Beetroot (2004)
Stephen Nottingham
© Copyright: Stephen Nottingham 2004
Note: The information contained in this book is not intended to be used as a
basis for self-diagnosis or treatment. It is recommended that a doctor is
consulted if in doubt about treatment for medical conditions.
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6. Health and Nutrition
Cultivated
forms of Beta vulgaris have been utilized for their medicinal
properties since ancient times. Beetroot has long been considered beneficial
to the blood, the heart, and the digestive system. It has been regarded as a
laxative; a cure for bad breath, coughs and headaches; and even as an
aphrodisiac. More recently, it has been advocated as a cancer preventative
and as a means of bolstering the immune system. Beetroot is rich in many
important minerals and micronutrients; it is a nutritious vegetable with many
health-giving properties. This chapter examines the medicinal and nutritional
benefits of eating beetroot.
Beta vulgaris has
long been regarded as a medicinal plant. In Roman times it was used to treat
fevers, constipation and other ailments. Although cultivated Beta vulgaris
was widely consumed as a green vegetable in Roman times, the roots were
mainly taken medicinally. Dioscorides (in De Materia Medica) and
Galen, for example, both refer to the root of white beet as a medicine.
In Apicius' The Art of Cooking, as noted
in Chapter Two, there are five recipes for broth to be used as a laxative, of
which three contain the roots of beet. In the first, very small beets (Betas
Minutas) are boiled in water with leeks in a shallow pan. Pepper and cumin
are pounded, moistened with liquamen and passum, and added to the pan. The
mixture is boiled and the broth is served immediately. Liquamen is a sauce
used in lieu of salt in Roman times. It contained anchovies or other fish and
was made in factories that produced their own distinct brands. Passum is a
very sweet Roman wine.
In the second recipe, the main ingredient is the
fern polypody (Polypodium vulgare) and beetroot is not included. The
rhizome of polypody is cooked, pushed through a sieve, mixed with pounded
pepper and cumin, and bought to the boil in water. The broth is drunk warm.
The Greek physician Dioscorides had previously described the rhizome of
polypody as a laxative. Polypodium vulgare contains osladin, a
sweet-tasting saponin. It is listed in modern herbals for its mild purgative,
expectorant and digestive properties.
In the third recipe, bunches of beetroot
(betaciorum) are wiped down (not washed), sprinkled with cooking soda, and
placed into water. When they have cooked, passum or caroenum is added, along
with a sprinkling of cumin and pepper, and a little oil. This is bought back
to the boil, and pounded polypody and chopped nuts are added in liquamen. The
broth is used at once. Caroenum is a reduction of wine that has been boiled
down to two-thirds of it original volume. Whereas wine is added and boiled
down in volume as part of the cooking process today, in Roman times a range
of pre-reduced wines were available to the cook, which could be added toward
the end of cooking. In this recipe, both leaves and roots of Beta vulgaris
may have been added to the pot together (Apicius has previously informed us
that cooking-soda is added to greens to make them appear bright green).
Polypody is added, which has known purgative effects, along with cumin, which
the Romans used like pepper.
In the fourth recipe, attributed to Varro,
beetroot (betacios) is rubbed clean and cooked in mulsum with a little salt
and oil, or boiled in water and oil with salt, to make a broth. The broth is
better if a chicken has been previously cooked in it. Mulsum is a drink of
wine and honey, which is also used for cooking. Dry white wine is apparently
the best wine to mix with honey. As a drink, it is chilled and enjoyed with
the starter. This prototype beetroot soup may have led Apicius to consider
preparing beetroot in further ways. The fifth and final laxative recipe is a
broth made from celery and leeks.
Hippocrates advocates the use of beet leaves as
binding (bandages). He uses beets as binding, for example, after the
treatment of fistulae with ointments, in On Fistulae (400 BC).
Fistulae are long abscesses or ulcers under the skin. Juice from the leaf
bindings was thought to aid the healing process. In On the Articulation,
Hippocrates uses leaves of beet or coltsfoot boiled in dark-coloured wine as
an application to wounds.
In the Talmud, the book containing the civil and
canonical Jewish laws, written in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, the
rabbis recommend eating beetroot, drinking mead and bathing in the Euphrates,
as part of a prescription for a long and healthy life.
After the Middle Ages, beetroot came to be used
as a treatment for numerous illnesses, mainly those relating to digestion and
the blood.
Platina writing in his seminal De Honesta
in 1460 notes that beetroot is a cure for bad breath, especially "garlic
breath". He recommends toasting beetroot over coals and eating it with
garlic, to nullify the excessive odour of garlic on the breath.
In his Herball of 1597, John Gerard notes
that the juice from boiled White Beet, ‘conveighed up into the nostril doth
gently draw forth flegme, and purgeth the head’. Nicholas Culpeper, however,
in his Herball of 1653 says that it is the juice from the root of the
red beet that, 'put into the nostrils purgeth the head, helpeth the noise in
the ears, and the toothache'. Furthermore, if the juice is snuffed up the
nose, it cures stinking breath. Culpeper says that juice from white beet, 'is
good for the headache and swimmings therein, and all affections of the
brain', while 'put into the nostrils, it purges the head'. He also records
that beetroot juice applied to the temples, 'stayeth inflammations in the
eyes'. Culpeper was misled into making distinctions between white and red
beet, which have very similar properties, by astrology. According to
Culpeper, Jupiter governs white beet and Saturn governs red beet. He
concludes from this that white and red beets have distinct medical virtues.
Unfortunately, astrology is still marring assessments of herbal remedies in
the twenty-first century.
In medieval England, beetroot juice or broth was
recommended as an easily digested food for the aged, weak or infirm. John
Parkinson, in A Garden of Pleasant Flowers (1629), writes that the
leaves of beets are much used to mollify and open the belly, while the roots
of white beet scrapped and mixed with a little honey and salt will provoke
stools if rubbed on the belly. Culpeper in his Herball (1653) notes
that, 'White Beet doth much loosen the belly, and is of a cleansing and
digesting quality and provoketh urine. The juice of it openeth obstructions
both of the liver and spleen'.
There is an old saying to the effect that
beetroot is good for the blood. It has often been described as
'blood-building', a tonic or detoxifier of the blood, or as an aid to
effective blood circulation. The red colour of beetroot has reinforced its
association with the blood. This may have resulted in its blood-building
properties being oversold. However, both the roots and leaves of beetroot
contain iron, potassium and folic acid. Iron is at the centre of the
haemoglobin molecule, the red pigment in the red blood cells that is
responsible for transporting oxygen around the body. Potassium, along with
other minerals and vitamins may help to regulate blood pressure and
heartbeat. Folic acid has been shown to have a positive effect on certain
anaemias. In this respect, beetroot is a tonic to the blood and heart. Modern
herbals describe beetroot as being mildly cardio-tonic.
Since the time of the early herbals, beetroot has
been recommended to treat menstrual problems. Culpeper notes, in his
seventeenth century Herball, that, 'The red beet is good to stay the
bloody flux, woman's courses and the whites, and to help the yellow
jaundice'. The relatively high levels of iron and manganese, in particular,
help to alleviate problems caused by heavy bleeding, which lower haemoglobin
levels in the blood.
Anglo-Saxons Britons used juice extracted from
pounded Beta vulgaris roots as a bone-salve, an emetic, and as a
treatment for wounds and bites. Culpeper notes that the juice of white beet
acts as a balm to burns, when used without oil, and is also good for all
wheals, blisters, and blains of the skin. White beet leaves boiled and laid
on chilblains are said to cure them. Culpeper also writes that a decoction of
white beet in water and some vinegar will heal itches if they are bathed with
it.
A decoction is generally defined in Culpeper as
taking a root and simmering it over a fire until the liquid has reduced by a
third. The root broth is strained and the liquid is drunk. This decoction is
said to also, 'cleanseth the head of dandruff, scurf, and dry scabs, and
relieves running sores, ulcers, and cankers in the head, legs, or other
parts, and is much commended against baldness and shedding of the hair'.
Most of the skin-related applications of beet
juice in Culpeper and other herbals of his time do not make it into modern
herbals. There would seem to be more effective treatments for these
conditions. However, beetroot juice is still recommended, for instance in the
modern juicing literature, as a herbal remedy to ease piles or haemorrhoids
(see later).
Culpeper also records that beetroot juice is
effective against all venomous creatures, presumably snakes and other
organisms that inject poisons into the blood. However, there is no known
substance in beetroot that can detoxify snake venom or other poisons. Another
claim made in the herbals, which persists in some of the modern lifestyle and
health literature, is that beetroot juice acts to boost brainpower. Apart from
its contribution to a generally healthy diet, there is probably nothing
unique in beetroot that elevates IQ.
The ancients and the herbalists therefore
prescribed Beta vulgaris for a number of medical conditions. Many of
these applications appear ill-conceived in the light of modern knowledge,
although science provides support for several traditional beetroot
treatments. The medicinal properties of beets have, nevertheless, been
periodically dismissed as of little value. Mrs. Grieve notes in 1931 in A
Modern Herbal, for example, that 'of old beetroot was considered to have
distinct medicinal properties', but concludes, 'modern medicine disregards
the Beet'. However, since the 1930s, with notable setbacks, beetroot has
undergone a revival as a herbal remedy and as a treatment for modern
diseases, especially cancer.
In his book Plants Used Against Cancer,
Jonathan Hartwell notes many instances of Beta vulgaris being used to
treat various cancerous conditions throughout history. Beetroot has mainly
been prepared as a decoction, with the root juice being drunk, although
poultices are occasionally specified. The conditions treated have included
tumours of the intestines, head, leg, genitals and rectum, lung cancer,
prostate cancer, breast cancer and leukaemia. Many of the reports, however,
have either been anecdotal or from studies with small numbers of patients.
Beetroot has been used as a treatment for cancer
in Europe for several centuries. In Rosenberg's review of the literature, he
notes that J.F. Osiander of Gottingen used beetroot as a treatment for
tumours of the nose in 1826. However, the modern interest in beetroot as a
treatment for cancer dates from around 1930. Two German doctors (Farberse and
Schoenenberger) used beetroot to treat cancer patients in 1929. In 1939, a
Hungarian professor (Bakay) carried out experiments on patients with cancers,
including leukaemia, and observed improvements in their general condition.
Erdos, a Mexican travelling in Europe and Africa
in 1939, collected some of the anecdotal evidence for beetroot and cancer. He
describes meeting a healer in the Atlas Mountains, for example, who claimed
to have successfully treated malignant tumours with beetroot. Erdos also
recalls meeting a healer in Yugoslavia who pointed out that in areas of the
country where large quantities of beetroot are eaten, no fatal cancers of the
stomach or lung are reported.
The therapeutic use of beetroot in cancer
treatment came to prominence with the work of the Hungarian physician
Alexander Ferenczi in the 1950s. He introduced a revolutionary new treatment
for cancer using nothing but raw beetroot juice. In his papers from the late
1950s and early 1960s, he reported remarkable success in treating cancer
patients. His patients suffered from a range of different cancers. His
reputation grew and beetroot juice became a sought-after treatment for
cancer. Ferenczi's treatment was based on consuming a litre of beetroot juice
daily, for at least two to three months.
However, Ferenczi's claims for beetroot are
almost certainly overstated. His 1957 and 1961 papers, for example, were
based on studies involving only 18 and 16 patients, respectively. The nature
of the pigment in beetroot was also uncertain in the 1950s. Ferenczi thought
the red colour was due to anthocyanins, and he claimed a similar effect for
red wine due to the presence of the same pigments. Although red wine has
anthocyanins, the red colour in beetroot is known to be due to betalains,
which are unlikely to have the same physiological function. The tide turned
against Ferenczi at a medical congress in 1979 when his peers criticized the
unconvincing evidence he presented.
Nevertheless, beetroot contains several compounds
with suspected anti-cancer properties, including the alkaloid allantoine. In
the 1960s, allantoine was shown to have an anti-tumour effect by
Constantinescu, working in Romania. Beetroot extracts normalized the
respiration of isolated cancer cells in several laboratory studies conducted
in the 1960s.
In the 1990s, cell culture and animal studies,
such as those conducted by Edenharder et al. and Kapadia et al.,
respectively, confirmed that beetroot juice had significant tumour-inhibiting
and antimutagenic effects. In a review of the subject, Rosenberg concluded
that beetroot’s effect on cancer cells is probably due to the combined
effects of betanin, allantoine, vitamin C and other compounds present, such
as farnesol and rutine.
Beetroot is probably not a cure for cancer along
the lines advocated by Ferenczi. In 1988, Weiss concluded that, 'beetroot
cannot be regarded as a genuine cancer treatment. It may however have a
strengthening effect, improving the general health of the patient'. Recent
research on beetroot juice and cancer strongly suggest that beetroot can play
a beneficial role in cancer prevention.
A high intake of vegetables and fruits can reduce
the risk of developing cancer and other disease. Beetroot has unique
chemicals (e.g. betalains) and high levels of important micronutrients, which
make it a valuable vegetable to include in the diet as a means of deterring
the onset of cancer and other diseases. The betalains, for instance, act as
antioxidants (see below).
Just as the Romans drank glasses of beetroot
juice for their health, today a daily glass of beetroot juice is one of the
recommended methods to lower the risk of developing cancer. Beetroot juice
frequently features among the foods in anti-cancer diets in the alternative
health literature. 'Bio-Beet' and other dried beetroot powder preparations,
for example, are marketed as food supplements to protect against cancer and
other illnesses. Powdered preparations are made without subjecting the beets
to high temperatures that would degrade minerals and vitamins. Freeze dried
beetroot, in powdered form or cubes, is also available from specialist
suppliers.
In Chapter Five, the betalains were introduced as
characteristic pigments of beetroot. Unlike other classes of plant pigments,
the betalains have a restricted distribution. The prickly pear cactus (Opuntia
ficus-indica) is practically the only other edible source of betalains.
Recent research has identified the betalains as being dietary antioxidants.
A number of different antioxidants are found in
fruits and vegetables, including flavonoids and phenolic compounds. These are
important to human health because they prevent the oxidative processes that
contribute to the onset of many diseases. Oxidative reactions occur when free
radicals are generated in the body. Free radicals are atoms or groups of
atoms with an unpaired (spare) electron, which makes them extremely reactive.
They can cause injury to cells and metabolic processes due to their
excessively reactive nature. Antioxidants act to mop up or scavenge free
radicals. This prevents them causing damaging oxidative reactions.
Betanin is the most prevalent betalain in red
beets, which typically contain large quantities of it (e.g. 300-600 mg/kg).
In laboratory studies, betanin has been shown to inhibit a wide range of
oxidative reactions (e.g. lipid peroxidation and the decomposition of heme in
the blood) that have negative effects in the body. Betaxanthins (yellow and
orange betalain pigments) also have antiradical activity, although to a
lesser extent than betanin. Betanin is taken up effectively in the gut, with
very little being excreted under normal conditions. It is a dietary
antioxidant with a particularly high bioavailability. You do not need to eat
much beetroot for it to be beneficial. Kanner and co-workers concluded in
2001 that, 'red beet products used regularly in the diet may provide
protection against certain oxidative stress-related disorders in humans'.
Beetroot is generally considered to prevent
illness by bolstering the immune system. Where the immune system is targeted
by disease, consuming beetroot as part of a health-promoting diet can help
the body fight the severity of the disease. In the influential booklet Positive
Health, David Orr and his partner David Patient advocated beetroot as
part of a diet designed to maintain the health of the immune system, for
people living with the HIV retrovirus that causes Aids (acquired immune deficiency
syndrome). Patient had been HIV positive since 1983.
Positive Health shows
HIV-positive individuals how to maintain the health of their immune systems,
in order to delay the onset of Aids for many years. Nutrition plays an
important role, alongside an active life-style. Orr recommends eating food
from three groups each day: building foods (e.g. meat, beans, eggs), energy
foods (e.g. rice, bread), and protector foods (e.g. fruits and vegetables).
Foods that include antioxidants are particularly recommended, along with
foods rich in vitamins and micronutrients such as selenium. Beetroot, garlic
and ginger are noted for their range of beneficial properties. Kitchen
gardens have a positive role, while sugar-rich food and alcohol is to be
avoided. The booklet contains specific suggestions for Africa. Orr has acted
as a consultant to African governments, including the one in Mozambique.
Controversy arose in South Africa, however, when
a dietary approach to HIV/Aids was advocated at the expense of
anti-retroviral drugs. Beetroot and other health-promoting items in the diet
are not a cure for HIV/Aids. They are beneficial in helping to keep the
disease contained, but are not a substitute for medicinal drugs. The only
known medical treatment with a hope of curing HIV/Aids [at the time of writing]
is anti-retroviral drugs.
The problem in South Africa started in 1999, when
President Thabo Mbeki, of the African National Congress (ANC) party, refused
to acknowledge the link between HIV and Aids, thereby calling into question
the validity of expensive anti-retroviral drug treatments. The Health
Minister Manto Tshabalala Msimang advocated a diet rich in beetroot, lemon
juice, olive oil, ginger, garlic, spinach and African potatoes (Hypoxis
rooperii - not a potato) for those diagnosed with HIV. However, this
nutritional approach was not accompanied by a policy to facilitate people
getting access to anti-retroviral drug treatments.
South Africa has one of the highest Aids rates in
the world, with around 5.3 million people (about one in nine of the
population) living with HIV or Aids. By 2003, the disease was killing around
600 people a day. The five-year delay in utilizing anti-retroviral drugs in
South African represents a major policy failure in the fight against
HIV/Aids.
The dietary approach to living with HIV became
widely criticized, because it was being advocated instead of anti-retroviral
drugs. Beetroot became a word of abuse to fling at ANC politicians in South
Africa in the months leading up to the general election of April 2004, in which
Aids was an important issue. Allafrica.com, for instance, took to calling the
Health Minister a beetroot. The ANC was re-elected, but with a changed policy
on HIV/Aids treatment. They agreed on a programme to distribute free Aids
drugs just weeks before the date of the election.
The demonization of beetroot is unfortunate, as
it can play its part in an immune-boosting diet for people living with
HIV/Aids. A combination of drugs and holistic approaches should be available
to fight this terrible disease. Good nutrition and medication act in a
complementary manner.
Beetroot is a nutritious vegetable that is an
ideal component of a healthy diet. In Britain, the advice is to consume at
least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. More specific advice from
some nutritionists is to select fruit and vegetables of different colours to
eat as your daily portions: the 'red, amber, green rule'. In terms of
vegetables, this could include beetroot (red), carrots (amber) and spinach
(green). This recognizes the important role played by different plant
pigments in disease prevention.
Beetroot is a rich source of carbohydrates, a
good source of protein, and has high levels of important vitamins, minerals
and micronutrients. It is a good source of dietary fibre, has practically no
fat, and no cholesterol. This makes beetroot relatively low in calories
(kilojoules). One small beet root (40g) provides around 1.6g of dietary fibre
and 75kJ of energy, according to The Oxford Dictionary of Food and
Nutrition.
In the analysis presented in McCance and
Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, 100g of raw beetroot (peeled,
but not grated) contains 87.1g of water, 7.6g of carbohydrate, 1.7g of
protein and 0.1g of fat. It provides 154 kJ (36 kcal) of energy.
The same amount of beetroot boiled for 45 minutes
contains 82.4g water, 9.5g carbohydrate, 2.3g protein and 0.1g fat. It
provides 195 kJ (46 kcal) of energy.
Pickled beetroot (drained), in comparison,
contains 88.6g water, 5.6g carbohydrate, 1.2g protein and 0.2g fat, per 100g.
It provides 117 kJ (28 kcal) of energy.
Boiling beetroot increases its carbohydrate and
protein content compared to raw beetroot, with a corresponding increase in
energy value. Pickling boiled beetroot decreases the carbohydrate and protein
content (to a level below raw beetroot), with a corresponding decrease in
energy value. Acetic acid (vinegar) will contribute to the energy value of
pickled beetroot, however, if it is eaten undrained.
Beetroot is often recommended in
calorie-controlled diets because of its relatively low calorific value. In the
literature, a figure of around 35 to 45 calories is usually given for 100g of
beetroot. The figure is usually lower for raw beetroot, often around 35
calories, but sometimes as low as 17 calories, per 100g.
In McCance and Widdowson, raw beetroot has 0.27g
of total nitrogen per 100g, while boiled and pickled beetroot have 0.37g and
0.19g, respectively. This reflects the relative protein content, but also
traces of nitrates (see below). Of the different groups of fatty acids, all
beetroot preparations contain only trace amounts of saturated and
mono-unsaturated fatty acids, and 0.1g of polyunsaturated fatty acid, per
100g. Cholesterol is not present in any beetroot preparation.
Raw beetroot contains 7.0g total sugars, while
boiled and pickled beetroot contain 8.8g and 5.6g, respectively. Most of the
carbohydrate in raw and boiled beetroot, and practically all of it in pickled
beetroot, comprises sugars. Beetroot is slightly higher in carbohydrates than
most other vegetables, but has one of the highest sugar contents of any
vegetable. This is not surprising when one considers that sugar beet was bred
from beetroot in the nineteenth century. Because of its relatively high sugar
content, beetroot is not usually recommended as a vegetable to diabetics. Of
the remaining carbohydrate, raw beetroot contains 0.6g starch per 100g, while
boiled beetroot contains 0.7g. However, only trace amounts of starch occur in
pickled beetroot. Dietary fibre is around 2.8g, 2.3g and 2.5g per 100g of
raw, boiled and pickled beetroot, respectively.
Beetroot is a good source of minerals. The
mineral content of beetroot, given by McCance and Widdowson, however, can be
markedly different with different preparation methods. Raw, boiled and
pickled beetroot contain 66g sodium (Na) and 380g potassium (K), 110g Na and
510 K, and 120 Na and 190 K, respectively. Boiled beetroot is particularly
high in potassium. Calcium (Ca) ranges from 19g in pickled to 29g in boiled
beetroot, while magnesium (Mg) is lowest in raw beetroot with 11g and is also
highest in boiled beetroot with 16g, per 100g of root. Pickled beet has a
lower level of phosphorous (P), only 11g, than raw beetroot with 51g and
boiled beetroot with 87g per 100g. Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are 0.5g and 0.3 g
in pickled beetroot, compared to 1.0g and 0.4g in raw and 0.8 and 0.5g in
boiled beetroot, respectively. The iron content of beetroot is comparable to
other vegetables. Its image as a high iron food to combat anaemia has
therefore often been overstated. Chlorine (Cl) levels are much higher in
pickled beetroot - 210g per 100g of root, due to the presence of acetic acid,
compared to raw beetroot with 59g, while levels are too low to detect in
boiled beetroot. Manganese (Mn) is present at 0.7g, 0.9g and 0.2g per 100g of
root in raw, boiled and pickled beetroot, respectively. Traces of selenium
(Se) occur with all preparation methods, but iodine (I) is absent.
Folate (folic acid) occurs in higher levels in
beetroot than in most other vegetables. McCance and Widdowson found 150mg and
110mg of folate per 100g in raw and boiled beetroot, respectively. Only 2mg
folate per 100g, however, occurs in pickled beetroot. Raw and boiled beetroot
have 20mg and 27mg of carotene, respectively, although only traces occur in
pickled beetroot. Raw and boiled beetroot have 5mg of Vitamin C per 100g, but
it is absent in pickled beetroot. Pantothenate varies from 0.12mg to 0.10mg
per 100g of beetroot. Vitamin B6 has 0.03mg to 0.04mg, thiamin 0.01mg to
0.02mg, riboflavin 0.01mg to 0.03mg, and niacin (nicotinic acid) 0.1mg, per
100g in all beetroot preparations. Trace levels of vitamin E and biotin occur
in all cases. However, no traces of retinol, vitamin D or vitamin B12 were
detected in beetroot.
The leaves of beetroot, and other cultivated forms
of Beta vulgaris, are rich in minerals and vitamins, in particular
vitamins A and C, beta-carotene and other carotenes, potassium, iron and
folic acid.
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) has leaves
with a similar vitamin and mineral content to Beta vulgaris. Both
plant species are in the family Chenopodiaceae. However, spinach is more
celebrated for its health effects than leaf beets or beetroot leaves. This
may have something to do with its number one sponsor: Popeye. In an article
in The Lancet in 1971, Richard Hunter asks, 'Why did Popeye take
spinach?' Why not, say, Swiss chard? The answer takes us back to the 1930s,
when Max Fleischer was creating Popeye and casting around for an instant
restorative and energizer for his hero to take in times of adversity. It had
been reported by the 1920s that spinach was rich in iron, calcium, and
vitamins A and C. Americans rapidly increasing their consumption of the
vegetable, which was being promoted on the basis of its health-giving
composition. Hunter relates that spinach production rose from 5,000 to
105,000 acres in just a couple of years. Its rising popularity at the time
and its image as a healthy vegetable made it a natural choice for Popeye.
However, Hunter acknowledges that none of the minerals and vitamins recorded
from spinach in the 1930s could possibly account for Popeye's astonishing
feats of vigour. The exceptionally high level of iron reported for spinach in
the 1920s was itself fictional. The figure originated from work done by E.
von Wolf in 1870. When his work was reanalysed in 1937 it was found that a
decimal point had been misplaced, and spinach only had one-tenth the iron
content that was claimed. Furthermore, most of the iron in spinach is bound
to oxalic acid (the substance that gives it a furry mouthfeel), and cannot be
utilized by the human body. Spinach's iron levels are in no way superior to
those of leaf beets. Popeye could just have well slugged down spinach beet!
Since the 1930s, spinach has been identified as a
rich source of folic acid. In 1937, a medical trial using spinach extract
showed promising results as a treatment against a type of anaemia (deficiency
in red blood cells). In 1941, the active factor from spinach leaf extract was
described. It produced optimal growth of beneficial bacteria, when it was
added to the synthetic growth media on which they were cultured. This factor
was a new vitamin in the vitamin B complex called folic acid, named after
folium (the Latin word for leaf). In 1945, folic acid became available as a
treatment for certain types of anaemia. Leaf beets and beetroot leaves have
similarly high levels of folic acid.
On a more cautious note, spinach, beetroot and
lettuce were identified as having relatively high nitrate levels in a study
conducted by the Ministry of Farming, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in the UK
(archived by its successor the Food Standards Agency). Beetroot had 1211mg of
nitrate per Kg, which was more than for most vegetables surveyed. This was
for commercial beetroot and levels may be lower for home-produced beetroot,
in the absence of intensive farming methods. Nitrate is not in itself
harmful, and vegetables provide most of the nitrates in our diet. On storage,
however, nitrate can chemically reduce to nitrite, which in high quantities
may cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and possibly methaemoglobinaemia in infants.
Beetroot is good for you, but some people are put
off by the earthy characteristic of its flavour. This 'earthiness' is due to
a volatile chemical called geosmin, which is produced by bacteria
living in the soil and on the roots. The levels of geosmin were found to vary
between four cultivars in a study conducted by Lu and co-workers in the USA: the
popular commercial variety Detroit Dark Red had the lowest concentrations
(9.7 mg/kg) and the heritage variety Chioggia was associated with the highest
concentrations (26.7 mg/kg) of geosmin.
Beetroot is an excellent source of folates,
including folic acid (tetrahydrofolate). Both the greens and roots of
beetroot have been recommended for women who are planning to get pregnant,
because they provide a good source of folic acid, along with other beneficial
vitamins and minerals. Folic acid is a vitamin (in the vitamin B complex)
that functions as a carrier of carbon units in a variety of metabolic
reactions in the body. It is essential for the synthesis of compounds called
purines and pyrimidines, which play an important role in developmental
processes. Foods such as beetroot, green-leaf vegetables, liver and kidneys
are rich in folates. As noted above, grated raw beetroot is better than
cooked beetroot, while pickled beetroot is a much poorer source of folate.
The average UK mixed folate intake in the diet is
200-300 mg per day. Eating folate-rich foods can boost this, but it is
advisable to also take folic acid supplements (400 mg per day) prior to and
during the early stages of pregnancy. Taking folic acid supplements prior to
pregnancy has been shown to reduce the incidence of spina bifida and other
neural tube defects in babies. Catherine Zeta Jones's pregnancy craving for
beetroot and marmite, reported in the celebrity gossip magazines at the time
in the usual 'irrational food' terms, is actually a nutritionally-astute
choice (and tasty).
Betaine is a nitrogenous
compound found in beetroot. In structure, it is like an amino acid. Betaine
is distinct from the betalain pigments that have previously been described.
It has a different chemical structure and is more widely distributed than the
betalain pigments. Betaine, for example, is also found in broccoli, spinach,
legumes, eggs, fish and liver. However, Beta vulgaris provides a
particularly rich source of betaine in the diet. Because of its prevalence in
beets, it is one of the commonest non-sugar impurities in the juice extracted
from sugar beet. Beets with high levels of sugar also have high levels of
betaine. In the root it plays a role in osmosis, regulating the diffusion of
water into cells as a counterbalance to their sugar content. In the past,
betaine was considered a potential impurity problem in sugar. However, today
it is not considered of importance, because it is inert during the processing
of sugar beet juice into sucrose. However, betaine is extracted from beet
juice, because it has become a valuable by-product of sugar beet processing.
Betaine is a mood modifier. In
the diet, betaine-rich foods are pharmacologically active, and can have a
positive effect on mood by relaxing the mind. Beetroot, because it contains
betaine, is therefore a minor 'mood food', alongside ginseng and foods
containing caffeine, tryptophan and other pharmacologically-active compounds.
More seriously, betaine forms part of the treatment for mood disorders,
particularly clinical depression, and a range of other medical conditions.
Sugar beet is the main source of medicinal betaine. It is sold as a white
powder, having a sweetish taste.
Clinical depression is a
chronic disease that is very prevalent in industrialized countries. It has
been estimated, for example, that up to one in twenty Americans suffer from
clinical depression, to the extent that they require some form of treatment.
Depression is closely linked to the dysfunction of neurotransmitters in the
brain, particularly serotonin. Low levels of serotonin affect a range of
physiological processes that result in depression. One approach to treating
depression is through diet and dietary supplements. A number of compounds in
foods have been shown to raise serotonin levels and induce a subsequent
calming effect in patients suffering from depression. Betaine, which is also
known as trimethylglycine (TMG), is one of these. Treatment with betaine
(TMG) raises levels of a compound called s-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which in
turn influences serotonin metabolism.
TMG and SAM are said to be
'methyl donors', because they donate methyl groups to other molecules to
facilitate beneficial chemical processes. In addition to neurological
effects, betaine acts a methyl donor to affect changes in the cardiovascular
system, the liver and other organs.
Betaine is used to treat a
genetic condition called homocystinuria. People with this condition have
unusually high levels of the amino acid homocysteine (Hcy) in their blood.
This chemical can be toxic and it contributes to an increased risk of heart
disease and strokes. Betaine supplements, acting with other nutrients,
particularly SAM, folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12, break down Hcy and
prevent it from reaching toxic levels in the blood. High levels of Hcy can
also occur in people without homocystinuria, who have high Hcy in their
blood, for example, due to a dietary imbalance. These patients can also be
treated with betaine supplements.
Betaine may also be an
effective treatment for alcohol-induced liver failure. In the liver, it
promotes the regeneration of liver cells and facilitates the conversion of
fats. Betaine has also been advocated as a treatment for a type of hepatitis
(non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), kidney disorder, and antherosclerosis.
However, further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of betaine
supplements in these cases. The most serious side effect of taking betaine
supplements is that it may cause a body odour.
Beetroot is valued as a healthy cooked vegetable.
However, when taken medicinally beetroot is usually consumed as a juice or
broth. The benefits of drinking vegetable juice have long been recognized.
Early in the twentieth century, Norman Walker and Bernard Jensen worked on
the scientific basis of using juices as part of a daily diet. Juicing is said
to enable nutrients and other beneficial chemicals to be absorbed more easily
and efficiently in the gut. Three juice types form the core of their juice
program: a green vegetable juice, carrot juice, and beetroot juice (green,
amber, red). These can be drunk in combinations to provide a nutritious diet
supplement. Raw beetroot, and the juice made from it, is high in
carbohydrate, low in fat and is a good source of minerals, including sodium,
phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium, and vitamins, including
folic acid, niacin and vitamin C.
The juicing movement prizes beetroot as a
nutritious tonic to the immune system, through its stimulation of the lymphatic
system; a source of antioxidant minerals and vitamins; and as a source of
easily assimilated sugars, which provide instant energy (revitalizer). The
tops of beetroot are also valued for juicing, in the same way as spinach, for
being rich in folic acid, beta-carotenes, calcium and iron. Beetroot’s
antioxidant chemicals, including vitamin C and beta-carotene, help fight
infection and may help detoxify a range of carcinogenic chemicals. Juicing is
part of the raw food movement, which promotes raw as opposed to cooked food
because nutrients, enzymes, and other beneficial chemicals can often be
broken down during the cooking process. While acknowledging the undoubted
benefits of consuming raw beetroot, however, it should probably be consumed
in moderation.
The Ancients and the herbalists referred to
beetroot’s laxative properties. Today, beetroot is regarded as a mild
laxative that eases constipation. Beetroot juice is regarded as having good
cleansing powers when taken regularly. It is said to stimulate liver, bowel
and kidney function, and enhance the elimination of toxins and wastes. In the
juicing literature, fruits and vegetables with high fibre are recommended for
constipation.
The following modern juice recipes can be found
in Anne McIntyre's book, which is typical of its kind. Her recipe for Hungarian
beetroot and carrot cleanser simply blends together the juices of the two
vegetables. It is served with a coriander garnish.
A soothing effect in the digestive system, it is
claimed, makes beetroot an effective remedy for indigestion, acidity,
gastritis and heartburn (where stomach acid rises up the oesophagus toward
the throat). Its beneficial effects on digestion may relieve other problems
associated with the stagnation of food and food toxicity, such as skin
problems, headaches and lethargy.
Gerard and Culpeper noted that beetroot could be
used as a decongestant. Beetroot juice is still regarded as a good
decongestant, especially if taken as a hot soup or juice. The hot vapours
help to clear catarrh during colds, coughs and flu. McIntyre describes Beet
borscht cocktail as a 'flu-busting' juice. It contains beetroot, carrot
and cucumber juices, lemon juice and a dollop of yoghurt.
The herbalists noted that beetroot vapours could
clear the head. In Eastern Europe, where beetroot has been an important winter
root crop since at least the fifteenth century, it is still used as a
treatment for headache and toothache.
Beetroot is advocated to ease piles or
haemorrhoids (varicose veins forming in the anal region). McIntyre gives a
recipe, aimed at easing distress, called Russian relief, which
contains beetroot and celery juice, mixed with live yoghurt and topped with
fresh mint leaves.
When people blush in embarrassment, due to a rush
of blood to the skin surface, they are often described as blushing like a
beetroot. In period novels this often occurs in the presence of members of
the opposite sex. In L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (1908),
for instance, when a young girl reads a personal message from a boy, written
on a schoolroom slate, she 'blushed as red as a beet and giggled'. More
explicitly, purple passages of prose are described as if steeped in juices
squeezed from its virile root.
Beetroot has on occasion been regarded as an
aphrodisiac - a substance arousing sexual desire. In Roman times, juice from
roots of Beta vulgaris was considered aphrodisiac. Paintings of Beta
vulgaris adorn the walls of brothels in Pompeii. They are portrayed
amidst carnal scenes. Seeds and other traces of beetroot have been excavated
from Pompeii, a town destroyed when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. Murals
depicting Romans drinking glasses of 'red wine' have recently been
re-interpreted, and it is now thought that at least in some cases they may be
drinking beetroot juice.
In a modern volume on Indian medicinal plants, Beta
vulgaris is noted as being an aphrodisiac (in addition to being an
expectorant, a tonic, a cough medicine, and an anti-inflammatory agent). The
bitter-tasting seeds are unusually noted as being a particularly active
source of these properties.
In England, beetroot production is increasing as
its image is changing. No longer just a pickled relic in a glass jar,
beetroot is regarded as an invigorating fresh vegetable. In July 2003, BBC
News and The Guardian newspaper reported that hopes of a
specialist aphrodisiac market had helped secure a government grant for
Lincolnshire beetroot farmers Chris and David Moore. Chris Moore was quoted
as saying, 'The lads here swear by beetroot. Some of them even eat it for
breakfast'. The National Farmers Union (NFU) voted Mr. Moore the sexiest
farmer in the North of England in a recent poll.
Modern claims for beetroot being an aphrodisiac
are based on its being a rich source of the mineral boron, which plays a role
in the production of human sex hormones. While some aphrodisiacs have a
scientific basis, others need only be activated by the imagination, writes
Isabel Allende in Aphrodite. She describes an aphrodisiac is a bridge
between gluttony and lust. The farmers in Lincolnshire do not need a
scientific explanation for their aphrodisiac; they are convinced of its
invigorating powers.
The British field-marshal Viscount Montgomery
(1887-1976), famous for the victory of Alamein during the Second World War,
encouraged his soldiers to 'find favours in the beetroot fields'. In other
words, he hoped to raise the morale of his troops by having them consort with
local prostitutes.
Favours In The Beetroot Fields is the
title of a track on British Sea Power's debut album The Decline of British
Sea Power (Rough Trade Records, 2003). British Sea Power explore notions
of landscape and memory in their songs, particularly the lingering effects of
the British Empire. When playing live, they used to wear First World War
military clothing and decorate the stage with tree branches. The collision of
war and nature is a recurring motif, for instance, on Something Wicked,
which contains the line: 'It starts with love for foliage and ends in
camouflage'. The chorus of Favours In The Beetroot Fields contains the
repeated line 'all the little seeds' and puns on the sowing of (multigerm)
beetroot seed and the ejaculation of semen. It is a merging of Montgomery's
exhortation to his troops to satisfy their sexual appetite and Gerard's 1597
description of a red beet, which 'did bring forth his rough and uneven seed
very plentifully'.
Beetroot is overlooked in much writing about
aphrodisiacs, possibly because it is not exotic. Fashionable texts
concentrate on romantic tropical fruits and unusual delicacies, for instance,
while ignoring foods as proletarian and basic as beetroot. Despite this,
however, blood-red beetroot has taken on an aura of rustic carnality. It
stands for a mythologized agricultural lustiness. Beets particularly evoke a
masculine sexuality - the juicy heft of globular roots. Health-giving and
rude, the root of the beet will be enjoyed for years to come for its
invigorating properties.
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© Copyright Stephen Nottingham, 2004
sf.nottingham@btinternet.com
August 2004 SFN.
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