Beetroots, commonly known as beets, are a popular root vegetable used in many cuisines around the world. Not only are they easy to add to your diet, but beets, beetroot juice, and beetroot powder are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that can support your heart. 

With diet being the greatest lifestyle-related contributor to heart health, stocking up on heart-healthy foods is important for your overall well-being. There is no better place to start than with beetroot. They are low in calories yet high in valuable vitamins and minerals. 

Beetroot Nutrition Facts

Here is an overview of the nutrients found in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of cooked beetroot:

♦ Calories: 44
♦ Protein: 1.7 grams
♦ Fat: 0.2 grams
♦ Fiber: 2 grams
♦ Vitamin C: 6% of the RDI
♦ Folate: 20% of the RDI
♦ Vitamin B6: 3% of the RDI
♦ Magnesium: 6% of the RDI
♦ Potassium: 9% of the RDI
♦ Phosphorous: 4% of the RDI
♦ Manganese: 16% of the RDI
♦ Iron: 4% of the RDI

How Beetroot Benefits Your Heart

When it comes to beetroots, seeing red is a good thing. The beneficial nutrients and plant compounds in beetroot can support your heart, promote arterial and circulatory health to promote overall well-being. 

Nitrates

Beetroot is packed with nitrates, which are naturally occurring compounds converted into nitric oxide in the blood. Nitric oxide helps widen and relax blood vessels to promote circulation and healthy blood pressure levels. Even in healthy adults, nitric oxide synthesis begins to slow as a part of normal aging, and insufficient nitric oxide levels are associated with poor heart and metabolic health. The high nitrate content in beetroot can help you maintain healthy nitric oxide production for healthy cardiovascular function.

Phytonutrients

The phytonutrients in beetroot, known as betalains, give these root vegetables their deep red coloring. These help support healthy antioxidant levels to protect heart tissue from occasional oxidative stress and healthy total cholesterol levels to promote healthy arterial function and circulation. 

Vitamins and Minerals

Beets are a good source of potassium, a mineral, and electrolyte that helps nerves and muscles function properly to promote normal blood pressure. You also get a healthy dose of magnesium, which helps promote healthy blood pressure while supporting normal heartbeat rhythms, and folate, which is a B vitamin that supports blood vessel health and function. 

Beetroot is also low in calories and has virtually no fat, making it a great option for nutrients and all-day energy. As part of a healthful lifestyle and regular exercise, beetroots can help you promote healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels while also aiding with weight management for optimal heart health.

Adding Beetroot to Your Day

When looking for your beets, look for those heavy for their size with fresh, unwilted green leafy tops still attached. You can juice, roast, steam, or pickle your beets, but because dietary nitrates are water-soluble, it is best to avoid boiling beets to maximize their nitrate content.

Here are some delicious and interesting ways to add more beets to your diet:

♦ Beetroot salad: Grated beets make a flavorful and colorful addition to coleslaw.

♦ Beetroot dip: Beets blended with Greek yogurt make a delicious and healthy dip.

♦ Beetroot juice: Fresh beetroot juice is best, as store-bought juice can be high in added sugars and may only contain a small amount of actual beet juice.

♦ Beetroot leaves: Beet leaves can be cooked and enjoyed like spinach, so don’t throw them out.

Your Daily Dose of Beetroot Made Easy

In addition to adding beets or beetroot juice to your grocery list, a daily, doctor-formulated supplement drink is an easy way to get the nutrients you find in fresh beets and so much more, without the worry of the peeling, cooking, juicing, or beet taste.

CardioFitMD^® contains a highly concentrated beetroot extract to promote nitric oxide production to support arterial wall health and healthy circulation. This all-in-one nutrition drink also provides 20 key vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin B12, and potassium, as well as plenty of fiber. 

These carefully-selected ingredients work together with the beetroot to promote heart health by helping to maintain a healthy weight and healthy blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. You can also support oxygen and nutrient delivery to muscles for healthy energy levels and stamina by encouraging this proper cardiovascular function.

Final Thoughts

A beetroot a day can go a long way when it comes to heart health. Whether you get the nutrients straight from the source or through a superfood supplement drink like CardioFitMD^®, the nutrients in beetroot can help support heart, circulatory, metabolic health, and more. Have you had your beetroot today? 

Dr. Heather Shenkman

Dr. Heather Shenkman is a board certified interventional cardiologist. She completed a six year program at Albany Medical College, graduating at the age of 23. She completed her residency at Henry Ford Hospital, cardiology fellowship at the University of Rochester, and interventional cardiology fellowship at the esteemed Tufts Medical Center in Boston.