Lose Weight on the Beet Diet

Beets are an incredible food with amazing nutritional properties that should never be left out of our diets. This vegetable gives us lots of energy and helps us with weight loss!

Reviewed and approved by psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Written by Valeria Sabater

Last update: 27 May, 2022

The beet diet is one of the most effective, healthy, and natural weight-loss diets out there. There are several methods of losing weight; nature is full of fruits and vegetables that help us keep our figure. But perhaps none possess quite so many health benefits as the scarlet red beet, with its fresh, earthy taste.

Beets are very low in calories and contain lots of fiber. They leave you feeling more satiated.  Because of this, it can limit your consumption of other foods that could lead to weight gain. Would you like to know more about their nutritional value and what type of diet to follow? Here, we will explain it all to you.

Nutritional value

Beets are an incredible food with amazing nutritional properties that should never be left out from our diet. This vegetable gives us lots of energy, and is highly recommended for treating anemia, blood diseases and recovery time, and is great for children and pregnant women. They have lots of iron, are rich in carotenes, folic acid, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6. Just so you can get a better understanding, here’s an example of the nutritional value in one cup of sliced, cooked beets:

• 31 Calories
• 1.5 grams of protein
• 8.5 grams of carbohydrates
• 1.5 grams of dietary fiber
• 259 mg of potassium
• 32 mg phosphorus
• 53.2 mcg of folic acid
• 58.5 international units of vitamin A

How to choose and preserve beets

• Beets can be found fresh in supermarkets and are frequently sold in bunches. Actually, it’s best to choose ones that are firm, round, spotless, and of an intensely red color. Choose bunches that have really green leaves (this means they are fresher). Also try looking for ones with identical roots, so that when cooked, they cook evenly.
• Avoid long beets that are scaly on the upper portion of the root. These will be hard, fibrous, and will have a really strong taste.
• Keep beets fresh in the fridge, inside a plastic bag. They’ll stay fresh for 2 or 3 weeks. Similarly, how beets can be stored in the refrigerator, beet leaves can be separated from the root and preserved in a plastic bag as well. When preserved this way, they will last for up to 3 to 5 days. However, never freeze raw beets because it makes them soft.

How to prepare beets

• This vegetable can be eaten raw, boiled, or preserved. Although they can be eaten by themselves, they’re mainly eaten in salads. To include them in your beet diet, try them with garlic or onions, or even dressed with a bit of salt, vinegar, and oil.
• If you want to eat beets raw, you can peel them and dress them with a bit of lemon and oil.
• Cooked beets are more easily digested. To cook them, place the beets in salted, boiling water, without peeling them. If you peel them, they will lose their color and flavor. Next, boil the beets for at least an hour so that the skins will be easy to remove.
• To grill beets, simply place them in the oven, leaving them cooking until they are tender. When grilled, beets retain almost all of their nutritional value.
• The leaves can be eaten too, just like you eat spinach.

How to incorporate beets in your diet

Keep in mind that it is not recommended to follow this diet for more than 10 days straight. Along with following the beet diet, you should drink at least 2 liters of water a day.

Beet juice for weight loss

This juice will provide you with nutrients that are necessary for your body, and will satiate your appetite, thanks to its fiber content. Surprisingly, the fiber reduces the craving to eat. Drink this juice before meals and see how you begin to lose some weight!

Ingredients: 6 beets, 10 carrots, 10 oranges

Directions: Blend all ingredients in the blender. Store in a covered jar in the fridge.

Beet diet menu

Breakfast

• One cup of tea or coffee with fat-free milk
•  1 piece of whole-wheat bread with low-fat cheese or a light yogurt with 1 Tbsp. of bran meal
• 1 apple. (Don’t worry, the beets come into your diet later in the day).

Lunch

• Beet smoothie: one large glass
• Salad: peppers, tomato, spinach, lettuce, and a few pieces of nuts. You can dress this with oil.
• Cooked rice with baked, skinless chicken: or with baked fish
• 1 orange

Dinner

• Beet smoothie: one large glass of baked beets (try them with walnuts and goat cheese)
• Vegetable soup and baked eggplant
• 1 apple, 1 slice of watermelon, or any other melon