I'm a nutritionist and here's why RAW beetroot is my ultimate health hero veg...
here's how to eat it READ MORE: The supermarket 'fakeaway' recipes that could HALVE your calories By Rob Hobson For Mailonline Published: 16:57 BST, 18 August 2024 | Updated: 17:07 BST, 18 August 2024 e-mail View comments It is one of those vegetables that most people either love or hate. Beetroot, you may be surprised to learn, has also, at times, divided some scientists who have debated its benefits. That's because beetroot is high in nitrates and nitrites — molecules made from nitrogen and oxygen that are also found in red meat, and blamed for the ill effects of foods like bacon and ham.
It is thought that the compounds in the processed meat react with other molecules in the body to increase the risk of cancer . In my work as a nutritionist, clients often ask me whether this means nitrate-containing veg, like beetroot, pose a risk too. In fact, I tell them, the truth is quite the opposite.
Rob Hobson is an award-winning nutritionist. His book, Unprocess Your Life, is filled with recipes and ideas to help you reduce your intake of processed foods One of the reasons beetroot can give your body a boost is because it's particularly high in folate. Folate, also called vitamin B9, is mainly found in dark leafy greens, beans, peas and beetroot Nirates and nitrites are risky in some forms of meat because, when combined with chemicals in the body, they create molecules called N-nitroso compounds (NOC.