Posted by kathryn in Vegetables

Next on Q & A Thursday we’re looking at the nutritional value of my favourite vegetable – beetroot. Mariana asks:

What nutritional value is there in fresh beetroot? Is there a significant difference between eating it raw, boiled or roasted? In your opinion which preparation method offers the greatest nutritional benefit? I have noticed beetroot bleeds when cooked in water; is there much or any nutritional loss from the vegetable into the water?

The nutritional value of beetroot

As I’ve blogged before, it would not be an understatement to say I was a beetroot fiend. I love the vegetable and finding a new use for beetroot always makes me strangely happy. Nutritonally, beetroot also shines. It’s high in fibre and packed full of the carotenoid antioxidants. It’s known in naturopathy as a food that assists the liver and gallbladder. Plus it’s high in vitamin C and folate and low in fat.

Beetroot bleed

The colour of beetroot is due to the pigments betacyanin and betaxanthin, both of which are antioxidants. These pigments are quite unstable and when beetroot is cut or heated, they leak out of the cells – which is why beetroots leave a purple stain.

By losing some of the pigment you are losing some of the antioxidants, however cooked beetroots are still VERY worthwhile including in your diet. You can minimise the beetroot bleed by

• cooking beetroot in its skin, with a short portion of the stalks intact
• grating beetroot raw into salads
• cooking beetroots in a sauce, the pigments will leach out, but you’ll still be eating them – eg this beetroot and tomato curry
• roasting beetroots whole

Raw vs boiled vs roasted

As with all vegetables there are reasons to eat it raw and reasons to eat it cooked. Some of the vitamin C and folate in beetroot are destroyed in the cooking process. However, some of the antioxidants become more bioavailable when cooked. So varying your beetroot intake between raw and cooked is the best strategy

The other consequences of eating beetroot . . .

For some people there’s another consequence of eating beetroot – beeturia. According to Wikipedia it only affects between 10 and 14 per cent of the population – although I’m surprised about that. Beeturia is when you pass red or pink urine, after eating beetroot and for some people it also affects the colour of their stools.

It’s caused by the red pigments in beetroot and is believed to be a genetic trait. There’s no negative health consequences to this – it can just be a bit of a surprise.

Beeturia usually happens a few hours after eating beetroot and its effect is dose dependant. If you have a couple of slices of beetroot in a sandwich, you’re unlikely to notice changes in your urine. Whereas, if you have a larger amount, then it will be more pronounced.

This post is part of Q & A Thursday – a weekly burst of blogging, where you get to dictate the subject matter. Q & A Thursday is all about simple, practical and sensible answers to food, diet and health dilemmas sent in by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, then either leave a comment or send me an email.

16 August, 2007