If beets aren’t already a part of your regular diet, I suggest giving them a try. If you aren't fond of the taste, consider blending them with carrots, apples, and ginger. You can find my favourite beet juice recipe in the 5-Day Spring Cleanse. I suggest drinking it in the morning before breakfast or with breakfast.
If you’re still hesitant about adding beets to your diet, perhaps the following information will be enough to sway you. Let’s take a look at just a few of the many benefits beets have to offer.
1. Helps detoxify your body
Regular consumption of beets can help remove toxic buildup in the body as they contain betaines – a type of phytonutrient known to provide detoxification properties. Consuming fresh beets helps to purify the blood, flush out toxins and prevent fatty acid buildup in the liver, improve circulation, and alkalize the body.
If you aren’t used to consuming beets, you may feel nauseous after drinking it as a morning juice. This is a sign of the juice detoxing and purifying the body.
2. Promotes Healthy Digestion
Beets help to clean the colon by pushing out waste. The high fibre content also promotes regulation and relieves constipation. This leaves you feeling lighter and less sluggish. Beets are rich in an agent called betaine, which is beneficial for digestive health and increasing stomach acid levels to help break down food more efficiently.
When drinking as a juice, be sure to leave the pulp in as this is where most of the fibre is found.
3. A Great Source of Electrolytes
Beets are a source of potassium, which is both a mineral and electrolyte. Electrolytes are best known to help balance cellular fluid. However, they also help the muscles contract and nerves function properly.
If you are experiencing weakness, muscle cramps, fatigue, or an achy body, these could all be signs that your potassium levels are low. Consuming beets regularly can help maintain optimal levels of potassium.
4. Helps to Maintain a Healthy Weight
Beets are a low-calorie, low-fat, nutrient-dense food containing vitamins and minerals that nourish the body and leave you feeling satiated without overeating. We tend to overeat when we fill our stomachs with empty calories, or in other words, foods that don’t offer many nutrients.
Furthermore, beets have high fibre content, contributing to healthy weight maintenance.
5. A Healthy Energy and Stamina Boost
Beets contain a high concentration of nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide—a compound that relaxes and dilates blood vessels, allowing nutrient- and oxygen-rich blood to flow freely. This can result in making you feel more energized. It also explains why beets are known to increase circulation and lower blood pressure.
6. Gives Skin a Healthy Glow
As mentioned, beets help purify the blood, which is essential for giving your skin a natural glow. They are also rich in vitamin C – a vitamin known to offer many skin benefits, including an even skin tone and clearing blemishes. With regular consumption of beets, you can expect to achieve a healthy, rosy glow from the inside out.
7. Increase Red Blood Cells
Beets are rich in iron and essential minerals responsible for enhancing red blood cells. Studies show that a glass of red beet juice a day will not only provide the body with the required nutrients but may also prevent anemia and iron deficiency.
The Gist
Beets are a highly nutritious food to add to your diet. They can help support your gut, liver, and heart. Best of all, they are versatile, which makes them easy to incorporate into your diet. You can spruce up your diet with beets by adding them to salads, roasting them, making dips (like hummus), healthy brownies, smoothies, and juices – the options are endless!
Keep in mind that increasing your consumption of beets can cause red or pink urine and stools. This is completely normal and nothing to be concerned about. One caution to note is that beets contain high amounts of oxalates, so do not drink beet juice if you have high calcium oxalate kidney stones. If you are on medication or have health concerns, always speak to your health practitioner before making diet changes.
