Beets have long been known to be a superfood, packed with antioxidants that aid in controlling damage to blood vessels and cell damage reducing the risk of heart disease and strokes.
Beetroot is a good source of nitrates, vitamins, and minerals, including iron, potassium, manganese and vitamin A and C. These nutrients can bring a range of health advantages for your companion parrot such as supporting a strong immune system, aiding in digestion, helping with inflammation, promoting a healthy heart as well as blood pressure, and helping with cognition.
Beets are rich in vitamin B9 which helps cells grow and function. They are also one of the few vegetables that contain betalains which helps to reduce inflammation in the body. Betalain also supports the body's natural detox process, prevents DNA damage, and reduces “bad” cholesterol.
There are a few things to be aware of when feeding beets to your parrot. Due to the deep red color of the beetroot, your parrots’ fecal matter may appear red in color. Please know this is normal and it will return to its normal color when the beet passes thought the body, while leaving all the valuable vitamins and minerals behind.
As parrot owners we also know that our birds are messy eaters. This is because in the wild, they are busy repopulating the forest floors when they eat. That does not change in our homes so take a little more precaution around things that can stain when feeding your birds beets.
The benefits of beetroot certainly outweigh any color that may be left behind. My flock enjoys and devours their chop when I incorporate Harmony House Organic Dried Red Beet Dices into it.