Last week it was sprouts, this week – beets. Is this column getting too healthy for its own good? I’ll give you something sweet and a little bit naughty next week, I promise. Life is all about balance … but in order to feel good about the balance, we have got to get the nutritious stuff in!

Recently, we had dinner with a friend who made roasted beets as a side. She picked them up from the farmer’s market and holy moly were they good.

Beets are a root vegetable and contain about eight to ten per cent carbohydrates, so they have a little natural sweetness. But they are actually very low on the glycemic index (with a really great fibre content) so they should not spike your blood sugar.

Even better, they are packed full or other nutrients such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron and vitamin C.

Beets have also become known for their inorganic nitrate content. Not to be confused with nitrites in processed meat (shown to be carcinogenic), inorganic nitrates cause blood vessels to dilate, helping reduce blood pressure and improve heart health.

When it comes to intense exercise, in condensed doses, inorganic nitrates help improve sports performance by boosting the efficiency of mitochondria.

If you think back to biology at school, mitochondria are responsible for cellular energy, so that is a good thing.

Drinking beet juice is a good way to get a condensed dose, but just weaving beets through your diet is also beneficial.

Try roasting some beets next time you roast butternut squash or potatoes. (Throw in some onions too for a great flavour combo.)

And if you are ever in the mood to make hummus – try this version. It is bright pink, delicious and a great alternative to the usual.

We love it with oatcakes for a really good blood sugar balancing, sustaining snack. Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Hummus

Ingredients:

2 medium raw beets, peeled

1½ cups canned garbanzo beans

¼ cup water

1 lemon, juiced

2 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic

½ tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 390°F.

Cut the beets into ½ inch (1cm) slices and lay on a lined baking tray. Roast for 40 – 45 minutes, or until tender. Allow to cool.

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste test and adjust the salt and lemon juice to your liking.

• Catherine Burns is a qualified nutritional therapist. For more details: www.natural.bm, 505-4725, Natural Nutrition Bermuda on Facebook and @naturalbda on Instagram