Beetroot Leaf salad and health benefits

in #teamsouthafrica6 years ago

So today for some reason I just wasn't feeling that great to eat a heavy meal.... I have a personal garden at the back of my house so I decided that salad would be a great option........

I got hold of some beetroot leaves thinking that its such a waste to just cut them off and only use the beetroot itself.

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(picture taken by Chillipip - from my personal garden)

I then decided to use them as 'lettuce' and added to that an apple, cucumber, celery, white cheddar cheese 🧀, and freshly picked 'lazy housewife' green beans......... That was just my choice for this particular salad..... I reckon you can add whatever you fancy really 😍🥗

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Still a little apprehensive I decided to make a semi healthy salad dressing of plain yoghurt and homemade sweet chilli sauce.

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Well if I do say so myself..... I really enjoyed it very much.

Health Benefits of Beet Greens. Besides supplying good amounts of protein, phosphorus, and zinc, beet greens are also a great source of fiber. Packed with antioxidants, they're high in vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese, and low in fat and cholesterol.

As if that weren’t enough, studies have also shown that the vitamin K in beet greens contains blood clotting properties, helps ward off osteoporosis, works with calcium to boost bone strength, and may also play a role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Beet greens have a higher iron content than spinach, and a higher nutritional value than the beetroot itself.

The vitamin A content in beet greens helps strengthen the immune system and stimulates production of antibodies and white blood cells. The beta-carotene in vitamin A is a known antioxidant that can fight the effects of free radicals in the body along with cancer and heart disease. Doctors often recommend vitamin A to patients at risk of developing night blindness.

The greens can also be made exactly the same as spinach!

Summary

Beets and their greens offer not only two great dishes for the table, but two sets of nutritional attributes as well. In the greens, vitamins A and K, especially, offer a plethora of benefits for the whole body, from your brain to your blood to your eyes. In the kitchen, beet greens can be enjoyed sautéed or as a salad.

Another way to get nutrients from beet greens is through juicing.

I hope that this might inspire someone to try this out not only because it is really delicious but also because it has such tremendous health benefits!

Happy eating everyone 🥗🍽️🍴

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And was very yummy!

It really was! 😍😍😍

Is it bitter like raw spinach or sweet like the actual beetroot?

It's not bitter at all... In fact I'm tempted to say it's got a taste of similar to Swiss Chard or lettuce even....... You've got to taste it to experience it... My suggestion though is to cut the leaves off the stem as the stem is a bit harder to chew...... Two days later I even used it in my chicken curry.....

when I was on warfarin I had to avoid vitamin K at all costs, because of its clotting properties.

I can well imagine........