beet it

Although at a glance or a nibble, this red root vegetable may not seem to be the most evocative of foods, evidence of beetroot’s power can be found as far back as the suggestive murals on the ruins of Pompeii. More recently, the British Government has bought into the potency of beets so far that in 2003 it awarded a 126,000-pound grant to a farmer to market beetroot as the new secret to vitality. The root’s potency is in its high boron content, a mineral thought to influence the production of sexual hormones as well as improve the immune system.34 Beetroot also shows evidence of isobutyl methoxy pyrazine, the most powerfully stimulating smell on earth.