Beetroot juice, or perhaps more commonly known as beet juice, is quickly appearing on more and more health-conscious lists of superfoods. Whether you’re interested in a nutrient-rich pick for all-around insurance or are trying to enhance specific systems within your body, incorporating beet juice into your daily diet may be a wise solution.
Here’s a quick look at a handful of benefits of beet juice as indicated by medical research and studies.
Folate helps repair DNA, produce healthy red blood cells and aid in cell division
Beetroots are a great source of folate, a naturally occurring form of vitamin B9 or folic acid. This vitamin is essential for functioning, but we cannot synthesize folate so we are dependent upon dietary sources in order to care for our body’s daily needs. We use folate to repair and synthesize DNA and to also assist in both cell division and growth. Additionally, we need folate in order to generate well-functioning red blood cells, which helps prevent the onset of associated conditions like anemia.
Folate deficiencies can cause diarrhea, nerve damage, cognitive declines and behavioral disorders among other complications that can even lead to the development of cancer. Beets also have other essential vitamins and minerals like manganese, iron, potassium, vitamin B6 and zinc, which support various vital bodily functions.
Natural nitrates can help improve blood flow and lower blood pressure
Raw beetroots are rich in natural nitrates, which are used to improve blood flow throughout the body, helping open up the blood vessels and enabling more oxygen to pass through. This, in turn, helps lower your blood pressure and enhances the health of your heart, brain and muscles. The cooking process actually destroys the usability of some of the nitrates, which is one reason why beet juice made from raw beetroots is the recommended approach for dietarily accessing these valuable compounds.
Parenthetically, these nitrates are converted to nitrites during digestion, but this process is completely different on your body than consuming the potentially-harmful nitrites used when curing meats. Don’t be concerned that eating a hot dog or drinking a glass of beet juice poses the same health risks.
Beetroots may help boost stamina, providing energy & endurance
In studies, beetroot juice has been reported as having a positive effect on the level of energy participants have. By balancing oxygen use and enhancing blood flow, beetroot juice can help the body’s response to exercise, helping you be able to work out for longer and feel more energized throughout the day.
Obviously, drinking beetroot juice is only one tool when it comes to having stamina and health overall. Maintaining a nutrient-rich and well-balanced diet that is calorie reduced will also help your body to continue to feel strong and vibrant, kicking sluggishness to the curb.
Betalain pigments help support detoxification, purifying your liver and blood
Beets are known as a liver-protecting food because they contain betalain pigments, which assist in the body’s detoxification process. These pigments help enable broken-down toxins to be successfully excreted from your body, keeping your liver and blood supply cleaner.
Because beets thin the bile and make for an easier transfer of such into the small intestine, the stress on the liver is additionally lessened. It’s no wonder why beets have actually been used to help treat liver diseases.
There are some side effects to beet juice, though
Color Changes
The dark carotenes in beets have the ability to give your urine and stools a reddish color. Even drinking just a little portion of beet juice everyday can have this effect so consumers should be aware. The color change shouldn’t pose any harm to you, but it may give a scare to those who aren’t expecting such a side effect.
Increased Kidney Stone Risks
A high dietary intake of oxalate increases the chances of kidney stone formation and beets are rich in oxalate. Although a healthy body may be able to tolerate a glass of beet juice a day without any problem, those who already have kidney stone problems will easily want to avoid a regular consumption of beets in any form.
You can make your own juice or buy a manufactured version
Juicing at home
When looking into the health benefits of beet juice, you may feel at a loss as how to actually go about making the juice a diet staple in your own life. Don’t worry, though: the steps are actually quite easy.
When using your own juicer at home, wash the fresh beetroot and cut off the end and stalk of the plant to isolate the body of the beet. You do not need to peel the beet, but if you are using a blender or other machine that has trouble breaking particles down, you can go ahead and peel the veggie before cutting the beet into chunks that your appliance can handle. Discard the end and stalk that you cut off, but according to your preferences, you can actually add the leafy greens into your beet juice for added nutrients.
Picking up a ready-to-go version
If you’d rather purchase a pre-bottled beet juice, make sure you pick up a certified-organic option that is one-hundred-percent pure beet juice. You don’t need any added sugar or artificial colors or flavors.
As a dietary supplement, the bottle of beet juice may easily recommend taking only one ounce, or two tablespoons, daily. Keep the bottle refrigerated after opening.
Stick to a cup or less
You likely don’t need to drink more than a cup of beet juice a day to realize the health benefits and you may even want to start smaller and gradually increase your daily intake as you become more tolerant to the taste and detoxifying effects.
As desired, you can juice a beet along with other fruits and veggies such as an apple and a few carrots to make a more tasty beverage that still provides the health benefits of beet juice. If you’re worried about portions or are currently taking any blood pressure medication, don’t hesitate to talk to a doctor about what the right course of action is for you.
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