Two veggies to add to your grocery cart
Two often forgotten veggies that are nutritious, delicious and easy to prepare are beets and brussel sprouts. They can easily be added to your weekly grocery list, quickly washed, chopped and tossed into a roasting pan. Once they’re cooked you can just keep them in the fridge and add them to your lunchtime salad or quinoa bowl.
The Benefits of Beets
Beets are beautiful! What a rich and vibrant colour to add to your weekly dietary palette (and palate!). We often view beets as good for boosting blood, and it is not actually because they are rich in iron (they do have some iron, but only 4% of the RDA). They help with blood perfusion by vasodilating blood vessels (thanks to their nitrate content) and allowing blood to get the all areas of the body. The reason iron is so important in the red blood cell is that it transports oxygen, so for an iron-deficient person, combining iron with beets helps to boost iron carried in the blood, and the carrying of blood to the areas in need. Beets are also very rich in folate which is a nutrient very important for red blood cell production as well.
The nitrates also increase mitochondrial activity and therefore help to give cells more energy. This is particularly important in the premenstrual and menstrual phase of a woman’s cycle to combat fatigue. So consider at a minimum a monthly beet salad around your period. And treat yourself to freshly pressed beet juice as well.
The Benefits of Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts are incredibly rich in vitamin C and vitamin K (1 cup of cooked brussel sprouts gives over 100% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C, and over 200% of vitamin k). Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, supports our collagen and boosts immune function. Vitamin K is important in blood clotting, as well as getting calcium from the blood stream into the bone and therefore important in the prevention of osteoporosis. Even though there are many supplements combining vitamin D and K for bone health (vitamin D helps calcium absorption from the gut into the blood, and vitamin K takes it from the blood into the bone), I prefer to take my vitamin D supplement but get my vitamin K through my food.
Eat the rainbow! It helps. The rich reds of beets and bright greens and scrumptious browns of crispy umami brussel sprouts are so easily added to other meals. I bet you’ve forgotten that you like them!
Dr. Sarah Goulding | Naturopathic Doctor
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