Beetroot has been used to cure a range of illnesses since the Middle Ages, particularly digestive and blood-related disorders. In recent years, beetroot and beetroot juice, also known as Beta vulgaris rubra, have received a lot of attention as a health-promoting diet.
Beets have been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years, but scientific interest in them has only grown in recent decades. Even more healthy conscious brands are recognizing companies that have chosen to provide nutritional foods and beverages.
With that said, Delicious Living Magazine a trusted health and wellness resource for more than 30 years recently recognized Wonder Beet as a favorite beverage in the 2024 choice awards. Wonder beet is from the brand Wonder Juice that offers cold pressed natural juices in the selection.
Using the cold-pressed method, Wonder Juice ensures maximum nutrient retention and a fuller, more vibrant flavor profile compared to traditionally extracted juices. All Wonder Juice varieties are made up of a handful of real ingredients, including fresh fruits and vegetables. No artificial additives, no added sugars-just pure, unadulterated 100% organic ingredients, ensuring every sip is delicious, satisfying, and “Curiously Good’.
What are beets?
Beets are members of the plant family Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae. This family also includes nutritious Swiss chard variants, which explains why they have an earthy but sweet flavor similar to beets.
Beetroot leaves were used long before the roots were discovered, however many people now choose to eat the sweet roots and forgo the more bitter but extremely nutritious leaves.
Beetroot flavor is characterized as sweet, earthy, and soft to eat. It grows in the ground and is linked to turnips, swedes, and sugar beets.
Beet greens are said to have initially been eaten in Africa thousands of years ago. The root veggies’ popularity expanded throughout Asia and Europe, with the Ancient Romans being among the first to collect and consume the vividly colored roots.
Beets were more popular during the 16th and 19th centuries, and they were used in different applications. For example, their colorful juices were used as culinary colors, and their sugars immediately became known as a strong source of sweetness.
By the nineteenth century, beets were used to extract and refine sugar. This remained a popular method for producing cane sugar throughout Europe, later expanding to the United States, where beets are still used in the same way.
Fortunately, the nutritional benefits of beets and beetroot juice are gaining popularity, and more research is being undertaken to demonstrate their incredible benefits.
The Surprising Health Benefits Of Beet Juice
Beet juice may boost athletic performance
Beet juice can boost the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood while also reducing the quantity of oxygen required for muscles to operate efficiently. This shows that ingesting beetroot boosts energy, performance, and stamina.
A 2012 research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reveals that eating nitrate-rich, whole beetroot enhances running performance in healthy individuals. The study examined 11 healthy and athletic men and women in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover experiment.
Participants completed two five-kilometer treadmill time trials in random order: one 75 minutes after eating beetroot and one 75 minutes after eating cranberry relish as a eucaloric placebo. Based on paired testing, mean running velocity throughout the run increased after beetroot eating.
During the final 1.1 miles of the run, the beetroot trial had a 5% quicker pace. There were no variations in exercise heart rate across trials, but the perceived exertion was lower with beetroot.
A good source of antioxidants
Beet juice has been identified as a possible therapeutic treatment for a variety of clinical disorders linked to oxidative stress and inflammation. Its components, particularly the betalain pigments, have strong antioxidant, chemo-preventive, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Beetroot juice may be an effective technique for strengthening internal antioxidant defenses, therefore protecting cellular components from oxidative damage. When specific kinds of oxygen molecules are permitted to circulate freely in the body, they induce free radical damage.
Oxidative damage has been related to a variety of health issues, including heart disease, cancer, and dementia. This is why eating antioxidant-rich foods daily is so vital.
Lowers blood pressure
Beets are high in natural molecules called nitrates, which your body converts into nitric oxide, which improves blood flow and blood pressure. A 2012 research published in the British Journal of Nutrition discovered that a low dosage of beetroot has considerable hypotensive effects.
The findings of this study indicate that beetroot consumption significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (when heart muscles contract) and diastolic blood pressure (when heart muscles relax) during a 24-hour period when compared to a water control group.
A natural detox
Beetroot juice acts as a natural blood cleanser. It can assist the body detoxify and cleanse the blood of heavy metals, pollutants, and waste thanks to a molecule called glutathione. Glutathione is necessary for detoxification in the liver and other digestive organs.
Furthermore, the fiber in beetroot juice helps clear the digestive tract of waste and pollutants, restoring healthy and regular bowel motions.
Beetroot’s betalains contribute to the formation of glutathione, which allows the body to neutralize toxins and make them water-soluble, allowing them to be expelled through urine and flushed out.
Supports cognitive health
Drinking beetroot juice boosts blood flow to the brain in older adults, which might be a natural strategy to prevent Alzheimer’s and slow the spread of dementia and other cognitive problems.
Nitrates in beetroot juice are turned into nitrites by microorganisms in the mouth. These nitrites assist in expanding blood arteries in the body, improving blood flow and oxygen to areas that lack it.
As we age, certain parts of the brain become under perfused, which means that insufficient blood flows through them. This is what can lead to cognitive disorders such as dementia.
High in folate
Folate is crucial because it helps the body generate new cells, especially by copying and synthesizing DNA. A folate shortage can result in anemia (poorly produced red blood cells), a compromised immune system, and poor digestion.
Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, persons with liver illness, diabetics on medication, alcoholics, and renal dialysis patients are the most vulnerable to folate deficiency. High-folic acid foods such as beets, lentils, spinach, and chickpeas promote a healthy pregnancy, combat cancer, and improve cardiovascular health.
