Anti-Inflammatory Beetroot Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 beetroot, big
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• ¾ cup skimmed milk
• To taste salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash the beetroot thoroughly, cut off the stem and tail ends. Put water to boil and add the beetroot once it’s boiling. If you’re using the whole beetroot, boil for 45 minutes up to an hour. If you cut the beetroot into cubes, the boiling time reduces to 15 to 20 minutes. You can also use the pressure cooker for about 4 whistles.
2. Peel the beetroot and, if you haven’t done so already, chop it into big cubes.
3. Combine the beetroot cubes with ¾ cup of water and blend in a mixer to a smooth mixture. Strain and keep aside.
4. Heat the butter in a non-stick pan, add the cornflour and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring continuously.
5. Add the skimmed milk and the beetroot mixture, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes while stirring continuously.
6. Add salt and pepper and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
7. Serve hot and enjoy!

Comments: Based on the available data, beetroot appears to be a powerful dietary source of health-promoting agents. The powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vascular-protective effects offered by beetroot and its constituents have been clearly demonstrated by several in vitro and in vivo human and animal studies; hence its increasing popularity as a nutritional approach to help manage cardiovascular disease and cancer. In the human studies to date, beetroot supplementation has been reported to reduce blood pressure, attenuate inflammation, avert oxidative stress, preserve endothelial function and restore cerebrovascular hemodynamics (Source: NCBI)