BAD, GOOD, BEST

How to get the most out of food choices. This week: Beetroot

BAD: Pickled. Pickling this earthy veg does no favours nutritionally: in particular, it lowers the high content of folic acid, a B vitamin that’s important during pregnancy, and which helps fight tiredness and fatigue. It also destroys vitamin C, and beets aren’t a rich source to begin with.

GOOD: Cooked in their skins. Boiling or steaming without peeling stops the red pigments, which have anti-inflammatory properties, leaching out. Just two boiled beetroot contain around 40 per cent of your daily needs of folic acid and a sixth of your potassium, which helps control blood pressure.

BEST: Beetroot and feta salad. Earthy steamed beets and acidic salty feta work well in a salad and make a great team nutritionally, too. The feta provides vitamin B12 which works along alongside the folic acid to produce S-Adenosyl methionine, a compound involved in immune function and mood.