Red beets are root vegetables, but you can also eat their tops, or greens. Beet tops are filled with essential nutrients, and they make good side dishes or ingredients in recipes such as casseroles and pasta sauces. If you are on a low-oxalate diet because you suffer from kidney stones, consult your doctor before eating beet tops because they are high in oxalates, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Calories and Macronutrients
A cup of boiled beet greens contains 39 calories and 4 g protein, and they are nearly fat-free. A cup of cooked red beets has 17 g of total carbohydrates, including 14 g sugars, while beet greens have 8 g total carbohydrates and less than 1 g of sugar. Beet tops have 4.2 g dietary fiber per cup, or 15 percent of the recommended amount for healthy adults on a 2,000-calorie diet, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Fiber aids digestion and may help lower your cholesterol levels.
Sodium
Each cup of boiled beet tops contains 347 mg sodium. Sodium is an electrolyte that is necessary for regulating water balance in your body, but too much sodium in your diet can eventually lead to high blood pressure, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Healthy adults should get no more than 2,300 mg sodium per day, and individuals with high blood pressure should not have more than 1,500 mg per day. Beet tops have 687 mg sodium per cup if you add salt when you boil them.
Other Minerals
Potassium helps regulate your blood pressure, and healthy adults should get at least 4,700 mg potassium per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Beet tops are rich in potassium, with 1,309 mg per cup. A cup of beet tops has 164 mg calcium, or 16 percent of the daily value, and 2.7 mg iron, or 15 percent of the daily value. You need calcium for building and maintaining strong bones, and iron is necessary for healthy red blood cells.
Vitamins
Vitamin K aids in the process of blood clotting which occurs after you cut yourself, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Leafy green vegetables are the best sources, and a cup of boiled beet tops has 697 mcg vitamin K, compared to a cup of cooked broccoli with 220 mcg. Beet tops have 11,022 international units of vitamin A, or 220 percent of the daily value, and 36 mg vitamin C, or 60 percent of the daily value.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Vegetables and Vegetable Products
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Low Oxalate Diet
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Vitamin K; Victoria Drake; May 2008
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