Although the most common type of beet is a reddish-purple color, beets also come in yellow, white and pink. You can eat both the beets and the beet greens raw, or you can boil, microwave, steam, roast or pickle the beets and cook the greens the same way you would cook any other type of greens. Beets make a healthy addition to your diet however you decide to prepare them.
Beet Nutrition
A serving of two cooked beets contains 45 calories, 2 g of protein, 2 g of fiber and no fat. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, this serving provides you with 20 percent of the daily value for folate; 6 percent of the DV for magnesium and vitamin C; 4 percent of the DV for phosphorus, vitamin B-6 and iron; and 2 percent of the DV for calcium, zinc, riboflavin, thiamine and niacin. Beets also are good sources of manganese and potassium. Beet greens are good sources of iron, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium and beta-carotene.
Possible Health Benefits
The folate in beets reduces your risk for having a child with neural tube defects, and lowers your risk for anemia and heart disease. The fiber in beets helps lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, diverticulitis, obesity and constipation.
Selection and Storage
Choose beets that are firm. The leaves, if attached, should not be wilted. Beets around 2 inches in diameter are better than larger beets, since beets that are 3 inches or more in diameter tend to be more woody and fibrous. Separate the beets from the greens, leaving about 1 inch of the greens still attached to the beets, otherwise the beet greens will pull the nutrients, flavor and moisture from the beets. You can store your beets for one to three weeks in the refrigerator. Before cooking, carefully wash the beets without damaging the skin, or the color and nutrients will escape during cooking.
Considerations
Beet juice can stain the kitchen items it comes into contact with, but salt can help you get the stains off of your hands. If you can't use your beets right away, you can boil and freeze smaller, younger beets, or you can preserve the beets by canning them if you have the proper equipment to do this safely.
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