Beets are weird vegetables. Most of us know them as round red slabs swimming in their own juice at the salad bar. If you’ve ever seen a beet “in the flesh” – a raw, naked beet with its greens still attached – you know it’s not a pretty sight.

I went searching for raw beets after reading a fascinating column by registered pharmacist Suzy Cohen. As it turns out, this weird vegetable has amazing nutritional value, especially for aging baby boomers. Cohen writes that beets contain “powerful compounds that may reduce blood pressure, promote bile flow, ease digestive disorders, improve heart disease, lower cholesterol and prevent cancer.”

Wow, I thought. One root vegetable can do all that? Here are some of the details:

• Cancer fighter. A compound called betacyanin accounts for the red-purple color of beets. A couple of studies point to the cancer-fighting properties of betacyanin. In one study, beets increased the number of cancer-destroying cells in the colon. In another, animals with colon cancer that were fed beet fiber showed an increase in the activity of glutathione, which has a strong anti-oxidant effect.

• Blood pressure reducer. In a study published in the medical journal Hypertension in 2008, British scientists found that drinking two cups of beet juice a day lowered the blood pressure of human study participants for 24 hours, with no major side effects. (Meanwhile, pharmaceutical blood pressure medications are notorious for unpleasant side effects including body aches, fatigue, insomnia – even erectile dysfunction.)

• Good cholesterol effects. In animal studies, a beet fiber diet was shown to reduce total cholesterol by 30 percent and triglycerides by 40 percent while increasing HDL (“good cholesterol”) almost 30 percent.

• Anti-inflammatory. We’ve heard a lot lately about C-reactive protein (CRP) and other inflammatory chemicals in the body, and their connection to heart attack and stroke risk. Beets contain folic acid and betaine, both of which neutralize these inflammatory chemicals.

Motivated by all this good news, I found fresh organic beets at a nearby farmer’s market and headed home to cook them. But here’s the thing about beets: they’re labor-intensive and messy to prepare. They bleed crimson juice when you slice into them, which stains your cutting board, your hands, and your clothes if you’re not careful.

An easier route to this fabulous root: beet powder. Stir it into a cup of water or juice and you get all the nutritional rewards without the mess. Plus, beet powder is portable. (Can you imagine packing raw beets in your suitcase when you travel?)

Beet juice is another easy alternative. Just think: someone has figured out how to squeeze the juice from beets, and all you have to do is open the bottle.

If you do buy raw beets and cook them, my advice is to use a sharp knife (raw beets are very hard) and cover your cutting board with plastic wrap to protect the wood from juice stain. Also, be sure to save the greens growing out of the top of the beets. Sauté them in olive oil and garlic for a flavorful bonus round of calcium, iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

By Paula Detwiller, All Vitamins Plus Contributor