Beets are a common food in meals. Winter is the season for beets, but many people don’t know how to choose the right beets, such as soft or black inside, or beets that have been kept for too long and are no longer fresh. When buying beets, many people have a preference for choosing large and white beets, but that is not a good choice. Large beets are more likely to be soft and may be imported beets. Therefore, when choosing, you should pay attention to the following:
Look at the leaves
When beets are sold at the market, the top part with the leaves is usually cut off, leaving only a few green stems close to the beet. But if you look closely at the young leaves close to the beet, you will be able to tell if it is a fresh or old beet. Fresh beets have leaves that are still fresh and not crushed.
Avoid large beets
When buying beets, the most important thing to avoid is choosing the largest beet to buy. Typically, larger beets will allow the body to meet its nutritional needs during growth, and the nutrients will quickly dissipate, causing the beet to become hollow.
Therefore, choose beets that are just right. Because if the beets are too small, they will be underdeveloped and not sweet enough.
Look at the skin
When buying beets, we also need to observe the outer appearance of the beets to see if the skin is smooth or not. Fresh beets have a white or slightly creamy skin, smooth and not wrinkled or black spots.
Test for weight
When choosing, lift the beets up, and the heavier and firmer the beet, the less likely it is to be soft. On the other hand, if the size is the same but the beet is lighter, it is usually soft and wilted.
Look at the roots
Freshly harvested beets have fewer roots (1 root) and longer roots. Long and fewer roots indicate a nutritious and delicious plant. If the beets have thick and short roots, it indicates that they are nutrient-deficient, so it is best not to buy them.
Beets on the market today come in two types: domestically grown beets and imported beets from China. They differ in size and color. Generally, domestically grown beets are smaller, often misshapen, while imported beets are larger and have whiter stems.
Precautions when consuming beets
Beets are a good food considered the ginseng of the poor, known as white ginseng. However, the beet skin contains natural toxins, so when eating beets, it is necessary to peel them. Beets can be juiced, but hygiene must be ensured.
If you cut the beets and see many black spots inside and smell an odd odor, it is best to discard them as they may have been soaked in pesticides for a long time, so they appear fresh on the outside but are spoiled on the inside.
Beets have a cooling effect, so people with weak stomachs should not eat too much. Beets should not be combined with carrots at the same time as it will reduce the nutritional value.