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By Suzette Strauss, Resident I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, my mom would add canned shoestring beets as a side dish, and I loved them. In fact, it wasn't until around 2009 that I had my rst freshly cooked beet. Wow! We had just moved to Placentia, CA and our home had a large area in the backyard that was perfect for a garden. I grew many vegetables, but my favorite quickly became my beets. I even discovered that the beet greens were delicious when cooked right. Simple Recipe: Protein pasta coated in light extra virgin olive oil and Italian seasonings presented with chopped beets around the edge of the pasta, and Feta cheese sprinkled just inside the ring of beets. Garnish as you desire, possibly with fresh basil. Yum! Recently, I learned a very benecial attribute of this beautiful treat: the beet. My friend began experiencing increased blood- pressure readings over the past year. She asked me to come with her to her check-up and hear what her doctor had to say. She didn't want to begin any medications if she could avoid it. I agreed with her doctor that the readings were too high and aerward had a serious talk with my friend. We both had previously worked in the medical eld, so, we looked at this from all angles. She decided to try food rst. e winner, she discovered, was the beet! Come to nd out they are known to lower blood pressure. Other benets include enhanced athletic performance, increased endurance, and better digestion. Beets are also rich in antioxidants like betalains, which ght inammation and protect cells. On top of that, they are packed with essential nutrients such as folate, manganese, potassium, various B vitamins, and iron. And they taste great! My daughter loves pickled beets. You may be curious about the results, so here they are. My friend chose to add organic powdered beets to her morning meal replacement shake and aer three months, her reading was 120/81 (down 30+ points on the systolic pressure). I told my husband this because his readings were climbing over the past six to eight months, so he began the same routine and aer three weeks lowered his systolic from 135 to 130. e serving size was one level half teaspoon per day. I am not giving any medical advice, rather, only nutritional benecial evidence. Please eat responsibly, your health depends on it. You Can't Beat the Beet! 10 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | DECEMBER 2025 You Can't BEAT the BEET!