YOU CAN'T BEAT BEETROOT

How this humble, purple vegetable can improve the health of your heart

- MICHAEL MOSLEY

Last year I made a podcast series for BBC Radio 4 called Just One Thing, which was an unexpected hit. The idea is that each week I look at one thing you incorporate into your daily life which might have delightful, unexpected benefits. We ran a feature on this in BBC Science Focus, and the whole of series one and two (all 20 episodes) are available on BBC Sounds.

Well, I've got a new series which has just started and it kicks off with me making the case for consuming more beetroot, one of the few vegetables that lives up to claims of being a 'superfood'. Beetroot gets its colour from betalains, powerful antioxidants that are present throughout the plant, but it is the high levels of nitrates that give beetroot its magic powers.