Beetroot ok?

[Kristen NZ]

Hi - I’m just beginning my pre-surgery diet and wondering if anyone knows if raw beetroot is ok? Can’t find it on any Optifast page. Is it classed as carrot like or potato like?

[sraebaer]

I've never heard of beetroot. I love fresh beets!

[Kristen NZ]

Ah yes - same thing! Beetroot is the NZ/English name for US beets

[WANAGL]

According to several pre-surgery sites (John Hopkins, Oxford Radcliffe, etc) beets and beetroot are ok. It’s listed under vegetables, so I would say more carrot like.

I hope this helps ;-)

[Sandra3]

Hi Kirsten,

I lived in both NZ and the US so familiar with the name .

You want to look at most veggies as "low carb" during the pre-op diet. I did study nutrition so I will try to make it simple.

For many years people only spoke about glycemic index (GI) and when low carb was the trend, all high GI veggies became forbidden food.

The truth is it's not that simple, because the ratio is more important. Yes beetroot has a high GI (about 68) but the quantity you would need to eat to make your blood sugar spike would be enormous. So it's important to focus on quantity. Since you are not going to eat 1 kg of it, you are fine with one serving. Of course potatoes are off limit.

[Kristen NZ]

Hi thanks for all the advice - wasn’t planning on a kilo of it - no just some grated with my other veg - can do that now.