Superfood Beets

So my family of course turned up their noses when I told them we were going to be trying to incorporate beets into our diet. To be honest I wasn’t very happy about it either, but I know we can always use more fruits and veggies into our lives. So a couple of things that I have done with beets so far is simply to peel them and blend them into my smoothies with banana, milk, and some other berries. That was very beautiful and it tasted pretty good too. I didn’t put a ton of beets into it to start because I knew if I wanted my children to drink it I needed to start small. Then one day I stumbled across a beet pancake recipe on weelicious.com. I again was hesitant until I saw all the comments that the readers had posted. Many were saying that they were the BEST pancakes ever. So I thought we should give it a shot, I mean how often is it that you get to eat the BEST pancakes ever. Well turns out they were very tasty. I altered the recipe just a tad by putting white wheat flour in it and instead of vanilla extract, I put almond extract. They were very tasty! The kids couldn’t get enough of them! We will definitely be making those often! Here’s the recipe, I promise if you try them they very well may become a staple in your home as well! 

Red Beet Pancakes  (Serves 6)

• Prep Time: 5 mins,
• Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 medium beets, roasted & pureed (about 3/4 cups)
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. 1. Sift the first 5 ingredients into a bowl.
2. 2. Place the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. 3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined (you don’t want to overstir the batter — some lumps are good).
4. 4. Drop about 2 tbsp of the pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
5. 5. Serve with desired accompaniments.
6. * To freeze: Place the pancakes in labeled zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months

So now I have done some research as to why beets are so good for our bodies. I am in no way a doctor but I like to research why we need to put certain things into our bodies. I like more of an answer that tells me what specific areas of my body each food will help. This also helps me try and help other people; which is my greatest passion in life. So here are some benefits of eating Beets. 

SuperFood BEETS

1. They are nature’s form of viagra. (well my face is now be BEET red). It’s true though the ancient Romans used them as a aphrodisiac. This comes from the fact that beets have high amounts of boron in them which benefit human sex hormone production. 

2. Beets are loaded with Potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B & C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine; folic acid. These are but a few of the many nutrients, vitamins and minerals that can be found in beets and beet greens. Beets are particularly beneficial to women whom are pregnant, as the vitamin B and iron are very beneficial to new growth cells during pregnancy and replenishing iron in the woman’s body. -fullcircle.com

3. Betaine is a substance that beets are high in as well. This is commonly something that doctors use to treat people with depression. Beets also contain trytophan which we all know from our famous Thanksgiving day turkey comas. Trytophan definitely relaxes the body. 

4. Stomach acid tester- You can test how much stomach acid you have by eating or drinking a lot of beets. If your urine turns pink you know that you have low stomach acid. 

5. More energy- The Dr. Oz show’s website says: Many of our patients have mentioned that juicing beets will give them more energy for their day. Research is showing that this may be due to the ability of components in the juice to improve blood flow. Beetroot juice has been shown to help the body respond better to exercise, by balancing oxygen use and increasing stamina. I know I can always use more energy in my day! 

6. Cancer and heart disease prevention 

7. Garlic breath- beet leaves can rescue garlic breathe, good to know =) 

Some other ways to get some beets into your diet besides juicing them or simply cooking them, would be to try a European favorite Borscht. (Borscht, a very popular vegetable soup made of beets is a traditionally loved dish in Poland, Russia, Germany and other Eastern European menus. There are cold and hot Borscht soups and each country varies some of the ingredients, but beets are the one common and main ingredient of this revered and hearty soup.)

Hope that this is beneficial to you. I really enjoy learning more about foods and how to incorporate them into my family’s diet sometimes without having to taste them necessarily! That is the trick at times, but it works!

IF you find you need to get more fruits and vegetable servings in your day another way to Bridge the Gap between the servings you are currently getting would be to take Juice Plus+. Check out my website:

http://www.crystalstephenson.juiceplus.com  (Juice Plus capsules and chewables have beets)