Cooking Beets: Nutrition, Cutting Tips & Health Effects

Beets offer a rich profile of vitamins and minerals that can impact bowel health and even change urine color. Master techniques for steaming, cutting, and cooking diverse varieties like Chioggia and white beets.

beet greens

Are Beet Greens and Radish Greens Safe to Eat?

Beet greens and radish greens are not only safe to eat, they are packed with nutritional value. Both are hardy plants that are easy to grow. You might even want to grow them primarily for their leaves, which can be harvested gradually as the plant matures.

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Close-up of a fork in a bowl of beetroot

The Effects of Beets on Bowels

Beets are a winter vegetable and an excellent source of folate, manganese, potassium and antioxidants. The health-protective nutrients found in beets can help you optimize your health and fight chronic diseases. However, you may notice that the color of your stools change when eating beets.

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Fresh beetroot on wooden background

Will Eating Beets Produce Hematuria?

Urine typically appears light yellow to dark amber in color. However, certain foods, such as beets, may change the color of your urine to pink or red. A change in your urine color from eating beets does not require medical treatment.

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cooked vegetables beets

How to Tell When Fresh Beets Are Done Cooking

Beets come in different colors, from white to dark red. A single beet has only 35 calories and no fat or cholesterol. It provides 2 g of fiber, 1 g of protein, vitamin C, iron, calcium and folate. Beets also clean your blood and aid your liver, according the vegan chef and nutrition consultant Patty Knutson.

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Whole chioggia beets and slices

How to Cook Chioggia Beets

A Chioggia beet, cut through the center, reveals a pattern of concentric light-red and white rings. The novel color combination and sweet taste of Chioggias makes this heirloom beet a favorite for salads and side dishes that even picky eaters can appreciate.

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colorful mix of red,yellow and white beets

How to Cook White Beets

Farmer's markets and upscale groceries are fine places to find interesting and unusual vegetables, from exotic imports to variations on old familiar favorites. White beets fall into the second category, a pale vegetable that lacks the signature coloration of its commonplace cousins.

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Cutting beetroot

How to Cut Beets

Beets are not as common or popular as some other vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots, but they are sweet and nutritious and make a wonderful addition to meals. The tops of beets are a good source of vitamin A, while the red roots are a good source of vitamin C. They are also high in fiber, B vitamins and calcium.

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Beets in the steamer top view

How to Steam Beets

Beets are often added to salads and soups, and for good reason. Just one cup of raw beet offers 2.2 g protein, 3.8 g of fiber, folate, vitamin C and potassium, all for the tiny caloric price tag of 58 calories. Beets are easy to add to recipes when they've been steamed for maximum flavor and softness.

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Beetroot (beet) chopped

How to Cook Beets in a Microwave

With their sweet, earthy flavor, beets make an excellent addition to salads, sauteed leafy greens or grains like brown rice and quinoa. While they can take over an hour to roast in the oven, it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare beets in the microwave.

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What Is the Nutritional Value of Beets?

Beets are an acquired taste for some, offering a strong flavor and dense texture. While the most commonly sold type of beet in your grocery store has red flesh, you may also find white, yellow and orange beets at farmers markets and specialty shops.

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Raw Organic Beets

Nutrients & Vitamins in Beets

The deep purple of beets and the rich colors of beet greens mirrors the nutritional richness of these vegetables. You can eat beets raw, roasted or boiled, but don't throw those tops away. You can boil and serve the greens. You also can eat canned beets if fresh beets are not in season.

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