
12 Jan New Year Cleanse
A Fantastic way to cleanse the body following the Christmas and New Year period!
Beetroot
Beetroot is a great bowel cleanser and very good for the blood. It is high in vitamin C and iron. It is naturally sweet and a great natural food colouring and some use it as a hair dye!
In recent studies it has been shown to boost endurance and stamina. The nitrate in beetroot can increase the production of nitric oxide which is:
A regulator of blood pressure.
A gate keeper of blood flow to most organs.
A stamina enhancer via oxygen usage efficiency.
A weapon against infection, including bowel and stomach infections.
I have seen some peoples blood pressure go up due to constipation which can cause pressure on the heart and beetroot is one thing that helps the blood pressure and moves the bowel.
Scientific research by The University of Exeter School of Sport and Health Sciences and more recently a study by Maastricht University Medical Centre proves the effect of beetroot juice on “time to exhaustion” The research demonstrates that athletes are able to exercise for 15-20% longer and perform better in time trials. It is also beneficial for those who are convalescing or have suffered exhaustion from inflammatory bowel disease or chronic digestive problems.
How to eat beetroot
Beetroot can be so delicious added to food:
Scrub it with a vegetable brush to clean.
Grate it into a salad; it goes especially well with grated carrot and walnuts.
Use a cheese slicer and slice into a stir fry near the end of cooking. It’s lovely drizzled with olive oil and fresh herbs.
Roast it in the oven with roasted pumpkin. It takes longer than other roast vegetables so either put it in the oven earlier or chop it into smaller pieces.
It can be used in cake and muffin recipes.
Use a small amount in a blender mixed with other foods to change the colour of food for kids.
It’s delicious as a fresh juice, you can mix it with other vegetables or have it on its own, or for a real kick blend it with ginger.
You can boil it, but I’m not a fan of it as it takes more nutrients out than the other methods of eating it.
Fresh beetroot tastes very different to tinned beetroot; don’t get put off by past experiences of tinned beetroot as there’s nothing like fresh beetroot.
Please note: When I was nursing occasionally someone would turn up at casualty thinking they were bleeding from their bowel and bladder only to find out it was the harmless beetroot! Don’t get scared when you pee after having beetroot it stains urine red and can look like blood; the same goes for your stools.