Beetroot vegetable boosts your mental abilities; here’s how you can include it in your daily diet (Indian recipes inside)

We all fear cognitive decline as we age and that's the reason any data available on preventing that instantly catches our attention. In a recent report, Dr Michael Mosley who is known globally for his weight loss advice and is also a qualified doctor shared that there is one vegetable that can prevent decline in your brain's ability and it is the humble yet highly nutritious beetroot.

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Apart from the many benefits eating this vegetable has, it is also extremely beneficial for cognitive development. “This particular vegetable has been shown to improve physical and cognitive performance and may even help you run faster,” he shared. To break it down, cognitive function is defined as your mental abilities, which involves thinking and problem solving.

While regular cognitive decline is part of the normal aging process, it should be so mild that it doesn't disrupt one's regular lifestyle. A more serious decline leads to dementia, as per the Mayo Clinic.The doctor said that a combination of beetroot with movement is said to help greatly in preventing cognitive decline.

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The doctor shared that this was found in a very interesting trial that said drinking beetroot juice improved blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, thereby enhancing brain's performance. The vegetable is packed with nitrates which is also a big secret behind its magical properties.

Here are some interesting ways you can include beetroot in your daily diet

Start by preparing the beetroot paste. Take a pan, put 1 tsp oil, whole green chilli, ginger paste and saute well. Add grated beetroot, salt and saute. Allow it to cook for 10 minutes, cool it and blend. Now take whole wheat flour, add jeera, garam masala, aamchur, ajwain and salt. Add beetroot paste, a bit of coriander and 1 tsp oil. Knead your whole wheat flour and make tasty paranthas.

Wash moong dal and soak for an hour, so they get soft enough. Now drain the water. Peel and grate beetroot - do not make it very fine else it will release moisture. Now add it to a bowl with the dal. Add salt, coconut, lemon juice, coriander leaves. It's ready to be served as a side dish.

Take a pan and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add mustard seeds, and once they begin to crackle, add 1 tbsp urad dal. Add chopped green chillis, a few curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Now add 2 cups of finely chopped beetroot. Mix well and add salt as per taste. Add a little water as required, cover it and let it cook on medium flame.

Take 1 cup boiled, peeled beetroot, with half cup of grated carrot, half cup of oats, coriander, chat masala, garam masala, lemon juice, salt and a little oil. Combine it all in a bowl, and knead it into tikkis using the oil. Now lightly grease a tawa or cook it in the oven.