When comes to providing relief to several everyday health issues, beetroot has proven its potential as quite an effective remedy, especially for concerns related to digestion and blood. Some popular benefits linked with the consumption of beetroot juice may include the lowering of blood pressure and boosting liver functions, but the full list of health benefits of the beetroot goes way beyond that.
If you are health-conscious, a glass of beetroot juice can indeed be your ticket for a life of health and wellness.
Table of Contents
Some of the benefits associated with the consumption of beetroot juice are:
1. Lowering Blood Pressure
As mentioned, beetroot juice is quite an effective remedy for high blood pressure. The nitrate compounds which are found in beetroot are responsible for converting into nitric acid upon digestion, and then help in the widening and relaxing of the blood vessel, which is vital for easing the blood flow and decreasing blood pressure.
2. Beetroot Juice Benefits for Liver Health
Beetroot juice helps in the simulation of liver cells and also aids the liver in dumping toxic juices. It is a rich source for betalains, a popular type of antioxidant, which is quite beneficial for heart health and reduces oxidative damage and especially inflammation.
3. Aids in Weight Management
As it is quite well-known, beetroot juice contains virtually zero amount of fat. Thus, some would consider it a great choice for a healthy breakfast. Beets are an excellent source of two types of dietary fiber, namely half soluble and half insoluble, which are perfect for maintaining muscle functioning and bowel movements.
Apart from that, as mentioned earlier, beets are also rich in phytonutrients known as betalains, which are known to effectively reduce your body’s inflammation and supply your body with the required level of antioxidants.
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4. Good Source Of Potassium
Since one of the major benefits behind the popularity of beetroot juice is its ability to aid in the lowering of your blood pressure; it is no surprise that it is a good source of minerals among which potassium is present in the highest quantity. Some of the other minerals present in a glassful of beetroot juice are manganese and zinc.
5. Beetroot juice benefits in Promoting Mental Health
Since beetroot juice is quite high in nitrite, a glassful of beetroot juice is responsible for increasing the flow of blood to the brain, as it widens the nerves of your body, which may further reduce the risk of brain-related diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. This is due to the fact that a diet rich in nitrate leads towards a higher blood flow rate to the white matter of the frontal lobes, which are responsible for the progression of the earlier mentioned diseases.
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6. May Improve Digestion
The soluble dietary fiber which is effectively present in beetroot juice is beneficial in nature when it comes to relieving indigestion. Considered a good source of fiber, a cup of beetroot juice contains about 3.4 grams of it. The fibers are indigestible matter, that when ingested, nourishes our gut bacteria and adds bulk to our stool.
Side-Effects Of Beetroot Juice
Since the benefits of beetroot juice are quite known, its side-effects, on the other hand, aren’t talked about enough. As everyone would agree that when it comes to your health, learning about side-effects is as important as learning about its beneficial nature. Beetroot juice, if consumed in excess can lead to some serious side-effects. Some of the common side-effects associated with the excessive consumption of beetroot juice are:
1. Kidney Stones
Being high on oxalate, beetroot juice is responsible for directly contributing to the production of kidney stones. As it increases the urinary oxalate excretion, thus resulting in the development of calcium oxalate stones, which are one of the most common types of kidney stones.
2. Variable Blood Pressure
The beetroot juice is responsible for causing variation in the rate of your blood flow, which further results in variable blood pressure. The nitrates present in beetroot are responsible for dilating your blood vessels, thus increasing the blood flow and reducing blood pressure. However, it is also important to note that an excessive intake of beetroot juice can further decrease your blood pressure below its desired limit.
3. Beetroot Juice May Increase Liver Toxicity
Now that we know that minerals such as copper and magnesium are present in beetroot juice in a heavy quantity, we must also note that these minerals are stored in your liver. Hence, heavy consumption of beetroot juices can also increase the volume of copper and magnesium stored in your liver which could lead to an increase in the toxicity of your liver.
4. Increases The Blood Sugar
This is one of the most common side-effects associated with excessive consumption of beetroot juice. Beetroots contain a relatively higher level of glucose, which could prove to cause some serious issues for anyone who has blood sugar-related problems. Thus, it is advised that if you have higher than normal blood sugar levels, or are experiencing any pre-diabetic symptoms, you must avoid beetroot juice until approval from a medical expert.
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What Is Beetroot?
Since the Middle Ages, beetroot was used as a treatment for a variety of conditions that relate to digestion and blood. Being deep purple in color, beetroot is commonly eaten as boiled, roasted, or raw vegetable, either alone or combined with other vegetables in a form of a salad, and also as a pickle (which is the most common way of consumption).
However, apart from the variety of ways in which beetroot can be cooked, the other most common and popular way of beetroot consumption is by preparing a glass of beetroot juice.
Recipe For Beetroot Juice
As one of the beneficial food items, a glassful of beetroot juice can help in maintaining your weight, as well as your blood pressure. It has been mentioned earlier that beetroot juice helps in maintaining good liver health and works as a wonderful detoxifier. However, though it may taste quite bitter, the juice prepared is often a mix of vegetables among which beetroot is the key ingredient.
The ingredients that you’ll need in order to prepare a healthy glass of beetroot juice are:
- 1 beetroot (small)
- 1 carrot
- ½ squeezed lime juice
- 1 apple
As you might have figured out that the most efficient way of preparing beetroot juice is with the help of an electric juicer.
Make sure that all the vegetables are washed before you add them to the juicer, and also note that the ingredients are absolutely balanced.
After preparing the mixed vegetable juice, make sure that you add lime juice to the mix in order to relieve the mixture of its bitter taste. And don’t forget to serve it chilled.
The Final Note
Yes, beetroot is good for your health, and it is also quite fast in its working. Loaded with minerals, jacked up on antioxidants, and having a negligible amount of calories, there is no reason for you to have second thoughts before adding this deep purple vegetable into your diet.
But, on the other hand, excessive consumption of beetroot can also have adverse effects on your health, thus it is important for you to know your requirement before you indulge in a glassful of beetroot juice.