foodsources
Get with the Beet
Nutrient rich earthy beets get star treatment in locally made Dr . Beetroot collection of snacks and condiments .
By Laurie Hughes
The best culinary products emerge from creative minds offering solutions to problems . Enter Anandakumar Palanichamy , the brain behind Dr . Beetroot . Palanichamy ’ s goal is to create modern day products that people are more prone to eat .
For most consumers , the crimson vegetable ’ s low status on grocery store shelves makes it difficult to incorporate into their regular diet . Further , the ingredient ’ s association with old school recipes and preserves like pickles falling out of fashion factor into a hard sell . Fueled by passion , Palanichamy is shifting the paradigm by making it easy and appealing for people to eat more beets .
Beets weren ’ t exactly part of Anan ’ s diet growing up in India . He was introduced to the root veggie by his mother . Remembering some wisdom from her own father ( a naturopath ) about beets ’ healing properties , she made Anan a beet dish to help speed his heatstroke recovery one hot day .
Anan did feel better the next day , and when beets helped his wife with anemia too , it sparked a deep dive studying the nutritional benefits of this plentiful super root . He discovered beets ’ anti-inflammatory properties were the likely root of his healing , and its high iron content as well as a host of other nutritional benefits , helped his wife .
Spurred by these personal experiences combined with his education in agricultural engineering , Anan is determined to give beets the star treatment with his aptly named , Dr . Beetroot collection of food products . Beet dip , spread , sauce , ketchup , and juice launched Dr . Beetroot in 2013 . In the past nine years , their popularity has made way for a total of fourteen Manitoba made products that are now sold in local stores and online .
Consumers are ever increasingly concerned about where their food comes from , motivated to buy locally made products created with healthier , more natural
10 ciao ! / oct / nov / two thousand twenty-two