A gluten-free diet involves cutting out a lot of processed foods that are fortified with important vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need in order to survive. Eating a diverse diet is not merely recommended, it’s crucial.
Most people include foods like salad and plenty of meat, but other foods are likely to be left out, such as beets. Beets are an important part of every diet, especially for those that are living a gluten-free lifestyle.
Beets Are All Natural
Beets are naturally gluten-free. They don’t have food additives or wheat flour. Just like other fruits and vegetables, beets are a great choice for people with Celiac Disease.
They Offer Plenty Of Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is a natural ingredient that helps oxygenate the blood. It provides muscles with more flexibility, instantly increasing your stamina.
Beetroot And Beets Are Packed With Iron
Beetroot is also naturally gluten-free and packed with iron. Beets themselves also offer plenty of iron. One cup of beets can provide you with 6% of the recommended daily allowance needed, making this a great choice for people with an iron deficiency, something that is common in individuals with Celiac Disease.
Vitamin C
Beets are also a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron quickly, and helps your body store additional iron for future use, making beets the perfect food for anyone that has a low iron level.
Vitamin C also helps the immune system, giving your body the power to fight off infections and viruses.
Low In Calories
This healthy food is packed with nutrients and vitamins, but it’s surprisingly low in calories. One serving of beets only has forty-four calories! The next time you’re hungry, enjoy some roasted beet to enjoy all of the vitamins and nutrients of this delicious food without the drawbacks of unhealthy foods, like unnecessary calories.
Can Help Fight Inflammation
One of the key problems that individuals with both Celiac Disease and gluten-intolerance deal with is inflammation. This can cause a significant amount of disabling pain throughout the entire body and increase the risk of heart disease.
Beets, including beet juice, can help reduce inflammation. This helps people enjoy life as well as decreases the risk of heart disease.
A Good Source Of Fiber
This naturally gluten-free food can provide a little over three grams of fiber per serving. Fiber is known to help keep your bowel movements regular, decreasing the risk of unpleasant symptoms, such as diarrhea. A healthy fiber intake can decrease the risk of disorders like IBS, and more chronic conditions like colon cancer.
Fiber is an essential part of the diet for those that want to maintain a healthy weight. It helps make you feel full while decreasing your appetite, making it difficult to overeat.
Better Brain Health
If there’s one thing that makes it difficult to function when you have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance, it’s the brain fog. Remembering the simplest tasks can seem impossible.
Beets can help combat that when people are accidentally glutened. They can help improve the overall health and functioning of the brain in everyone else too!
One of the ways that beets do this is by increasing blood flow to the brain. The nitrates found in beets help encourage dilation of the blood vessels in the brain, therefore encouraging an increase in blood flow. When this increase in blood flow happens in the prefrontal cortex, it helps improve memory and makes it easier to make decisions.
There is not enough evidence to conclude that beets can decrease the risk of disorders like dementia, but it does look promising.
Provides Folate
People need folate, which converts into folic acid, because it helps the nervous system function properly, and promotes healthy brain development and muscle coordination.
Folate is usually found in fortified cereals and grains, which puts those that are only eating gluten-free foods at risk of developing a deficiency. Two cups of beets provide one-third of the recommended daily intake.
It’s Easy To Include Beets In Your Diet
Beets are so versatile that you can easily find recipes to include beets in your favorite dishes. Diced beets are delicious in a salad. Break out the air fryer and make beet chips! Enjoy roasted beetroot, dips, or include them in soups and stews.
It’s critical to get all of the vitamins and nutrients that you can from food, making nutrient-dense foods like beets an important part of every diet, especially for those that only eat gluten-free foods.