Beet juice is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These nutrients offer a range of health benefits.
Beets or beetroots are now popular. Researchers have linked drinking beet juice to lowering blood pressure, improving athletic performance, and reduced inflammation.
Also, beetroots contain a unique bioactive substance known as betalain, which may benefit your health. You can get these benefits when you drink beetroot juice.
This blog contains a list of the health benefits of beet juice.
1. Improves Muscle Power in People With Heart Failure
A study in 2015 showed that people with heart failure improved their muscle power by 13% 2 hours after drinking beet juice.
Therefore, when you drink beetroot juice, you’re likely to boost your muscle power.
2. Lowers Your Blood Pressure
Beet juice may help lower your blood pressure. According to research, people who drink 250 milliliters of beetroot juice daily are likely to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Beetroots contain nitrate compounds that are converted into nitric oxide in the blood. The nitric oxide helps to widen and relax blood vessels, thus lowering your blood pressure.
3. Improves Exercise Stamina
A small study in 2012 shows that drinking beet juice boosts the level of plasma nitrates that boosts your physical performance.
According to the study, trained cyclists who drank two cups of beetroot juice daily improved their 10-kilometer time trial by approximately 12 seconds. They also reduced their maximum oxygen output.
4. May Slow the Growth of Dementia
Study shows that nitrates may enhance blood flow to the brain in older people. This helps to slow cognitive decline.
Research showed people who eat a diet rich in beet juice have increased blood flow into their brain frontal lobes linked with cognitive thinking and behavior. So, a high-nitrate diet is likely to prevent or reduce dementia.
5. Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight
Beet juice is low in calories and has no fat. This helps to maintain your weight, and this is perfect for breakfast. It is rich in nutrients and energy to start your day.
6. May Prevent Cancer
Beetroots are rich in water-soluble antioxidants. The antioxidant compound contains betalains that have chemicals that protect you against some cancer cells. Betalain can be free radical scavengers that help to find and fight growing cancer cells in the body.
7. Good Source of Minerals and Vitamins
Beets are a good source of important minerals and vitamins. Minerals like potassium contain electrolytes that help nerves and muscles function properly.
Low potassium levels in the body may cause fatigue, weakness, life-threatening abnormal heart problems, and muscle cramps. But drinking beet juice regularly will restore the level of potassium in your body.
Additionally, beetroots are rich in folate. Folate is a vitamin B that helps prevent neural tube defects like anencephaly and spina bifida. It also helps to lower the risk of having a premature baby.
Therefore, drinking beetroot juice can help you to get the daily recommended amount of 600 micrograms of folate vitamin responsible for preventing premature birth if you’re of childbearing age.
8. Supports Your Liver
You may develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This can be caused by the following factors:
- A poor diet
- Exposure to toxic substances
- Sedentary lifestyle.
However, the antioxidant betaine found in beets may help prevent or lower the deposit of fat in the liver. Betaine may also help to protect your liver from toxic substances.
9. May Reduce Cholesterol
High cholesterol is a major health threat in U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly 94 million U.S adults between the ages of 20 and above could have borderline high cholesterol.
Often you may not realize it until you visit your doctor.
But drinking beet juice can help reduce cholesterol in your body. A 2011 study on rats found that extracts from beetroots reduce total cholesterol and triglycerides. It also lowers oxidative stress on the liver.
Researchers believe that the phytonutrients found in beetroots, such as flavonoids, are responsible for cholesterol lowering.
10. Helps Your Body to Function Properly
Beets are rich in essential minerals responsible for body functions. Some minerals like potassium help nerves and muscles to function well. Others help to boost your immune system, while others help in strong, healthy bones and teeth.
So, when you drink beet juice, you will have sufficient minerals like iron, magnesium, sodium, zinc, manganese, selenium, and copper. These minerals will help your body to function well.
Side Effects of Beet Juice
You can safely drink beet juice without any side effects. But in most cases, drinking beet juice may make your urine and stool turn red or pinkish because of the natural pigments found in beetroots.
This condition is known as beeturia. So, you don’t have to worry about the color of the stool or urine as it’s harmless.
However, if you have oxalate kidney stones, avoid drinking beet juice because beets are high in oxalates, which naturally occur and forms crystals in your urine. These crystals may cause kidney stones.
Also, the nitrates found in beetroots affect blood pressure. So, if you have low blood pressure or you’re under blood pressure medication, avoid drinking beetroot juice regularly. Seek the help of a professional doctor before adding beet juice to your diet.
How to Make Beet Juice?
You can make beet juice at your home with a blender, food processor, or juicer. Below are the simple steps to follow.
Step1: Trim the tops off the beetroot, then wash them thoroughly. Leave the beet skin intact for additional nutrients.
Step2: Chop the beets into small pieces.
Step3: Set the juicer well with a bowl or pitcher to collect the discarded materials.
Step4: Put the beetroot pieces into the juicer one at a time.
Step5: Pour the beetroot juice into a glass, and drink it immediately. You can also put it in a refrigerator to chill.
But, if you are using a blender, here is how to do it.
Step1: Add the beet pieces into the blender and add a splash of water to soften up the beet.
Step2: Blend until it’s smooth.
Step3: Remove the large chunks from the juice with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Step4: Remove the pulp and pour the beet juice into a glass. You can drink it the right way or put it in a refrigerator to drink for later.
You can either drink beet juice on its own or blend it with the juice of other fruits and vegetables such as ginger, apple, cucumber, basil, mint, citrus fruits, and carrot.
Next step
There are numerous health benefits of beet juice. It is rich in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants needed in the body.
If you want to lower your blood pressure, improve your body function, reduce cholesterol in your body, maintain your weight, and protect your liver, among other health benefits, try beet juice today.
