One of the key changes in your eating habits is to include a balanced diet, especially when you are pregnant. You embrace these lifestyle changes consciously. The food you eat gives nourishment and strength to you and your growing baby, thereby ensuring a healthy journey throughout the gestation. At the same time, you may come across some foods for which clarification is needed before adding them to your diet. One such is eating beetroot during pregnancy.
Beetroot, if eaten in moderation, is packed with betalin, iron, and other essential nutrients to protect you and the fetus. Whether eaten raw or cooked, it helps to absorb iron healthily. Read to learn further about the benefits and safety of eating beetroot during pregnancy.
In This Article
- What Are Beetroots?
- Can You Eat Beetroot During Pregnancy?
- Nutritional Profile Of Beetroots
- 10 Benefits Of Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy
- Precautions When Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy
- How Can You Incorporate Beetroot In Your Diet During Pregnancy?
- FAQs
What Are Beetroots?
Beetroots are a sweet root-vegetable with several medicinal characteristics (1). These purplish red bulbs are loaded with antioxidants (2) as well as lots of vitamins and minerals (3), which make them a superfood in every sense of the word (4). They are packed with sugar and are found to rank second as far as the source of sugar is concerned, with sugar cane ranking first in the category. However, they can cause an increase in your oxalate levels (5), and hence it is advised to check with your doctor before including them in your diet.
Can You Eat Beetroot During Pregnancy?
Beetroot provides essential nutrients and dietary fiber, which fulfill your daily nutritional needs. Beetroot possesses detoxifying, blood-purifying, and revitalizing properties, which is another beneficial healthy addition to your diet during pregnancy. It can be safely consumed in moderate amounts of beetroot during pregnancy. This healthy ingredient is, however, utilized in various recipes and is seamlessly incorporated into your smoothies, desserts, and curries. You can consult your healthcare provider or nutritionist to ascertain the optimum amount of beetroot, depending on your health condition
Nutritional Profile Of Beetroots
The vegetable Beetroot belongs to the Chenopodiaceae family, has a bright crimson color, and is consumed as a food additive. Recently, many studies confirmed the health benefits provided by this veggie. The presence of betalin is effective in eliminating oxidative stress thereby reducing the incidence of various chronic diseases. (6) Being rich in phytonutrients (7), beetroot is considered as one of the functional foods in the development of several meals.
The table shows the nutritional profile of beetroot in different forms (8)
| Nutrients | Raw | Cooked | Fresh Juice |
| Water | 87.58 | 87.06 | – |
| Energy | 43 | 44 | 31 |
| Protein | 1.61 | 1.68 | 1.02 |
| Total Fats | 0.17 | 0.18 | – |
| Carbohydrate | 9.56 | 9.96 | 6.6 |
| Calcium | 16 | 16 | – |
| Iron | 0.8 | 0.79 | – |
| Sodium | 78 | 77 | 93 |
| Potassium | 325 | 305 | – |
| Vitamin C | 4.9 | 4.1 | – |
| Folate | 255 | 238 | 255 |
10 Benefits Of Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy
Beetroot is a lovely veggie, easily available and affordable, and, of course, good for health, especially during this journey. Its benefits are many and it is well incorporated in almost all dishes. Following are the benefits if you include beetroot
1. Excellent Boost For Immunity
Your immunity levels need to be quite high during pregnancy for your systems to steer clear of unwanted risks of any infections and ailments (9). Beetroot, which has innumerable antioxidant properties, provides you with a much-needed boost as far as your immunity levels are concerned.
2. Averts Osteoporosis
Expectant moms are more osteoporosis-borne compared to normal women (10). Beetroot is packed with phosphorus, magnesium (11), and calcium. Consuming adequate beetroots during conception helps to ensure that osteoporosis is averted during pregnancy and also guards against de-calcification of one’s bones and teeth.
3. Controls Metabolism
Adequate quantities of potassium are also present in beetroots. Consuming beetroot juice or including it in your salad provides the much-required balance of electrolytes and helps to ensure proper metabolism rates during pregnancy. Beetroots also ensure a balanced rate of blood pressure levels in expectant mothers,
4. Lowers The Chance Of Any Birth Anomalies
Packed with folic acid, which is vital for the growth of tissues as well as the proper development of the baby’s spinal cord during conception, beetroots, when consumed during pregnancy, help greatly to avert any kind of anomalies during birth and pregnancy (12)
5. It Averts Swelling And Pain In The Joints
Beetroot also has commendable traces of betaine, which is a wonderful and proven anti-inflammatory element. Thus, including beet-root in your daily diet will help to avert swelling and pain in your joints (13)
6. Natural Purifier
Beetroot is a superfood that can even cleanse your blood system. purification of blood helps to prevent diseases and viral infections. Not only does it work as a purifier, but beetroot also provides an excellent boost for your stamina, which is completely required during delivery. They also help to keep blood pressure levels within required limits (14)
7. Rich In Iron
Loaded with excellent traces of iron, beet-, if consumed regularly, will help to give a boost to your hemoglobin levels in the blood. This helps to avert anemia, which is quite a common problem in many women during conception
8. Supports Proper Development Of The Fetus
Packed with vitamins E and A, including beet-roots, your daily diet will ensure that your fetus is developing wonderfully well at a good pace
9. Good For Digestion
Beetroot has been proven to be ideal for proper digestion and helps to avert any digestive issues that have a chance of rearing their head during pregnancy. They are also good for preventing constipation and ensuring regular and normal bowel movements (15)
10. Helps To Regulate Sugar Levels
Glycemic contents in beet-root are quite low and this makes the process of sugar conversion very slow. This property makes eating beet-root during pregnancy, helpful to regulate sugar levels in your blood (16)
However, some adverse effects of beets, if consumed in excess, have been found. Read on to learn what they are.
Precautions When Eating Beetroots During Pregnancy
Following are some of the precautions to know about when eating beetroot during pregnancy:
- Consuming too much of beet-root juice may paralyze one’s vocal cords momentarily.
- Beetroots have traces of nitrate present in them and this may trigger fatigue during pregnancy if consumed in excess.
- Another substance, betaine is also found in beetroots, which can trigger vomiting, nausea, gastric issues, and even diarrhea during the pregnancy period.
- Beetroot also contains high quantities of oxalate, which is known to cause kidney stones.
- Overindulging in beetroots can cause a condition known as Beeturia (17) which is a case where your stools and urine turn reddish in color.
How Can You Incorporate Beetroot In Your Diet During Pregnancy?
Incorporating beetroot in different ways in your diet to get the benefits is a good initiative and if your health expert gives a green signal or says yes, then enjoy this veggie in different ways:
1. Eat Raw
Are you fond of salads or coleslaws? Want to make your sandwiches or dip interesting? Then don’t delay adding beetroot to get a vibrant color and make your dish lovely and scrumptious. As we know beetroot tastes best when eaten raw, try adding in your favorite smoothie, lassi, or raita with a refreshing twist.
2. Cook Beetroot To Add Taste
This veggie when cooked with olive oil and mild spices, turns to a soothing, versatile accompaniment to rotis. You can even steam or grill this similarly and serve it alone or mix it with other stuff to prepare vegetable curries. Make delicious parathas, chillas, or even pancakes from this veggie to give a vibrant touch with goodness of health.
3. Detoxifying Juice
It is a popular nutritional detoxifier to relieve your morning sickness during pregnancy. Make fresh beetroot juice using a juicer by using alone or with other fruits and vegetables, just like ABC juice
4. Versatile Soup
This soup combines the goodness of beetroot with other vegetables like carrots, tomatoes lauki, or even hidden vegetables which you hate to eat for nutrition, flavor, and color. The best part is that it can be enjoyed in any weather.
5. Preserve Beetroot Like Pickles!!
They go best on salads or sandwiches and even enjoy them all alone. You can pickle them up at home, or buy them from the supermarket. Just be careful about salt and sugar levels written on labels.
6. Give Color To Your Dips
Beetroot blended with dips gives a great boost in terms of nutrition, color, and flavor. One such recipe is beetroot hummus. The goodness of garlic blended with olive oil and beetroot results in a superb tasty and nutritious dip. Just be cautious when adding tahina paste.
7. A healthy Tasty Munchie!
Craving for munchies? Beetroot chips are one healthy alternative to munchies. All you need to do is thinly slice veggie, then toss them with olive oil and your favorite seasonings, and finally either bake or air fry them to enjoy without guilt.
8. Desserts Are Delightful When Beetroot Is There
Can you imagine beetroot in ice cream and your favorite brownies (18)? Yes, read again. It is the perfect way to sneak in and enjoy the natural sweetness. Beetroot Halwa, quite famous as an Indian dessert is a delightful treat to your taste buds.
It is best to buy beetroot that has an intact taproot and bright leaves. Opt for small, firm rounds that have a dark ruby blush.
All the above-mentioned facts suggest you need to include beet-roots in your pregnancy diet in perfect proportions at ideal intervals which ensure you benefit from this lovely veggie rather than experience any kind of adverse effects due to overindulgence. Your doctor will be able to advise you about how much is beneficial for you.
FAQ’s
1. Will Eating Beetroot During Pregnancy Make the Baby Fair?
Many believe it does. It is rich in beta-carotene. However, skin color is influenced by genes and not food.
2. Is Beetroot Essential For Fetal Development?
Yes, it is. It is a rich source of folic acid and other essential minerals. These can help in the healthy development of the fetus by preventing neural tube defects- Spina Bifida and Anencephaly.
3. Will Beetroot Cause Dark Stools?
Yes, they can. Beetroots are rich in betalin, oxalic acid, and iron. This can change the color of your stools.
4. Can I Eat Beetroot In My First Trimester?
Yes, you can eat in moderation. Beets are rich in folic acid and betalin. Being low in sugar, it helps to relieve morning sickness and strengthens the immune system without any harm. This is also essential for the baby’s development.
5. Can We Eat Beetroot And Carrot During Pregnancy?
Beetroot, together with carrot, is safe to consume during pregnancy. Studies confirm that consuming them together in the form of juice or salad significantly reduces high blood pressure during gestation. Carotenoids present in these vegetables reduce asymptomatic Urinary tract infections in this period and improve vision.
6. What Is The Best Time To Eat Beetroot During Pregnancy?
Beetroots are loaded with phytonutrients and are highly suggested for consumption either at breakfast or lunchtime. The best way to incorporate it during breakfast is in the form of juice along with apple and carrot (ABC juice) and during lunch in the form of salads (E.g.- Beetroot and Orange Salad) or in the cooked form like soup to make your meal more delicious and colorful.
References:
- Red Beetroot Betalains: Perspectives on Extraction, Processing, and Potential Health Benefits – [https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.0c04241]
- Extraction of Phenolic Compounds with Antioxidant Activity from Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) – [https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cnf/2018/00000014/00000004/art00013]
- Nutritional Evaluation of Beetroots (Beta vulgaris L.) and Its Potential Application in a Functional Beverage – [https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/12/1752]
- Beetroot as a functional food with huge health benefits: Antioxidant, antitumor, physical function, and chronic metabolomics activity – [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.2577]
- The oxalate content of fruit and vegetable juices, nectars, and drinks – [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889157515002264]
- Beetroot as a functional food with huge health benefits: Antioxidant, antitumor, physical function, and chronic metabolomics activity- [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8565237/]
- A Brief Overview of the Effects of Exercise and Red Beets on the Immune System in Patients with Prostate Cancer – [https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6492]
- Functional properties of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) in the management of cardio-metabolic diseases – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6947971/]
- REVIEW ARTICLE: The Immune System in Pregnancy: A Unique Complexity – [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0897.2010.00836.x]
- Presentation and management of osteoporosis presenting in association with pregnancy or lactation – [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-015-3149-3]
- Minerals in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Review Article – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5713811/]
- Dietary interventions for fetal growth restriction – the therapeutic potential of dietary nitrate supplementation in pregnancy – [https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1113/JP273331]
- Betaine Attenuates Osteoarthritis by Inhibiting Osteoclastogenesis and Angiogenesis in Subchondral Bone – [https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.723988/full]
- Acute Effects of Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice on Blood Pressure, Hemostasis and Vascular Inflammation Markers in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707742/]
- Whole beetroot consumption reduces systolic blood pressure and modulates the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota in older participants – [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352364620300158]
- Functional properties of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) in the management of cardio-metabolic diseases – [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12986-019-0421-0]
- BEETURIA. – [https://openurl.ebsco.com/]
- Quality of Steam Brownies as a Functional Food For Pregnant Anemia In Pregnant Women In Stunting Prevention – [https://www.pnrjournal.com/index.php/home/article/view/1916]
