Beetroot is purple red! A holy product for nourishing blood and lowering blood pressure, stewed chicken soup improves your complexion~

Beetroot, which looks like a carrot, plays an important role in a raw food diet because of its strong antioxidant capacity. Therefore, it is indispensable for a cup of energy soup every morning and is considered the "king of blood tonic". Beetroot is even known as the "European Ganoderma lucidum" and is regarded as a tonic. What are some other unexpected benefits of beetroot? Let’s hear what the nutritionist says.

As long as they are red fruits and vegetables, they are usually rich in lycopene and anthocyanins, which have the effect of strengthening cardiovascular system and preventing urinary tract infections. The leaves and roots of beetroot are extremely rich in anthocyanins, and are high in iron and vitamin B12. They are a very natural blood-enriching food for women and vegetarians. In fact, not only beetroot is rich in iron. Other vegetables high in iron include: amaranth, spinach, seaweed, etc. If you want to supplement iron, you might as well take a balanced and diverse intake.

Beetroot contains betalains, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits

The bright red color of beetroot actually comes from the betalains in it, which is also the most talked-about nutrient. Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that according to experimental findings, betalain, a plant pigment, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and tumor cell growth inhibition effects. In addition, beetroot also contains nitrates and dietary fiber, which are also helpful for lowering blood pressure and promoting gastrointestinal motility. It also contains vitamins A, C, B1, B2, iodine, magnesium, folic acid, etc. It can be said to be a good food with diverse nutrients.

Is it good to eat beetroot raw? Or is it better to cook it?

As for, how can we wisely eat beetroot to get the full nutrition? Suitable for eating raw? Or cook it? Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that in fact, it can be eaten raw or cooked, but there are special circumstances. For cancer patients, raw food is not recommended from a nutritional point of view, because patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy are often physically weak and have poor resistance. If the fruit peels and vegetable leaves are not washed thoroughly, and are mashed into a paste and eaten with the skins and seeds, there is a risk of infection. Moreover, when eating vegetables without heating, special attention should be paid to cleanliness and hygiene, and special care should be taken in choosing ingredients.

Beetroot has a sweet, crisp and juicy texture. It is refreshing and delicious when made into a cold dish or salad. However, it has a bit of a raw smell, so it is better to mix it with pineapple, apple, banana, celery, etc. to make vegetable juice, or stew it with other vegetables, which will be more palatable. You can also add it to flour to make steamed buns or noodles, and the food will be dyed with beautiful colors!

Tips for choosing beetroot:

It is recommended that when purchasing beetroots, you should avoid roots that are damaged, softened or have wrinkled skin, as these are signs of water loss due to long-term storage. The best quality ones are those with a round shape without bumps. When washing, pluck out the sideburns and do not peel the skin. If you want to store it for a longer time, you can cut it into pieces and pack it into the freezer. When you need to eat it, take it out, thaw it, or cook it.

Beetroot, which is full of sweet flavor, is also suitable for stewing chicken soup. The warm red layers can satisfy the visual feast and also provide full nutritional essence. In addition, it is recommended to lightly mix the beetroot with sea salt first, and then add ginger to stew or stir-fry together. This can remove the unique earthy smell of the beetroot and enhance the delicious taste.

Beetroot Chicken Soup:

Ingredients:

1 beetroot, 1 sweet corn, 1/2 onion, 3 alpine basswood mushrooms, 1/4 carrot, 500g chicken legs, a little ginger and sea salt, 1500cc water.

practice:

1. Wash, peel and cut beetroot into pieces, sprinkle with a little sea salt and lightly pinch to remove the earthy taste.

2. Rinse the dried mushrooms briefly, soak them in warm water, cut them into 1/4 pieces and set aside.

3. Wash and cut the sweet corn into pieces, cut 1/2 onion into half, wash and peel the ginger and slice it.

4. Mold the carrots into cherry blossom shapes. Do not waste the remaining ones, cut them into small pieces and use them in other dishes.

5. Blanch the chicken legs and rinse them with cold water to prevent the meat from being too tough. The chicken skin can be peeled off to prevent the chicken soup from being too greasy. This is the secret to making the chicken soup sweet and refreshing.

6. Add the prepared ingredients to the pot with cold water, cover the pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, add sea salt to taste, turn off the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.