Beets - wouldn't you know it...

Long time no seen! You probably thought I forgot about you; no, my dear health-thirsty little monsters, I stay on the top of things, for our own sake, even during my busy schedules of travel and school…

I am back with good news. You can make a delicious dinner tonight that will be tickling your taste buds and at the same time will nurture your body with lots of health benefits.

We will make a “Baked kaleidoscope of colors” !

We are making a vegetable dish in the oven today because it makes most sense to turn the oven on when the weather turns chili on us and we all start gravitating toward fireplaces and cozy robes.

 You will need:  Sweet red beets; sweet potato, red skin potato, Italian spice mix, garlic, sea salt and olive oil.

Beets:

Beets are a great  source of phytonutrients called betalains. Betanin has shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support.

The concentration of betalains in the peel and flesh of beets gives you an unexpectedly great opportunity for health benefits. WE WILL NOT PEEL veggies for that reason.

To minimize the loss of betalain during cooking, it is recommend that you keep beet steaming times to 15 minutes or less, and roasting times under an hour. That is why I am suggesting to cut veggies into small cubes, an inch or less.

ATTENTION: Abot 10-15% of all U.S. adults experience reddening of the urine after consumption of beets. While this phenomenon is not considered harmful in and of itself, it may be a possible indicator of the problems with iron metabolism. For this reason, if you experience beeturia (reddening of the urine ) and have any reason to suspect iron-related problems, it is recommended to follow up on possible issues related to iron status. So, this will be a great test for your health!! ;-)

Health benefits:

In recent lab studies on human tumor cells, betanin pigments from beets have been shown to lessen tumor cell, including inhibition of pro-inflammatory enzymes. The studies include tumor cells from colon, stomach, nerve, lung, breast, prostate and testicular tissue. The results of these studies are encouraging researchers to look more closely than ever at the value of betanins in beets for both prevention and treatment of certain cancer types. Also, for those people who make green smoothies, try using the green leaves from the beets.  Beet greens are usually a valuable source of lutein. One cup of raw beet greens may contain over 275 micrograms of lutein (it is 1/3 of what a cup of carrots provide, but still is a great amont) ! Lutein is needed for maintaining healthy retina responsible for central vision.

Though everyone's sight could benefit from a diet high in lutein, it can literally save the sight of those who have family histories of macular degeneration and other vision loss problems.

Learn more: here.

Back to betalin:

The betalin pigments present in beets have repeatedly been shown to support activity in our body's Phase 2 detoxification process. Phase 2 is the metabolic step that our cells use to hook activated, unwanted toxic substances up with small nutrient groups. This "hook up" process effectively neutralizes the toxins and makes them sufficiently water-soluble for excretion in the urine.

Please make this easy dish and enjoy it often during the times when turning an oven sounds like the greatest idea:

Wash veggies and cube without peeling them: beets, sweet potatoes, red skins.

Sprinkle cubes raw veggies with olive oil and Italian seasoning mix. Do not be stingy. You will enjoy the taste of it! Add sea salt . Place prepared veggies into a baking sheet and cover with the foil. Place into pre heated oven (350 – 400 degrees) for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and leave veggies to cook in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes so they can brown. Add fresh, chopped garlic 5 minutes before taking the dish out.

Serve it by itself or on the side of your protein choice.

Bon appetite!