Beet tops: properties and uses

Practically at any cottage and in every garden beet is grown.This is one of the most useful vegetables, and the matter is not only in the root vegetables themselves, but also in their green part - beet tops. Many of these large, rounded leaves with a red-violet petiole are given to pet food, and few people know that this tops can and should be added to vegetable salads and even cooked first courses.

Beet tops appear on our beds before they grow cabbage and other vegetables. At the same time, it can easily replace all these cultures and significantly enrich the daily diet with healthy vitamin dishes.

The leaf of young tops is characterized by a saturated green color with maroon-purple veins and petioles, it has an appetizing appearance and exceptional taste characteristics.

The structure of tops includes vitamins necessary for the human body, as well as macro and micro elements. The content of such minerals as Ca, Al, Na, Mg, Cu, D is high in this green. Its sheets contain a lot of sulfur, phosphorus and iodine, which is so necessary for all residents of large cities.

By the content of a set of vitamins, tops can even be compared with the most expensive vitamin complexes. In addition to ascorbic and carotene, there are all representatives of type B vitamins, as well as niacin and vitamin U, and the red-violet parts of the tops contain high concentrations of natural antioxidants, anthocyanins.

It is very important that beet greens have a reduced calorie content. 100 g of greens contains only 28 calories, while the share of proteins accounts for 1.2%, fat - 0.1% and carbohydrates - 6%.

Plant is considered an excellent source of plant fiber, as well as organic acids and monosaccharides.

Judging by the presented composition of beet greens, it is quite possible to consider it as a truly nutritious and dietary dish or biologically active food supplement. That is why its use is recommended for the prevention of various diseases of the internal systems of the human body.

• Beet tops are indispensable for people with diseases of the heart and blood vessels, as well as those suffering from endocrine disorders, especially diabetes.
• With daily consumption of beets, metabolic processes are normalized, the state of the gastrointestinal tract is significantly improved, for example, tops are recommended to include in the treatment of gastritis and peptic ulcer in the chronic stage.
• Due to the presence of dietary fiber, beet tops are used to cleanse the intestines, remove toxins, toxins, prevent the accumulation of pathogenic microflora, which often leads to serious interruptions in the work of the digestive system.
• Together with other vegetables in the composition of light salads, beet tops reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and normalize the blood formation process.
• Due to the presence of choline, which is contained in the foliage greens, the protection of liver tissue from pathological degeneration and dangerous fat deposition is formed.
• The antioxidants contained in the sheets have a slight antitumor and good cleansing effect.

• Vitamin K, along with iron, helps to get rid of anemia and anemia, and also helps the heart to cope with increased loads.
• Vitamins K and HH reduce to nil the risks of developing pathological conditions in the walls of blood vessels, and are also considered good prevention of bleeding and bleeding disorders.
• Scientists have proven the effectiveness of beet leaves in such a dangerous disease as diabetes mellitus - they help keep blood sugar levels at a normal level.
• The anthocyanins contained in the petioles are considered an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent, which also has a slight anti-aging effect.
• It has been repeatedly observed that the use of tops significantly improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails, as well as regulates visual acuity.
• Due to the presence of ascorbic acid, the body is saturated with energy, and in addition, its resistance to colds and viral infections increases.
• Category B vitamins are indispensable for maintaining normal functioning of nerve fibers and the brain.

Thus, it is recommended to take beet tops with food in the following pathological conditions of the body:

• blood diseases - the flavonoids present in the botve prevent arteriosclerosis, reduce cholesterol and serve as a preventive measure against fibrous growths of the vessel walls;
• myocarditis - The nutritional components of beets help strengthen the heart muscle, optimize the strength and speed of its contractions;
• low pressure - tops with red streaks have pronounced hypertonic properties due to the ability to relieve vasospasm, which is why it is often used in the treatment of hypotension;
• low hemoglobin - microelements in the composition of the tops urge the formation of hemoglobin and improve the qualitative composition of blood cells;
• gastric disorders - organic acids containing in greens, significantly improve the functioning of the stomach and intestines, and hydrochloric acid in its structure contributes to a better digestion of food and increases appetite;
• pancreatitis and cholecystitis - With such problems, beet tops brings significant relief to the state due to its anti-inflammatory properties;
• diabetes - the use of tops helps to maintain the required level of sugar in the blood, protects the patient from the need for sudden and strong emissions of insulin;
• constipation, sluggish bowel syndrome - Green beet helps to increase peristalsis, thereby accelerating the digestion of food and bringing out the food lump;
• fibroids, fibromyoma, polycystic - these women's diseases are widespread in all the representatives of the weaker sex, especially those who have passed through the 30-year mark, it is believed that the introduction of tops into the diet successfully reduces the risk of such pathologies and has a healing effect, due to which it is included in the complex therapy.

Like any other food product containing a huge number of vitamins and minerals, beet tops have their own contraindications, and with some diagnoses can cause harm to the body.

The leaves contain oxalic acid in a high concentration of 0.7 mg per 100 g of product. When interacting with calcium and phosphorus, it forms salts, which are rather difficult to remove from the body, which often leads to the formation of stones. Therefore, people with chronic and acute pathologies of the urinary system and the gallbladder should limit the consumption of beet leaves - it should be minimal and should be accompanied by an abundant intake of water.

The beet tops are contraindicated for people who take anticoagulants, since its vitamin K and its already increased concentration in the blood increases even more.

After the beets ripen, it is dug together with the tops, after which the leaves are pruned, otherwise they will continue to suck the juices from the root, and it will quickly wither.However, many sellers in the market are aware of the nutritional value of beet leaves, so they sell their root crop with the green part - this is exactly what beets should be purchased.

When buying, you should focus on the foliage - its color and condition: if they are fresh, keep their shape well and play with bright colors, then you can safely buy such tops.

According to traditional medicine, fresh tops, picked directly from the garden, have the most curative effects, as they contain the maximum concentrations of vitamins and nutrients, which means that it can have a general strengthening and healing effect on the person. Doctors recommend to use the leaves throughout the season - from May to October, only in this case the product will strengthen the immune system, normalize the digestive processes in the body and speed up the metabolism.

Unfortunately, with the onset of cold weather, it becomes impossible to get the tops from the garden, therefore, in order not to deprive themselves of such a source of vitamins, many resort to freezing.

To do this, follow a few recommendations.

For freezing, you should use only freshly harvested tops, any storage in the refrigerator before freezing is undesirable, since this will lose a significant part of the nutrients. Collecting the leaves, should be cut off at the very surface of the soil along with the petioles: in this case, the plant will give new greens, and after a while you can replenish your vitamin pantry.

Before freezing, the green leaves and petioles should be washed in cool running water, and each sheet should be rubbed with a finger in order to completely remove the remains of sand, earth and dust. Then the stalks are cut off from the bottom by 2-3 cm - this part should be thrown out, since it accumulates nitrates and other harmful substances contained in the soil and the atmosphere.

In order to freeze the leaves of beetroot, they should be crushed beforehand - cut into thin strips approximately 0.7-10 mm wide. The stalks are chopped into small cubes, after which both components of the preforms are thoroughly mixed in a dish and poured over with boiling water for 5-10 minutes.

After this treatment, the herbs are put into a colander so that excess liquid can drain, and then sent for drying. Please note that you should not use any heat sources to speed up the drying process - the process should be as natural as possible.

The prepared mixture is poured into special plastic containers or bags for freezing products. Leaves do not need to ram, because in this case they will be quite difficult to separate from each other in the future.

Harvested in this way can be consumed until the next spring, it is added to salads, first and second courses, introduced into the composition of snacks and, if necessary, included in the structure of drugs.

Another interesting way to harvest the tops for the winter is to store it with salt. The leaves for this are prepared according to the same scheme as for freezing, and then mixed, poured with table salt and lightly ground. After the salt is completely dissolved, the resulting mixture is tightly placed in sterilized jars. This seasoning is used for salads and soups. Store container with salted tops should be in the refrigerator no more than 6 months.

Popular storage recipes tops also involve fermentation and pickling - these products do not carry any healing benefits, however, they have excellent taste and tinge meat and vegetable dishes in a beneficial way.

It is quite simple to use beet green tops - a small amount of fresh, well chopped or frozen leaves are simply added to light salads, seasoned with side dishes and vegetable soups.

In addition, beet tops can be applied externally for migraines, gynecological inflammatory processes, mastitis and mastopathy, as well as for psoriasis, dry skin and eczema. The therapeutic effect of beet tops when treating wounds and burns is noticed.

With all these ailments, compresses in the form of a slurry of chopped greens help the place of inflammation. Such procedures are carried out 2-3 times a day for half an hour. Course treatment is carried out until the symptoms of the disease disappear.

Beet tops can be used in the form of infusion - this tool is good for gastritis, colitis and constipation. In addition, its therapeutic effect in metabolic disorders and gastrointestinal problems has been proven. Infusion of beet leaves helps to normalize the lymph flow and improves the flow of bile.

In order to prepare the drug, you should pour a tablespoon of dry or fresh grass with a liter of boiling water and hold it in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. or just leave to insist for half an hour. The drug should be filtered immediately after preparation and drink one glass for 20-30 minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner. The plant copes well with conjunctivitis of any etiology - for this, the leaf should be "pummed" and put on closed eyelids for 15-20 minutes.

The use of beet tops is quite wide - you can make soups and main dishes from it. It is put in salads and vegetable snacks. It is one of the main ingredients of the beloved Ossetian pie, and in addition, the tops with nettles and sorrel are often put in green shchi. From ancient times in Russia, beet leaves are taken to prepare a national dish called botvinia, and the cabbage rolls are wrapped with the largest leaves.

Very favorably shade the taste of beet tops finely chopped walnut - so when cooking salads it is best to combine both components.

Many housewives cook beetroot cutlets, they can be a good snack for a summer feast, and are also considered a good option for enriching the diet of children. Greens should be washed and chopped in a blender or in a meat grinder, mixed with egg, add flour for viscosity, form cutlets, breaded and fry in sunflower or olive oil over moderate heat.

This storehouse of vitamins is considered to be a green soup made from tops and chicken. To do this, boil broth from poultry, add potatoes, carrots, onions as they are ready, and shortly before the end, chopped tops, salt and seasonings are introduced, and then boiled for another 10 minutes, turn off the heat and leave to "reach" for 15-20 minutes . After that, steamed greens should be removed with a spoon and serve the soup to the table. The dish goes well with croutons and homemade donuts.

As a side dish to meat dishes you can serve salad. For him, mix beet leaves, parsley, roasted walnuts, garlic and red onions. Prepared greens are filled with oil in combination with non-sharp adjika and salted.

Beet leaves are recommended to stew in Armenian. To do this, they are washed with cool water, finely chopped and placed in a saucepan with the addition of a small amount of water and vegetable oil. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onions and any other vegetables should be added to the greens.

If you have a double boiler, you can make beet leaves for a couple. However, you can do without such a unit - you can get a steam room tops with the help of a colander placed on a saucepan. As soon as the “water bath” begins to boil, it means that the leaves will be ready in 5-10 minutes.

A very original recipe for cooking beet tops is its mashing. To do this, the leaves are mixed with other types of herbs and any vegetables, the composition is ground in a blender, and then rubbed through a sieve. The resulting mixture can be filled with butter and lemon juice and use instead of sauce for meat or fish.

The recipe is very tasty and simple soup with beet tops, see below.