Beauty & The BEETS

My family has (finally) entered the magical world of juicing!  After discussing it for over a year, last week we purchased a fancy-schmancy Jack LaLanne juicer from Craigslist and we are baffled as to why we didn't do this a year ago.  So far, we have experimented with several juice recipes, selecting the ingredients mostly based on their healing benefits.  I openly admit that I was reluctant to sample the Beet Rejuvenator recipe  that I happened upon in another blog.  I really am not a fan of eating beets!  Only recently have I 'trained' myself to eat pickled beets- but that's as far as I can go.  Knowing the overwhelming health benefits beets possess, I was frustrated with my unwilling palate.  Beet juice saves the day!!  It can't be BEET!  Here's why you might want to give it a go...

We've got the BEET

After sampling (and, more importantly enjoying) the Beet Rejuvenator juice, we were off to peruse other juicing recipes.  We borrowed a few books from our library including The Complete Book of Juicing by Michael T. Murray, N.D. which has been an excellent resource- so great in fact, that I purchased my own copy of this book.

In one part of the book the author details his Better Red Than Dead juice, named after a lecture he heard on carotenes and he notes the links between high catorene levels and life expectancy levels.  The author adds that "carotenes will be deposited in the skin, where they will protect against sunburn" (Murray, p. 187).  While I wouldn't go without sunscreen, this added protection is surely a bonus!

Better RED Than Dead juice recipe  

(from The Complete Book of Juicing)

• 1 beet, including top
• 1/2 medium sized sweet potato, cut into strips
• 3 carrots

Juice the beet first, then the yaw strips, and then the carrots.

You Can't BEET this:

Beets are high in sugar, but loaded with nutrients.  They are a shining nutritional source of beta carotene, folate, potassium and magnesium.  And don't discard the tops of the beets, they are considered the most nutritional part of the plant (another reason to favor beets in juice- I know I don't want to sit down to a heaping plateful of beet tops).  The red color in the beets comes from Betalains- a group of phytonutrients known for their "antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying angents that are richer in beets than other plant foods" (naturalnews.com).  Beets are also know to aid the human body in creation of red blood cells.

The powerful nutrients packed in to this sweet little plant can help you to:  

BEET Cancer- The high folate levels in beets have been linked to lower cancer risks, and beta-carotene may be a nutritional way to prevent lung and prostate cancer.  "There's also evidence to suggest that folate may protect against cervical dysplasia, the development of abnormal cells in the cervix that is sometimes a precursor to cancer" (Food Smart, p. 60).  Also, the Betalains in beets "provide some cancer prevention capacity, especially against colon cancer.  In vitro (test tube or petri dish) lab tests have reported beet betalain supression of human cancer cells" (naturalnews.com). 

BEET Heart Disease- Folate also lowers the level of homocysteine in the blood- homocysteine is a "by-product of protein metabolism (and) can dmage and narrow your arteries, which leads to heart attacks and strokes" (Eat and Heal, p 79).  The anti-inflammatory agents in the betalains also aids in cardiovascular health.

BEET High Blood Pressure- The high level of potassium in beets helps keep your blood pressure low.  It also lowers your chances of having a stroke.
and BEET Osteoporosis- The nutrients potassium, magnesium and beta-carotene all work to keep bones strong and healthy.

Eat and Heal, By the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing.  2001.

Food Smart: Savory Strategies to Defy Disease, By Susan G. Berg and the editors of Prevention Health Books for Women. Rodale, Inc. 1998. 

The Complete Book of Juicing, Michael T. Murray. Prima Publishing, 1992.

http://www.naturalnews.com/035377_beets_cancer_cardiovascular_disease.html

-Stacey