Eat Your Beets, Sweetie! Find out what they can do for you.

We all know it’s important to eat our veggies, but sometimes vegetables just don’t seem to be all that alluring. That is, until you dig a little deeper and find out what they can really do for you! Let’s take a look at some “lowly” root vegetables (veggies that grow underground) for example. When I was younger, I was teased with the nickname “Rutabaga Ruby,” not because I loved rutabagas, but quite the opposite, I hated them! Whenever they were served for dinner, the teasing by my siblings would commence and I would want to run away from the table to avoid those rutabagas! But since then, I’ve learned the value of these wonderful vegetables and many other root vegetables, and found a few that I really love.

While I still don’t care much for rutabagas, one of my favorite root vegetables is beets. Beets have a number of beneficial properties including phytonutrients (plant derived nutrients beneficial to human health), which provide antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and detoxification support. Beets along with beet greens have been shown to help prevent or reverse several conditions such as acid reflux, cancer, atherosclerosis, anemia, high blood pressure and constipation. With all of these amazing properties we should all be running to grab some beets right now! But wait—there’s more… Unbeknownst to most folks, beets can pump up your love life! Living up to their passionate purple color, beets have been known to be aphrodisiacs since ancient times. Nestled in the ground, it seems these root vegetables draw intensity and power from the earth which is ably transferred to increase your vitality when consumed. Some of the beet’s potency comes from minerals, such as boron, that increase the production of sex hormones. The end result is that these artery clearing vegetables can really get your blood flowing!

To give yourself a vitality boost, eat more root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, daikon, radishes, and parsnips. A simple way to work beets into your diet is to add them to a salad. Just peel and shred a beet and mix it into your favorite salad greens. It will add distinct sweetness, texture and color to your plate. Marinating thinly sliced or shredded beets in fresh squeezed lemon or orange juice will soften them and also add a lovely tangy flavor. Eating beets and other veggies raw allows you to get the maximum benefit and nutrients; the longer beets are cooked the more the nutrient loss. If you plan on steaming or roasting beets, use the minimum amount of time necessary and keep steaming under 15 minutes. Juicing beets is another excellent way to realize the vitality and other benefits of beets. For a root vegetable delight try this delectable juicing recipe: 1 small beet, 2 carrots, 1 small apple and 2 celery stalks.

Consuming more fruits and veggies, especially root vegetables, is a natural way to increase your energy and vigor. Reducing or eliminating meat and dairy products will also help get energy levels up. Keeping the passion going in your love life can be as easy as eating your beets! And suddenly, those once boring veggies start picking up steam and begin to look a little more alluring. So, to keep things steamy with your sweetie, be sure to eat your beets!