Beetroot
beetroot
Beetroot is a root vegetable used fresh, dried, or as a powder or juice in packaged foods. It adds color, a mild sweetness, and some fiber and nutrients to foods.
Not a declarable allergen
This is not on India’s mandatory declaration list. It may still matter to you, and you can add it to your own avoid list.
What it is
Beetroot is the round, dark red root of the beet plant. It can be eaten fresh, boiled, pickled, dried into powder, or pressed into juice. In packaged foods it may appear as beetroot powder, beetroot juice concentrate, or dried beetroot pieces.
Nutrition
Beetroot contributes fiber, folate, and small amounts of potassium and manganese. It also contains natural sugars, which add a mild sweetness, and plant pigments called betalains that give it its deep red color.
How it can affect health
Can affect: Beetroot contains nitrates, which the body can convert into compounds that relax blood vessels. This pathway is well studied, but most of the research uses concentrated beetroot juice in larger amounts than what is typically found in packaged foods, so the same effect is not established for beetroot as an ingredient in everyday packaged products. Eating beetroot can also turn urine or stool a reddish or pink color in some people, which is harmless.
Who should limit it
People who need to watch their oxalate intake, such as those prone to certain kinds of kidney stones, may want to be aware that beetroot contains oxalates.
Where it is found
Beetroot is used in packaged foods as a natural red or pink coloring, in juices and smoothies, in soups and curries, in chips and crackers, and in beetroot powder sold as a supplement ingredient.
Also written as
No other names are recorded for this yet.
Names in other languages
- English
- Beetroot
- हिन्दी
- चुकंदर
- मराठी
- बीट
- বাংলা
- বিট
- தமிழ்
- பீட்ரூட்
- తెలుగు
- బీట్రూట్
- ಕನ್ನಡ
- ಬೀಟ್ರೂಟ್
Products on Laddoo that list it
In alphabetical order.
Matched against each printed ingredient list. A pack not listed here may still contain it under a name we have not matched: check its label.
Questions people ask
- Can beetroot cause side effects?
- Beetroot can turn urine or stool pink or red in some people. This is a harmless and well known effect and goes away once the beetroot is out of the system.
- What does beetroot do in food?
- Beetroot adds natural red or pink color, a mild sweetness, and some fiber and nutrients like folate to packaged foods.
- Does beetroot lower blood pressure?
- Beetroot contains nitrates that the body can turn into compounds that relax blood vessels. This effect is well studied with concentrated beetroot juice in research settings, but it is not established that the small amounts of beetroot used in packaged foods have the same effect.
- Does beetroot help with exercise performance?
- Some sports science studies have found that concentrated beetroot juice or shots can help with exercise performance, but this has not been shown for beetroot as it is normally used in packaged foods.
- Who should limit beetroot?
- People who need to limit oxalates, such as those who form certain kidney stones, may want to be aware that beetroot contains oxalates.
This page is written by AI as general information about the ingredient, not about any pack. It is not medical advice.