Round, flat or long, red or streaked with white or yellow, beets vary from one region to another. The beet is categorized with other root vegetables, including the carrot and turnip. The root can be round, flat or long, with its color ranging from red, red streaked with white, to yellow, etc.
Beets do not have the kind of history that inspires books or poetry. About the most interesting thing you can say about beets, which have apparently been cultivated since prehistoric times, is that early Romans only ate the tops, leaving the roots for medicinal purposes. However, once the Romans got around to cooking the bulbs (probably sometime after the birth of Christ), they found that they liked them very much indeed.
One of the strongest vegetable juices you can use to improve your health and fight disease. Beets have an abundance of vitamins and minerals: Chlorophyll, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B-6, B-1, B-2, B-3 Niacin, Calcium, Potassium, Choline, Iron, Organic sodium, Phosphorus and Magnesium.
Beet juice should always be mixed with other vegetables and/or apple juice in small amounts. Pure beet juice (from the bulb or greens) encourages the body to cleanse and detoxify (which is good for the body in moderation). This can be uncomfortable and cause temporary flu like symptoms, make you break out in hives, increase your heart rate, cause chills or a fever (see cleansing and detoxing)
An article in the February 27, 1996, issue of Cancer Letters reported on an animal study that shows that beetroot has a significant tumor-inhibiting effect. The abstract for the study says, "The combined findings suggest that beetroot ingestion can be one of the useful means to prevent cancer."
