Beetroot Halwa - A Simple Dessert

Beetroot halwa is a mouthwatering sweet dish served in India on happy occasions and festivals. Children like this dessert because of its vibrant color. Old people relish this sweet dish because of its smooth and creamy texture.

• Wash beetroot, remove the skin and grate it. Add milk. Cook it up to two whistles in a pressure cooker. Keep aside. This process helps to lessen the cooking time. If you don't want to do this, you can cook it straight away.
• Heat ghee in a pan. Saute cashew nuts, cardamom, and raisins for 15-20 seconds on low flame or until they become crisp. Remove them and collect them on a plate. Let the remaining ghee be in the pan.
• Add semi-cooked beetroot-milk mixture to the pan. Increase the flame to medium-high. Cook it for 5-6 minutes while occasionally stirring.
• Add sugar and milk cream. Mix well. Continue cooking until the water evaporates completely.
• Add cardamom powder, vanilla essence, roasted cashew nuts, almonds, and raisins (keeping a few for garnishing). By this time, the beetroot becomes a little gummy. Remove on a serving bowl.
• Garnish it with roasted dry nuts and raisins. Enjoy eating this dessert anywhere and any time!!

Nutritionists nowadays consider beetroot as a superfood. It is rich in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber and essential minerals like potassium which helps in muscle and nerve functioning.

Beetroot has manganese which is good for bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It has B vitamin folates that help to reduce the risk of birth defects.

Beetroot juice improves athletic performance and lowers blood pressure, increases blood flow. Research at Wake Forest University has found that drinking beetroot juice can improve oxygenation to the brain, slowing the progression of dementia in older adults.

During old age, blood circulation for certain areas of the brain decreases, resulting in a decline in cognition and dementia. Drinking beetroot juice regularly can have a positive effect on such people. Beetroot has nitrate content that can improve blood flow and oxygenation to those areas of the brain.

Due to high fiber content, beetroot helps in digestion, prevents constipation. Beetroot is one of the vegetables that helps in maintaining body weight. A certain antioxidant in beetroot, Alpha-lipoic acid is known to lower the blood glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity in patients with diabetes.

Choline is an important nutrient found in beetroot that helps with sleep, muscle movement and carrying nerve impulses to the brain. It is known to reduce chronic inflammation. Beetroot juice improves muscle power in heart patients.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

Beetroot juice contains nitrate. If it is stored improperly, the nitrate may react with bacteria, converting nitrate to nitrite. A high dose of nitrite consumption is harmful to health.

Eating beetroot may produce red stool or red urine.

It is always better to consume varieties of food than sticking to a few varieties. By doing this, you will get various nutrients. This is the key to keep good health.