It is better than black radish or fennel.
Fatty or heavy meals clog the liver. And an engorged liver is a sluggish and damaged liver that is no longer capable of carrying out its functions of filtering blood, metabolizing fats or destroying toxins. Fortunately, the liver is an organ that can regenerate itself, provided it is provided with easily digestible and detoxifying foods. One of the vegetables currently available on market stalls is said to be “hepatoprotective”, meaning that it facilitates the renewal of liver cells and “repairs” lesions. By consuming it regularly, the liver is purified and becomes like new again.
This is in particular thanks to its two compounds: betaine which helps the liver to process fats, thus preventing the accumulation of fatty deposits and betalain, a pigment with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition confirms the highly anti-inflammatory effect of this vegetable capable of “reduce oxidative stress and cell damage and thus inhibit the risk of inflammatory diseases“. In addition, its richness in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins make it a superfood with a complete nutritional profile.
If its red color is attractive, its earthy taste is not unanimous. However, this vegetable which is none other than beetroot is a mine of nutrients essential for good liver health and remains much better – it must be admitted – than black radish, nicknamed “the liver plant”.
Found all year round, the best season to taste it and take full advantage of its benefits is autumn. It can be eaten 2 to 3 times a week, for example raw or cooked in salad, but also in a juice with carrots, grapefruit, orange or lemon (overall, all foods rich in vitamin C improve liver health) and why not a little ginger, an excellent bile secreter. Best drunk on an empty stomach in the morning to benefit from its depurative benefits.
