Is Beetroot (Chukandar) Good for Diabetes? Portion and Sugar Facts (Video)

Transcript

Beetroot and Blood Sugar

Ever wonder if beetroot really helps keep sugar in check?

A neighbor's claim

A neighbour swore a glass of raw beet juice each morning would fix her blood sugar in a month. It didn’t, and there’s a simple reason why.

What’s in beetroot

A 100-gram raw beetroot carries about eight to ten grams of carbs, mostly natural sugar, plus roughly seven grams of fibre and a handy dose of dietary nitrates. Those nitrates turn into nitric oxide, which helps relax blood vessels. It’s a real pathway, but it doesn’t act on insulin or directly lower glucose.

Whole vs juice

The way you prepare beetroot matters. Whole boiled or roasted beetroot keeps its fibre, so the sugar is released slowly. Juicing strips almost all that fibre, concentrating the sugar from two or three beets into a single glass. For anyone watching blood sugar, the whole vegetable is the safer choice.

Traditional use

In traditional Unani medicine, chukandar is seen as a moist, warming food that enriches the blood, which is why it’s linked to anaemia. That’s a cultural belief, not a claim about managing diabetes.

Sensible portion

A sensible portion is a small to medium beet, about 80 to 100 grams, boiled or roasted until fork-tender, then cooled, peeled and sliced or grated. Pair it with protein and another fibre source, like grilled chicken and a green salad. If you do use juice, keep it to about 60 to 100 millilitres, not a full glass, and count it toward your carbs.

Detox myth busted

The myth that beet juice detoxes the blood and fixes sugar isn’t supported. No food can pull toxins out of a healthy liver or kidneys, and no vegetable juice can correct blood sugar on its own. What juice does is add concentrated sugar with almost no fibre. Any ‘better feeling’ after a cleanse usually comes from hydration and cutting out processed foods, not the beet itself.

Who should be careful

Beetroot is high in oxalates, so people prone to kidney stones should keep portions modest and check with a doctor. The colour can turn urine or stool pink, which is harmless but can alarm. If you’re on blood-pressure meds, the nitrate effect may add up, so watch for dizziness when standing. Those on insulin or sulfonylureas should count beet juice as a real carb source when dosing.

Cooking and storing

For everyday meals, try raw beetroot grated into a kachumber salad with cucumber, onion and a squeeze of lemon, it stays crisp and low-effort. In chaat, boiled beet cubes join chickpeas and potatoes, but remember the added carbs from potatoes and any sweet chutney. Buying fresh, firm beets and storing them in the fridge will keep them fresh for a week.

Read more online

For the full details, check the post on thecareonline.com, and remember, this isn’t medical advice, just personal guidance.