Hard to Beet

[Guest guest]

Root vegetable that's hard to beet

 

Once seen as the Cinderella of the kitchen garden, beetroot is now

soaring up the supermarket sales league table, thanks to an astonishing

list of health-giving properties.

 

Maxine Frith reports

Published: 17 January 2006

 

The humble beetroot has always been a bit of a poor relation to other,

trendier species in the vegetable world. Perhaps it is because of its

association with war-time rationing (it was often used as a substitute

for soft fruit in jam). Perhaps it's the memory of the cheap pickled

variety that adorned school dinners (and its irritating side-effect: the

indelible red stains). Whatever the reason, it has never had quite the

cachet of, say, fennel or artichokes.

 

Now all that is changing.

 

According to Tesco, beetroot sales have doubled during the past year and

its stores are now having to devote extra space to the raw variety in

their vegetable aisles. Uber-hip chef Heston Blumenthal features

beetroot jelly on the menu of his Michelin three-starred restaurant, The

Fat Duck. And one of the most popular dishes at the eastern

European-themed Baltic bistro in London is beetroot and apple salad.

 

But it is not only the world of fine dining that this unglamorous root

vegetable has conquered. Beetroot has now been anointed by health

experts as a " superfood " - virtually fat free, rich in iron and

magnesium and possibly cancer-preventing to boot.

 

It even boasts its own diet - in which followers have to eat beetroot

three times a day, alongside other vegetables and whole foods. Dismiss

it as yet another food fad if you will, but Warwickshire County Cricket

Club adopted the Beetroot Diet in 2004 - and won the county championship

that season.

 

Beetroot was known as a delicacy in Ancient Greece, where the leaves

were cooked with honey and wine. The root was prized for its medicinal

qualities and was used as a treatment for fevers, skin problems and

digestive complaints.

 

Those well-known gourmets the Romans also ate beetroot, with Apicius,

the Jamie Oliver of his day, recommending that it be made into a salad

with a dressing of mustard, oil and vinegar - not so very dissimilar

from the 21st-century recipe on the opposite page.

 

In the 16th century, it was given as a " blood builder " to people who

were pale and run down. At the time, doctors and patients may not have

known why it was so efficaceous, but health experts now know that its

high iron content can help to treat anaemia and fatigue.

 

It is also rich in folic acid, which is known to be helpful in reducing

the risks of birth defects if taken before conception and in the early

stages of pregnancy.

 

Catherine Zeta Jones is reported to have become addicted to beetroot

after eating it while pregnant with her two children.

 

The weight-conscious actress may also have appreciated the vegetable's

lack of fat and the fact that there are only 36 calories per 100 grams.

In addition to B vitamins, iron and zinc, beetroot is a good source of

vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, as well

as protein and fibre.

 

The vegetable that was once seen as peasant fare has come a long way.

Dietician Helen Andrews said: " It is interesting because beetroot was

originally seen as a poor person's vegetable because it could be grown

in your own garden. Now it has become quite trendy, probably partly due

to people like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall being on television and

talking about things you can grow yourself.

 

" It is also affordable, at a time when one of the complaints people have

about eating more fruit and vegetables is that it can be expensive. "

 

She added: " Beetroot does contain lots of vitamins and minerals and is

high in soluble fibre, which plays a role in preventing heart disease,

so it is very good for you as part of a balanced diet. "

 

If all that weren't enough, researchers have recently labelled the

vegetable a " mood food " because it contains a compound called betaine

that is known to relax the mind and help with depression.

 

And there have even been claims that beetroot could be Nature's Viagra,

as it has high levels of the mineral boron, which has a role in the

production of sex hormones.

 

Throughout history, it has been believed that the vegetable may have the

power to prevent and even cure cancer. Research has shown that beetroot

can inhibit tumour growth and has antioxidant properties that may help

to prevent cancer in the first place. However, doctors have expressed

concern about cancer patients who reject chemotherapy in favour of a

regimen of raw vegetables such as beetroot.

 

Luckily, for those who are still traumatised by childhood memories of

pickled beetroot, there are now alternatives. Specialist health shops

offer a powder preparation and even freeze-dried cubes. Beetroot juice,

which is also on sale in health food shops, is said to help cure acne

and contribute to a clear complexion.

 

Graham Forber, managing director of one of the major beetroot-producing

companies in Britain, said that the market in the root vegetable is

growing by up to 20 per cent a year. " I think a lot of people have been

put off by the nasty pickled variety of beetroot that they had at

school, " he said.

 

" It used to be seen as a very traditional rather than trendy vegetable,

but all that is changing. Rather than the pickled version, the demand is

for the fresh variety. It is seen as being very healthy, with lots of

really good properties and quite versatile. "

 

Producers are now generating 60,000 of tonnes of beetroot a year, most

of which is sold in this country. And new varieties of the vegetable are

also being created, such as the smaller " cocktail beetroot " which is

designed for use in canapes, and a " golden " version - which has a yellow

rather than red colour to eradicate the risk of staining.

 

Yes, beetroot is now much more Jamie Oliver than school dinners.

 

10 things you never knew about beetroot

 

* Its Latin name is Beta vulgaris and it is part of the Chenopodiaceae

family of vegetables, which includes Swiss chard and spinach. As well as

the root, which can be baked or boiled, the leaves are edible and can be

either eaten in salad, or steamed.

 

* It originated in the Mediterranean in pre-Christian times and was

often left as an offering to the god Apollo at his temple in Delphi.

 

* The world's heaviest beetroot weighed 23.4kg (51.48lb) and was grown

by Ian Neale from Somerset in 2001.

 

* Beetroot - which is related to the sugar beet - has one of the highest

sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar,

but it is released slowly into the body rather than the sudden rush that

results from eating chocolate.

 

* Pickled beetroot became popular after the Second World War, when

farmers began growing crops in the summer as well as winter.

 

* The Russians use beetroot to make a soup called borscht, and in

Australia, it is a popular topping for burgers.

 

* English folklore states that if a man and a woman eat from the same

beet, they will fall in love.

 

* The Elizabethans prepared beetroot by wiping it with fresh dung before

cooking it.

 

* The red pigment in beetroot - betaline - is used as a food colouring

in a wide range of foods, including frozen pizzas, tomato paste and

strawberry ice cream.

 

* Beetroot was first used as a vegetable dye in the 16th century -

later, the Victorians used it as a hair colouring.

 

© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited

[Guest guest]

10 oz beet juice, 2 oz cellerac juice, 2 oz black radish juice, and a 2 "

diameter potato's juice is the mainstay of the BREUSS cancer cure.

 

 

 

Bruce Guilmette, PhD

 

Survive Cancer Foundation, Inc.

 

<http://survivecancer.net> Http://survivecancer.net

 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:34 (NIV)

 

 

 

_____

 

 

On Behalf Of dar

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 7:22 PM

9 AltMed

Hard to Beet

 

 

 

Root vegetable that's hard to beet

 

Once seen as the Cinderella of the kitchen garden, beetroot is now

soaring up the supermarket sales league table, thanks to an astonishing

list of health-giving properties.

 

Maxine Frith reports

Published: 17 January 2006

 

The humble beetroot has always been a bit of a poor relation to other,

trendier species in the vegetable world. Perhaps it is because of its

association with war-time rationing (it was often used as a substitute

for soft fruit in jam). Perhaps it's the memory of the cheap pickled

variety that adorned school dinners (and its irritating side-effect: the

indelible red stains). Whatever the reason, it has never had quite the

cachet of, say, fennel or artichokes.

 

Now all that is changing.

 

According to Tesco, beetroot sales have doubled during the past year and

its stores are now having to devote extra space to the raw variety in

their vegetable aisles. Uber-hip chef Heston Blumenthal features

beetroot jelly on the menu of his Michelin three-starred restaurant, The

Fat Duck. And one of the most popular dishes at the eastern

European-themed Baltic bistro in London is beetroot and apple salad.

 

But it is not only the world of fine dining that this unglamorous root

vegetable has conquered. Beetroot has now been anointed by health

experts as a " superfood " - virtually fat free, rich in iron and

magnesium and possibly cancer-preventing to boot.

 

It even boasts its own diet - in which followers have to eat beetroot

three times a day, alongside other vegetables and whole foods. Dismiss

it as yet another food fad if you will, but Warwickshire County Cricket

Club adopted the Beetroot Diet in 2004 - and won the county championship

that season.

 

Beetroot was known as a delicacy in Ancient Greece, where the leaves

were cooked with honey and wine. The root was prized for its medicinal

qualities and was used as a treatment for fevers, skin problems and

digestive complaints.

 

Those well-known gourmets the Romans also ate beetroot, with Apicius,

the Jamie Oliver of his day, recommending that it be made into a salad

with a dressing of mustard, oil and vinegar - not so very dissimilar

from the 21st-century recipe on the opposite page.

 

In the 16th century, it was given as a " blood builder " to people who

were pale and run down. At the time, doctors and patients may not have

known why it was so efficaceous, but health experts now know that its

high iron content can help to treat anaemia and fatigue.

 

It is also rich in folic acid, which is known to be helpful in reducing

the risks of birth defects if taken before conception and in the early

stages of pregnancy.

 

Catherine Zeta Jones is reported to have become addicted to beetroot

after eating it while pregnant with her two children.

 

The weight-conscious actress may also have appreciated the vegetable's

lack of fat and the fact that there are only 36 calories per 100 grams.

In addition to B vitamins, iron and zinc, beetroot is a good source of

vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, as well

as protein and fibre.

 

The vegetable that was once seen as peasant fare has come a long way.

Dietician Helen Andrews said: " It is interesting because beetroot was

originally seen as a poor person's vegetable because it could be grown

in your own garden. Now it has become quite trendy, probably partly due

to people like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall being on television and

talking about things you can grow yourself.

 

" It is also affordable, at a time when one of the complaints people have

about eating more fruit and vegetables is that it can be expensive. "

 

She added: " Beetroot does contain lots of vitamins and minerals and is

high in soluble fibre, which plays a role in preventing heart disease,

so it is very good for you as part of a balanced diet. "

 

If all that weren't enough, researchers have recently labelled the

vegetable a " mood food " because it contains a compound called betaine

that is known to relax the mind and help with depression.

 

And there have even been claims that beetroot could be Nature's Viagra,

as it has high levels of the mineral boron, which has a role in the

production of sex hormones.

 

Throughout history, it has been believed that the vegetable may have the

power to prevent and even cure cancer. Research has shown that beetroot

can inhibit tumour growth and has antioxidant properties that may help

to prevent cancer in the first place. However, doctors have expressed

concern about cancer patients who reject chemotherapy in favour of a

regimen of raw vegetables such as beetroot.

 

Luckily, for those who are still traumatised by childhood memories of

pickled beetroot, there are now alternatives. Specialist health shops

offer a powder preparation and even freeze-dried cubes. Beetroot juice,

which is also on sale in health food shops, is said to help cure acne

and contribute to a clear complexion.

 

Graham Forber, managing director of one of the major beetroot-producing

companies in Britain, said that the market in the root vegetable is

growing by up to 20 per cent a year. " I think a lot of people have been

put off by the nasty pickled variety of beetroot that they had at

school, " he said.

 

" It used to be seen as a very traditional rather than trendy vegetable,

but all that is changing. Rather than the pickled version, the demand is

for the fresh variety. It is seen as being very healthy, with lots of

really good properties and quite versatile. "

 

Producers are now generating 60,000 of tonnes of beetroot a year, most

of which is sold in this country. And new varieties of the vegetable are

also being created, such as the smaller " cocktail beetroot " which is

designed for use in canapes, and a " golden " version - which has a yellow

rather than red colour to eradicate the risk of staining.

 

Yes, beetroot is now much more Jamie Oliver than school dinners.

 

10 things you never knew about beetroot

 

* Its Latin name is Beta vulgaris and it is part of the Chenopodiaceae

family of vegetables, which includes Swiss chard and spinach. As well as

the root, which can be baked or boiled, the leaves are edible and can be

either eaten in salad, or steamed.

 

* It originated in the Mediterranean in pre-Christian times and was

often left as an offering to the god Apollo at his temple in Delphi.

 

* The world's heaviest beetroot weighed 23.4kg (51.48lb) and was grown

by Ian Neale from Somerset in 2001.

 

* Beetroot - which is related to the sugar beet - has one of the highest

sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar,

but it is released slowly into the body rather than the sudden rush that

results from eating chocolate.

 

* Pickled beetroot became popular after the Second World War, when

farmers began growing crops in the summer as well as winter.

 

* The Russians use beetroot to make a soup called borscht, and in

Australia, it is a popular topping for burgers.

 

* English folklore states that if a man and a woman eat from the same

beet, they will fall in love.

 

* The Elizabethans prepared beetroot by wiping it with fresh dung before

cooking it.

 

* The red pigment in beetroot - betaline - is used as a food colouring

in a wide range of foods, including frozen pizzas, tomato paste and

strawberry ice cream.

 

* Beetroot was first used as a vegetable dye in the 16th century -

later, the Victorians used it as a hair colouring.

 

C 2006 Independent News and Media Limited