disease that causes reduced blood flow to the legs and feet. Boron is said to be high in beets. In fact, beet-growers add boron to the soil to avoid a tell-tale black spot on the beet that there wasn't enough boron. Boron is not recognized yet as a necessary nutrient but in one study of postmenopausal women, boron supplements of 3 mg a day reduced calcium loss by 44% and augmented estrogen levels to those of women on hormone replacement therapy. That's huge. Boron has had an on and off reputation as an aphrodisiac because of its ability to raise male sex hormone levels, too. Beets and Gallbladder, Liver, and digestion Naturalists insist that beets and beetroot juice can help with problems with your liver and gallbladder, even stones. It's a very calming, soothing food, and there is some reason for that which they will no doubt discover soon and give a name to. Betaine may protect the liver. In an Italian study, people who received a betaine supplement had better liver functioning, less liver fat deposits, and less pain. Betaine is also used to increase the acids in the stomach which help digest food. That means less indigestion and more nutrients absorbed in the stomach. (Cheap red wines that use beet sugar to increase the alcohol content also have betaine! And the French use sugar from beets - but I can't find any data that says I can eat sweets in France to get betaine!) Beets and Cancer Beets were found to be a potent inhibitor of the cell mutations caused by cancer-causing compounds made by nitrates. A 2003 study at Howard University with mice showed a low dose of betanin, an extract of beets often used for food coloring, inhibited skin tumors, skin cancer, lung cancer and liver tumors. Researchers concluded, "beetroot warrants more attention for possible human applications in the control of malignancy." The outdoor markets in France sell giant beets freshly steamed, so much tastier than canned or in jars. You buy one and eat half of it as a snack right away because it's too big to eat at once, and too irresistable to wait to eat it. I DID find in a scientific journal a 1950s study entitled "Treatment of tumor with beets" but it was in German. Many people believe that these phytochemicals called anthocyanidins help prevent cancer simply because of their tissue protection and the part they play helping to repair tissues. How to Cook Beets Cook beets by steaming at medium - not high - temperatures. Studies have shown that the anti-cancer benefits are diminished by heat. Cook with the skin on. It's a cinch to remove the skin after steaming. In France many of the outdoor markets bring in trays of freshly steamed beetroot with the skin still on to protect the nutrients, it's easily peeled off with fingers. I'm surprised the American salad bars don't do that now what with all the news about their food value. The nutrition in steamed beets is superior to canned and jarred but that may be due to the bleeding into the juice, so drink the juice if you buy the canned.