Red beet health benefits: juice, leaves and cautions

Updated on 21 September 2026Published on 22 March 2019

Red beet is the sweet, earthy root that stains your chopping board purple — and the leafy tops that most people throw away. This page covers what is actually in it, what herbalism and country kitchens have long credited it with, and exactly how to prepare root, leaves and juice tonight, plus who should go carefully.

Red beet, a short story

Native to the Mediterranean basin and Central Asia.
Eaten as a vegetable since Greek and Roman times, mostly for its leaves at first.
The root only became common in Western Europe in the XIX^th century.
In Switzerland and Savoy it is still called “red carrot”.
The word “beet” is an old European word for leaves; “beetroot” records the later taste for the swollen root.

Origin of red beet — *A Mediterranean and Central Asian vegetable, eaten since antiquity*

Red beet at a glance
Item	Detail
Botanical name	Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Family	Amaranthaceae
Parts used	Fleshy root, leaves and leaf stalks
Forms of use	Raw and grated, boiled or roasted, juice, leaves cooked like spinach, lacto-fermented, sweet puddings and cakes
Harvest season	Roots from late spring through to late summer, depending on sowing date; leaves picked young all season
Taste	Sweet, earthy, faintly mineral; leaves closer to chard or spinach, with a mild bitterness

What it is credited with

Digestive comfort: naturopathy credits the fibre in cooked beet with supporting regular, comfortable transit and general intestinal well-being.
Everyday tiredness: in traditional home use, beet juice and grated raw beet have long had a reputation as a restorative for people feeling run down, thanks to their iron, folate and vitamin C.
Liver and “spring cleaning”: European folk herbalism has used beet juice among its bitter-sweet depurative drinks, taken in short courses at the turn of the seasons.
Stamina and effort: sports naturopathy is fond of beet juice for endurance training sessions, on account of its natural nitrate content.
Heavy heads: in older household remedies, beet juice was taken for the kind of dull headache that follows a rich meal or a poor night.
Antioxidant intake: beet is valued in naturopathic eating plans as a source of betalain pigments and antioxidants, especially in the cold months when fresh vegetables are scarce.
Pregnancy nutrition: beet is traditionally recommended to expectant mothers for its folate content — a point to confirm with your own midwife or doctor.
The leaves: country cooking treats the tops as a vitamin A vegetable in their own right, wasted if composted.

Benefits of red beet, whether sliced as in the image or cooked. — *Sliced raw or cooked, beet keeps its fibre and pigments*

How to use it

Raw, grated

Peel one small raw beet, grate it coarsely, dress with lemon juice, oil and a pinch of salt.
Serve about a small bowlful per person as a starter; let it sit 15 minutes so the lemon softens the texture.
Lemon or vinegar also keeps the colour bright and cuts the earthiness.

Cooked

Boil unpeeled, roots and tail intact, 40 to 60 minutes depending on size; the skin then slips off under cold water.
Roast whole in foil at a moderate oven for about an hour — sweeter, less watery.
Eat warm with butter and a little cumin, or cold in salads with goat cheese and walnuts.

Juice

Juice one medium raw beet with an apple and a piece of carrot; beet alone is very sweet and very earthy.
A small glass is the usual serving. In naturopathy it is taken in the morning, in courses of one to three weeks rather than endlessly.
Drink it fresh, within the hour, and sip slowly rather than downing it.

Leaves

Pick the young inner leaves; the outer ones get tough and stringy.
Wilt them in a pan with olive oil and garlic, 3 to 5 minutes, exactly as you would spinach.
Thick stalks can be cooked separately, a few minutes longer, like chard ribs.

Sweet

Cooked beet purée goes into chocolate cake and muffins, replacing part of the fat and sugar.
Its own sugar means dessert use needs less added sweetening than you would expect.

Forms of use compared
Form	How to prepare it	What it is used for
Raw, grated	One small root, grated, dressed with lemon and oil, rested 15 minutes	Traditionally taken as a restorative starter; keeps vitamin C
Cooked root	Boiled unpeeled 40–60 min, or roasted whole about an hour	The everyday form; credited in naturopathy with supporting comfortable digestion
Fresh juice	One medium root juiced with apple or carrot, small glass, drunk fresh	Popular in sports naturopathy and in short seasonal courses
Leaves	Young leaves wilted 3–5 min with oil and garlic	A vitamin A vegetable, used exactly like spinach
Lacto-fermented	Sliced raw in brine, several days at room temperature	Kept through winter; valued in naturopathy for fermented foods

Benefits of beetroot — *Root, juice or leaves — three quite different kitchen uses*

Growing your own

Beet is among the easiest vegetables to grow: sturdy, resilient, unbothered by cool weather.
It tolerates most soils but thrives in loose, light, stone-free ground.
Sow in shallow furrows 12 inches (30 cm) apart: early to mid-spring for medium-length varieties, mid-spring to early summer for round and flat types.
Harvest is staged from late spring to late summer, depending on when you sowed.
Thin the seedlings — the thinnings are the best baby leaves you will get all year.

Growing red beet for its benefits — *Light, loose soil and staged sowings give tender roots*

Cautions

If in doubt, ask your consulting physician before making beet or beet juice a daily habit.
Beet is high in oxalates. If you have a history of kidney stones or kidney trouble, keep portions modest and take advice first.
Red or pink urine and stools after eating beet (beeturia) are harmless and pass within a day — but do not dismiss bleeding you cannot clearly link to a beet meal.
Beet juice is concentrated. Treat it as a food taken in short courses, not as an unlimited drink, and dilute it for anyone with a sensitive stomach.
Its natural nitrate content means anyone taking blood pressure medication, nitrate-based heart medicines, or medication for the kidneys should check with a doctor or pharmacist before drinking juice regularly.
Beet is sweet: if you are monitoring blood sugar, discuss juice in particular with your healthcare professional.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: beet as a vegetable is ordinary food, but concentrated juices, courses and supplements should be cleared with your midwife or doctor.
Children: cooked beet suits them as a vegetable; avoid giving young children beet juice in quantity.
Allergy to beet is rare but exists. Stop at the first sign of itching, swelling or digestive upset.
Never harvest or eat beet from soil you do not know — root vegetables concentrate what is in the ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: boil or roast a small beet whole, then eat it grated or sliced with lemon and oil, and cook the young leaves like spinach rather than binning them.

Is it better to eat beet raw or cooked?

Both work, and they taste quite different. Raw and grated keeps the vitamin C and gives a crisp, peppery-sweet salad; cooked is milder, sweeter and easier on the digestion. Naturopathy tends to suggest alternating the two rather than sticking to one.

How much beet juice is sensible?

A small glass, drunk fresh in the morning, is the usual serving in naturopathic practice. It is normally taken in courses of one to three weeks rather than every day indefinitely. Blend it with apple or carrot — straight beet juice is very sweet and very earthy.

Can you really eat the leaves?

Yes, and they are the most nutritious part for vitamin A. Pick the young inner leaves, wilt them three to five minutes with olive oil and garlic, and treat thick stalks like chard ribs. Cut the tops off the root as soon as you get home so they do not drain it.

Why has my urine turned pink?

That is beeturia, caused by the betanin pigment passing through. It is harmless and clears within a day or so. If colour appears when you have not eaten beet, that is a different matter and worth a doctor’s opinion.

When do I harvest my own beet?

Sow in shallow furrows 30 cm apart from early to mid-spring for medium-length varieties, and mid-spring to early summer for round or flat types. Harvest is then staged from late spring right through to late summer. Lift them small — big roots go woody.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.

Images: 123RF: handmadepictures, Olivka, Serezniy; Pixabay: Tracy Lundgren; /rawpixel: an anonymous photographer