The Amazing Benefits of Beetroot Powder

Beetroot powder might not already be on your shopping list, and you may have never thought about adding it. Beets – that vibrant red root vegetable that stains your fingertips – are packed with nutrients and taste amazing. They’re known for brightening up a plate or salad, but let’s talk about some beetroot powder benefits. Same great vegetable, in a completely different form!

Beets are an often-overlooked superfood

While you might not think of the humble beet as a health powerhouse, you’d be surprised. More than just a salad topping, beets are loaded with vitamins and minerals and have some pretty great benefits.

B Vitamins

Beetroot powder is loaded with folate and niacin, which you may know as vitamins B9 and B3, respectively. B vitamins are water soluble, which means the body can’t store them. When you consume B vitamins, your body takes what it needs in that moment, and flushes out the rest. Because of this, it’s important to be getting a consistent supply of these vitamins daily.

A single 100 gram serving of beets contains 20% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of folate. Folate is an essential vitamin that your body needs to create new red and white blood cells, and is very important during periods of rapid growth, especially pregnancy. Beets are also high in niacin, which your body needs to turn food into energy. It’s essential for proper digestion, as over 400 digestive enzymes count on it in order to function well.

Minerals

Beets are a good-to-great source of many dietary minerals, including manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, and iron. The most notable of these is manganese, with a 100 gram serving of beets providing 14% of the RDA alone. Manganese helps the body metabolize fat and carbs, form connective tissue and bones, and even plays a role in hormone production.

Other Nutrients

Beets also contain vitamin C, which is important for wound healing and skin health, and are high in fibre - while being low in fat and calories, making them helpful for both digestive health and weight maintenance. Beets are also high in naturally occurring nitrates and antioxidants.

Need Even More Reasons to Add More Beets to Your Diet?

Knowing what’s in your food is of course useful - but do you know what it does? As with all superfoods, beets are so much more than just a sum of vitamins. Here’s some of the health benefits researchers are finding with regular consumption of beets:

Beets Keep Your Heart Healthy

Thanks to the heart-healthy natural nitrates (not to be confused with added nitrates, such as those found in processed meats), beets have been shown to support heart function in multiple ways. One study indicated that the consumption of beetroot juice was a valid nutritional strategy to keep blood pressure levels within a healthy range. Another study indicated the beetroot juice improved exercise endurance in people with heart failure and high blood pressure.

Beets are Great for Digestive Health

Beets are considered a good source of dietary fibre, which is super important for good digestive health. Fibre is able to pass through your stomach without being broken down, so it can feed gut-friendly bacteria in your intestines and colon. A diet high in fibre doesn’t just help keep you regular (although it does that too!), but it also lowers your risk for digestive diseases, such as GERD, diverticulitis, and even colon cancer. It’s also been suggested that a high-fibre diet can help lower your risk for type II diabetes.

…And They’re Good for your Brain, Too!

On top of all that, beets are good for your brain health as well. Due to the effect of natural nitrates dilating blood vessels, blood flow to the brain is improved as well as the heart. One study was performed on the synergistic effects of beetroot juice and exercise on older patients. The study found that the group who combined beetroot juice and exercise had brain networks that “more closely resembled those of younger adults”, indicating that the combination of therapies enhanced brain neuroplasticity.

Bonus: Weight Maintenance and Athletic Performance

Because they’re low in calories and fat but high in water and  nutrients, beets are considered a nutrient-dense food. This makes them ideal for weight management, whether you’re looking to lose weight or just add more vitamins and minerals to your diet without adding bulk. The fibre in beets helps you feel fuller for longer, limiting the food cravings and energy crashes that can come with dieting. Additionally, beets have been shown to improve athletic endurance in heart failure patients (see above!). But the benefits aren’t just for those with heart problems; one study suggests beets improve cardiorespiratory endurance even in athletes.

So Why Use Beetroot Powder?

Although we love beets in all forms, powdered beetroot has a special place in our hearts for a couple of reasons:

Excellent Shelf Life

Although beets are a hardy root vegetable, they still don’t last forever. Most of the health benefits of beets have been indicated when people consume them on a consistent basis - often every day. Beetroot powder is shelf-stable, so you don’t have to worry about it going bad as fast as the vegetable or its juice would. Keeping beetroot powder on hand means you can ensure you’ll have access to it when you need it – no more forgetting to pick up beets at the grocery store!

Convenience

Beets are great, but preparing them can sometimes be a pain. The juice in beets stains easily (one reason why beets were used to make clothing dye!) and doesn’t wash out well. Beetroot powder helps you get a daily dose of beets without all of the prep and storage.

Versatility

Probably the best reason to grab some beetroot powder is that it makes beets so much more accessible. With powder, you can consume beets in so many different forms. Add some to a morning smoothie, to your salad dressings, seasonings, and even baked goods for a boost of nutrients! Definitely our favourite way to use it though, is to add it into our DIY gummies. Just mix the powder into the large melted gummy and pour! Beetroot powder is available in our shop, along with our gummy kits and other add-ins, and it’s a great way to add beets into your daily diet without the learning curve.