Red beets provide plenty of nutrients in a colorful package that gives you a break from the usual green vegetables on your dinner plate. These low-calorie vegetables are high in a wide range of vitamins and minerals, but their phytochemical compounds might be even more beneficial. Some of the compounds found in beets occur in few other foods, making them a valuable addition to your healthy diet.
Basic Nutrition
Red beets are a low-calorie food, containing only 58 calories in a cup of raw beets. They also contain no cholesterol and less than half a gram of fat. A cup of red beets provides 2 g of protein and 13 g of carbohydrates, which includes 3.8 g of dietary fiber. Fiber plays an important role in digestive tract health, helping to prevent constipation and facilitating the movement of food through the intestines. Beets also contain 106 mg of sodium per cup.
Micronutrients
Red beets provide 148 mcg of folate, about 37 percent of the daily recommended intake, per cup. Folate is an essential vitamin that helps in the development and maintenance of new cells. Red beets also contain high levels of manganese, potassium and vitamin C, providing more than 10 percent of the daily recommendation in a cup. Other nutrients present in red beets include calcium, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin A, magnesium, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium. They also provide small amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
Phytochemicals
Red beets contain high levels of phytochemicals, plant compounds that are not classified as nutrients but still provide health benefits upon consumption. Red beets contain beta-carotene, a precursor molecule to vitamin A that boosts eye health. The phytochemicals that give beets their red color belong to a group called betalains. Betalains act as antioxidants, destroying free radicals that could damage cells, when consumed. The greens of beets also contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which also benefit eye health, although the root portion of the vegetable does not contain these two phytochemicals.
Considerations
About 10 to 14 percent of people experience a condition called beeturia, a reddening of the urine after eating beets. Beeturia occurs more often in people who are iron deficient or who have trouble absorbing iron properly. If you experience beeturia, you should check with your doctor about checking your iron levels. However, some people without iron problems do experience beeturia as well, so this is not a definitive sign of a problem.
References
- USDA: Nutrient Data Laboratory: Beets, Raw
- "Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry"; Betalains- A New Class of Dietary Cationized Antioxidants; J. Kanner, et al; November 2001
- "Pharmacogenetics"; Beeturia and the Biological Fate of Beetroot Pigments; A.R. Watts, et al.; December 1993
- Office of Dietary Supplements; Folate
- "International Journal of Vitamin and Nutrition Research"; Intake of Vitamin A and Carotenoids From the Italian Population- Results of an Italian Total Diet Study; M. Lucarini, et al.; May 2006
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