The Benefits of Beet Juice Don't
“Beet” Raw Beets

Although the benefits of beet juice are many, the health benefits of beets in their whole form are numerous and surprising.

Nutritional Value of Beets

Raw beets are wonderful vegetables! Someone once said that beets are so bashful, they keep their heads in the ground. The health benefits of beets, especially when eaten raw, are so many, so sweet and so crunchy! No matter how you decide to enjoy your beets, whether by juicing your beets or by their delicious crunch in a grated beet salad, the nutritional value of beets, well... can't be “beet!” To enjoy all of the many health benefits of beet juice and whole beets, you'll only want to use the deep, dark, purple red beets. My personal favorite beet variety are the Detroit dark red beets. The white, yellow and striped beets do not provide as much nutrition.

Here are some nutritional values of beets. Beet roots are rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, folic acid B12 and C. Some of their many mineral properties are folic acid, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and many antioxidants. The pigment betacyanin, which is responsible for the beet's deep, red-magenta color is also a powerful antioxidant.

Health Benefits of Beets

Beets are a very nutritious vegetable. Usually, only the beet roots are used. The green, leafy tops are super for salads and contain more iron than spinach.

Some of the specific benefits of beet juice and the health benefits of raw beets, are these:

Anemia - Beets are rich in iron, which is easily assimilated by the body. They build up the hemoglobin and cleanse the blood.

Antioxidant - The deep, red pigment betacyanin is a powerful antioxidant and protects against several types of cancer.

Blood Pressure - Beet juice reduces high blood pressure.

Cancer - Dr. Alexander Ferenczi successfully treated cancer patients with either raw beet roots or juiced.

Cholesterol- One of the health benefits of beets is that eating them can help lower your LDL cholesterol.

Colon Health- Beets are full of fiber, which helps to move wastes through the intestines and helps to prevent constipation. Also, the antioxidants found in beets protect against colon cancer.

Constipation- The high fiber content of beets makes them excellent to relieve constipation.

Eye Health- Traditionally, beet root juice has been use to improved eye health and fatigue.

Heart Disease - The abundance of vitamins and minerals in beets helps to protect against heart disease.

Inflammation Reduction- The compound called betaine found in red beets is can reduce inflammation in joints, bones and blood vessels. This reconstruction in inflammation helps those suffering from asthma and osteoporosis.

Liver- Beets are helpful in detoxifying the liver.

Menstrual Problems- Beetroot juice has been shows to help correct menstrual problems in women.

Pregnant Women- Beets are high in folic acid which helps to prevent birth defects in your unborn baby. Folic acid is important whenever your body is actively making new cells when healing after physical trauma or when children are growing.

Stamina Increase - Drinking beet juice can increase your workout time by causing a reduction in the uptake of your oxygen, thus increasing you stamina. The natural and unprocessed abundance of carbohydrates found in beets are an excellent source of energy for your body.

Sex Problems- The ancient Romans consider beet juice to be an aphrodisiac. Maybe they were right. Beet juice is rich in the mineral boron, which is consider to be vital for the production of sex hormones. Try it, you may like it!

Juicing Beets

One of the reasons that I got interested in juicing beets was reading about the benefits of the mini beet protocol. This protocol, which also uses fresh, raw asparagus, reportedly removes belly fat, wrinkles, infertility and generally restores youth.

Whether or not you follow the mini beet protocol, realize that before juicing beets you will only need a small beet or only a part of a larger beet per serving of juice. Use apples, carrots, lemons, cucumber etc., for the rest of the juice. Diluting your beet root juice like this will decease or even eliminate the annoying and sometimes severe beet juice side effects.

There is no doubt to the health benefits of beet juice and to further reduce beet juice side effects, use only organically grown red beets, otherwise you will be adding toxins to your juice.

Beet Juice Side Effects

Although the benefits of beet juice are great, it is also very powerful. So much so, that you should be aware of some potential side-effects before you start drinking an abundance of beet root juice.

Drinking too much raw beet juice has been known to temporarily cause paralysis your vocal cords. To prevent this, drink it in moderation, make sure your beets are organic and mix your beet juice with the juice of other fruits and vegetables.

Drinking straight beet root juice can causes nausea accompanied by vomiting. To prevent this, dilute your beet juice with other fruits and vegetables. Juice only ¼ to ½ of large red beet per serving, or use only a single small beet for a ratio of about 1 part beet to 3 parts other fruits and vegetables.

Don't be alarmed if your stool and urine are discolored red or pink. Discoloration of your stool and urine is just another beet juice side-effect. The official name of this conditions is beeturia.

One of the benefits of beet juice is to detoxify the liver. This is a good thing, however, large amounts of beet juice will cause the liver to release toxins into your body. So after drinking your organic diluted beet juice, follow with a glass or two of water.

People with chronic liver or kidney problems should be especially careful when drinking beet juice and only do so in very small doses.

Raw Red Beet Recipes

Use these recipes help you get some of the benefits of beet juice and whole beets in a tasty way.

(also known as Beet Kavss)

This is an Ukranian drink that is purported to have healing benefits. It certainly contains all of the benefits of beet juice and you can even make this without a juicer. It uses whey as a bacterial “starter” so therefore it is not vegan. To get whey, simply follow the recipe for Greek yogurt and the liquid part that drains off of the yogurt is whey. When refrigerated, the whey can be preserved for months.

Ingredients:

3 medium or 2 large organic beets, peeled and coarsely chopped (Do not use grated beets since this will cause your drink to ferment too rapidly).

Directions:

Place beets, whey and salt in a 2 quart jar. Add water to near the fill line of the container. Stir well and cover tightly. Keep this at room temperature for 2 days, then place it in the refrigerator. To serve, pour through the strainer. Add the strained pieces back into the jar. To use as a tonic, drink 4 ounces in the morning and 4 ounces at night.

Ingredients:

3 large carrots
4-5 red beet roots, small and young

Dressing:

juice of one orange
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of cider or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
A dash of cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

Trim, peel, and grate the carrots and beets. (use a food processor with a grater attachment, if you have one).

Place the dressing ingredients in a large salad bowl and mix well.

Add the grated carrots and beets and toss until well combined.

Let the salad stand for 30 minutes before serving. The grated vegetables will create juices making the salad moist while letting the flavors naturally mingle.

This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Done with Benefits of Beet Juice?

Here are some more pages you may enjoy:

Asparagus Health Benefits

Kale Nutrients

Health Benefits of Cashews

Benefits of Eating Honey

Sea Salt vs. Table Salt

Calories in Avocado

Banana Health Facts

Nutritional Value of Celery

Tomato Nutrients

Health Benefits of Carrots

Health Benefits of Apples

Health Benefits of Parsley

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