Beetroot and feta dip with fresh mint

Beetroot hit the news during the Olympics last summer when it was reported that gold medal –winning Paralympic athlete David Weir boosted his stamina by drinking beetroot juice.

This can be explained by the fact that beetroot is rich in nitrates and these are converted to nitric acid by the body. Nitric acid has a beneficial, widening effect on the blood vessels and this therefore reduces the amount of oxygen needed by the muscles with the result that exercise is less tiring. You do need to consume quite a lot of juice to get the effect though!

Beetroot is also rich in all sorts of nutrients – including potassium, iron, folate (one of the B vitamins) and fibre. It’s also rich in betocyanins – the pigments that give beetroot its colour – and these act as protective antioxidants in the body.

Three baby beetroot would count as one of your five a day.

Beetroot is a really versatile ingredient, used by Mark here to make a lovely dip, but it can be grated raw into salads, roasted and eaten as a vegetable, made into delicious soups, and is a wonderful ingredient to give moisture and sweetness to cakes. All a far cry from the jars of rather unappetizing pickled slices of beetroot that were the World War II staple!

DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST