A top diabetes dietitian wants you to know the 5 Reasons Beets are Good for Diabetes & 2 Things you Should Know!
Beets are a sweet and colorful vegetable to add some pizzazz to your plate. However, you may not know if they are OK to eat. Don’t let the sweetness of beets fool you into thinking that you will end up with alarmingly high blood glucose levels. Here are 5 reasons that you can enjoy beets, even with diabetes, and 2 more things you should know about them.
1. Beets are low in carbohydrates
Let’s compare the amount of carbohydrate in beets with other vegetables and other foods with carbohydrates.
| Food (Vegetables are raw. Portion is 80g ~ 3 ounces) | Carbohydrate in grams |
| Beets | 8 |
| Broccoli | 5 |
| Cabbage | 5 |
| Carrots | 8 |
| Cauliflower | 4 |
| Apple (3.5 oz) | 14 |
| 1 cup cooked oatmeal | 32 |
Source: US Department of Agriculture
Beets are comparable in carbohydrate to broccoli and cabbage and lower than one small apple and a cup of oatmeal. Three ounces of beets have eight grams of carbohydrates. If you use carb choices to manage your blood glucose, it would not even amount to 1 carb choice! Ignore the naysayers when they tell you that beets are loaded with sugar. Beets are a winner in my book!
2. Beets can improve exercise performance
Getting in a workout, or even just a walk, helps you both physically and mentally. Exercise can help manage your blood glucose level, improve flexibility, and strength. Physical activity can elevate your mood and help you feel better. Include all forms of exercise to improve your fitness levels: aerobic, strength, and flexibility.
Studies have shown that drinking beetroot juice increases blood nitric oxide. Nitric oxide may increase the oxygen and nutrients delivered to the muscles therefore, beet juice improves muscle performance in high-intensity workouts (1).
3. Beets can help you manage your blood pressure
Persons with diabetes are at risk of developing heart disease. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease (poor blood circulation to the legs) and microvascular complications such as eye, kidney, and nerve diseases. High blood pressure is defined as > 140/90mmHg.
Studies have shown that adding beets to your diet can help you manage your blood pressure. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, and it helps to relax the muscles in your blood vessels, reducing blood pressure (2).
You may be asking if canned beets are good for you. The answer is ABSOLUTELY! If you choose canned beets, select low-sodium or discard the liquid and rinse the beets before preparing them. Rinsing canned vegetables removes about 60% of the added salt. Which, if you’re watching your blood pressure, you’re probably watching your salt, too.
4. Beets can help you increase your vegetable intake
Adding beets to your diet can help you add more variety to your diet. Did you know you can use both the leaves and the beetroots? No need to waste any part of this vegetable powerhouse.
Sautee the green leaves the same way you would spinach with garlic and olive oil. Enjoy beetroots raw, pickled, roasted, or baked.
5. Beets are high in antioxidants
Beets are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants have a role in diseases where chronic inflammation plays a role, such as arthritis, liver disease and cancer. (3) In another study, 44 persons with type 2 diabetes who ate 3 ounces of raw red beetroot for 8 weeks showed better fasting blood glucose and other improvements in metabolism and cognitive function (4).
Bonus: Two other things you should know about beets:
- There are many good reasons that beets are good for diabetes but there is one thing you should know: beeturia. Beeturia is when your urine or stools appear pink or red after you eat beets. It may cause concern, but it is not harmful and it will clear up after a bit..
- Because they are red, I’ll often get asked if beets are high in iron? Unfortunately, they aren’t. Three ounces of beets have less than 1 mg of iron (5). The Recommended Dietary Allowance for men and postmenopausal women is 8 mg/day and 18 mg/day for premenopausal women. In order for beets to be a high source of iron it must provide 20% or more of the daily value (DV). Foods providing 10% of the daily value are considered to be good sources of iron.
Including beets and other vegetables in your diet not only help your health, they make your plate more appetizing to look at and more flavorful. Despite its many significant benefits, foods usually complement one another. No one food is magical. Check out the article about corn.
Do you Need Help with Your Meal Plan?
One common complaint I hear is about not knowing which foods spike blood glucose the most. Food becomes the source of anxiety. If you want to learn about how food fits and how to make adjustments to keep your blood glucose in range, check out my program On the Plate! Eating to Keep your Blood Glucose in Check
Do you take Metformin? Do you know when is the best time to metformin? Read more here.
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