Betalains are the vivid red-violet and yellow pigments that give beetroot its dramatic colour, staining a chopping board and famously tinting the plate. This unusual family of nitrogen-containing pigments is found in only a handful of plants, beetroot being by far the most familiar, and replaces the anthocyanins that colour most other red foods. Beyond their use as a natural food dye, betalains are valued for their potent antioxidant activity, which survives surprisingly well through gentle cooking but leaches readily into water.
What is Betalains?
Betalains is a plant pigment that plays a critical role in colouring beetroot and in scavenging the reactive molecules that drive oxidative stress and inflammation. While many general diets overlook it, maintaining optimal levels of Betalains is frequently tracked by people working to optimize their Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory.
Top Foods High in Betalains
A data-driven breakdown of the foods with the highest concentration of Betalains per 100 g.
| Food | Betalains |
|---|---|
| Beetroot | 120 mg |
How Betalains Impacts Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory
Research links diets rich in Betalains to changes in Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory. Optimizing intake of these foods can support healthy Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory levels via donating electrons to neutralise free radicals and by nudging the body's own antioxidant enzymes and inflammatory signalling toward a calmer, more balanced state.
Scientific references & clinical evidence
This guide is built on peer-reviewed research — verify the primary sources below.
Written by the Nutrition Encyclopedia team · medically reviewed by Dr. Sunaina Tariq, MBBS
Last updated 22 June 2026
How we source & verify data · Medical disclaimer
Nutrition values are approximations compiled from public food-composition databases (USDA FoodData Central) and are provided for educational purposes only — not medical advice.
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