Useful properties and recipes with beet tops
Common beets, found in almost every vegetable garden, can be called versatile and one of the healthiest vegetables. And it's not only about the benefits that burgundy sweet roots bring, but also about the juicy, elegant tops of this plant.
Unlike the foliage of related species, the beet leaves collected in a rosette are smooth, without hard hairs, but with a powerful fleshy petiole.
Appearing when there are no salads or early white cabbage on garden beds, beet tops can easily replace these crops and replenish the human diet with high-quality vitamin dishes.
The benefits of beet tops and the ways of using them have been known in Russia for a long time. It is not for nothing that among the traditional dishes of Russian cuisine there are cold botvinya and hot rich borsch with beet leaves.
Beet tops composition
If our ancestors' ideas about the beneficial properties of beet leaves were only superficial, but based on observations, today the biochemical composition of the tops is well studied.
The first thing worth noting is the low calorie content of the product. 100 grams of beet tops contains only 28 kcal.
Greens contain 1.2% proteins, 0.1% fats and 6% carbohydrates, presented as mono- and disaccharides. Beet greens are an excellent source of fiber, many minerals, vitamins and organic acids.
The macro- and microelement composition of fresh beet tops contains calcium, aluminum and molybdenum, boron and potassium, sodium, magnesium and cobalt. In addition to this, the tops are quite rich in fluorine, manganese and iron, zinc and copper. Beet foliage contains iodine, sulfur and phosphorus. It is not surprising that the beneficial properties of beet tops and recipes from it do not lose their relevance today.
The composition of vitamins in beet leaves will be the envy of many modern drugs. Here, in addition to carotene and ascorbic acid, there is vitamin K, B9 and B6, B2, B1, PP and vitamin U.
The parts of the tops with a rich red-purple or burgundy color are rich in anthocyanins - natural antioxidants.
The benefits and harms of beet leaves
Judging by the composition of the beet tops, such a product can rightfully be considered a dietary one and can be used as a natural therapeutic and prophylactic agent for people suffering from disorders in various organs and systems of the body.
First of all, beet tops are useful for those who have been diagnosed with problems with the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, as well as those with diabetes.
When you include dishes from beet leaves in your daily diet, you can significantly improve metabolism, alleviate the course of gastrointestinal diseases, such as gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Fiber, together with beet tops pectins, effectively cleanse the intestines and prevent the development of pathogenic flora that interferes with normal digestion and leads to serious diseases.
As part of salads, side dishes and soups, fresh beet tops are useful as an excellent preventive measure against atherosclerosis, as well as help the body in blood formation. The leaves will also help with disorders of the endocrine system.
The beneficial properties of beet leaves, namely choline contained in greens, can protect the liver from fat deposition and tissue degeneration.
The presence of powerful antioxidants and a large amount of fiber makes the foliage highly effective as an anticancer, cleanser and protective agent.
As with many vegetables with a rich dark green color, beet tops are rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin K, which have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skeletal system, teeth and cartilage. Dishes with beet leaves can be recommended for older people as a prophylaxis against osteoporosis.
The same vitamin K, but together with carotene and iron, supports and normalizes the blood-forming ability. This beneficial property of beet leaves provides significant help to the heart and vascular system, and has a serious counteraction to the development of anemia. Under the influence of vitamins K, PP and U, the elasticity of blood vessels is improved, the risks of internal bleeding are reduced, and blood clotting is normalized.
Doctors have found that the tops of ordinary beetroot and greens of leafy beets, chard, help diabetics control blood sugar.
The flavonoids present in beet tops are heart protection, and the anthocyanins in the juicy petioles are powerful anti-inflammatory, cleansing and anti-aging agents.
It is noted that the tops contain substances that are beneficial for the health of the eyes, hair and skin. Vitamin C perfectly supplies the body with energy, vitamins of group B support the functioning of the brain and nervous system. With such a large-scale benefit of leaves beets they cannot do harm, unless they abuse this product.
Culinary uses of beet tops
To fully experience the benefits of beet leaves, you do not need to buy expensive drugs.
The medicine grows on the garden bed, and you can cook very tasty and original dishes from it.
Thanks to what recipes are the beneficial properties of beet tops preserved in full? Since the leaves of beetroot do not contain substances toxic to humans, they can be consumed fresh. This means that salads with bright juicy foliage should take a worthy place on the table.
Tomatoes of sweet varieties, cucumbers and juicy varieties of pumpkins, all kinds of greens, nuts and berries, radishes, etc. often become companions of tops in fresh snacks. Bell pepper... You can season such a delicacy with vegetable oils, sour cream or mayonnaise sauce. Lemon juice or aromatic balsamic vinegar will emphasize the spicy taste of the tops.
The vinegar and salt will help preserve the beet leaves for the winter. Although in salted and pickled form, the benefits of beet leaves are less, and the harm is noticeable in diseases of the digestive system and kidneys.
In addition to salads, beet leaves are used as a side dish for various meat dishes and poultry. The springy leaves can be served with pasta and potatoes, legumes and rice.
In cabbage rolls, as in borscht, tops perfectly replace cabbage. Beetroot and table tops are a very light, tasty filling for homemade pies, casseroles and rolls.
If you want to cook a healthy soup with beet tops, you don't have to make beetroot soup. Your loved ones will undoubtedly enjoy the hearty bean or pea soup with tops, mushroom chowder or vegetarian soup with summer vegetables.
Video about young beets and their tops