The Health Benefits Of Beets
Beets are loaded with nutrients. I found article after article claiming that eating beets does everything from increasing your sex drive to preventing cancer. Adding this gorgeous vegetable to your diet seems like a good idea.
- Beets are loaded with vitamins and minerals.
- Studies show beets help lower blood pressure.
- Beets help with inflammation.
- Some studies show they improve energy and athletic performance.
My fiances doctor recently suggested he drink beet juice to help with his blood pressure. It seems to have helped as he hasnt had a blood pressure spike in weeks. In researching, I read that this is a temporary effect and depends on regular consumption of beet juice.
I prefer to drink a smoothie or eat roasted beets instead of drinking the juice. By eating the whole beet, you get the benefit of the whole vegetable including the fiber.
Want to get the health benefits of beets in a salad? Then for an amazing recipe!
This is not a sweet dessert tasting drink. Though the fruit does give it a certain sweetness, its green for a reason. And that reason is to get some vital nutrients into your body.
You may have noticed from the picture that this smoothie is not actually green when its all mixed up. The beets color it a beautiful shade of dark pink. Since it has two cups of greens in it though, I still consider it a green smoothie.
Peeling Beets For Smoothies
The peeling of beets is easier. For this purpose, you can use any knife or peeler. For instance, you can use that knife which is suitable for the peeling of potato also. After peeling with the help of a knife, now rub the beets with a paper towel. The paper tower is more helpful in the peeling of the skin of beets.
Cooking Notes For The Beet Smoothie
- Cooked or uncooked beets: Feel free to use cooked or raw beets, whichever is more convenient for you. I noticed that smoothies made with raw beets tend not to be as smooth, but that didnt bother me too much.
- Storing the smoothies: I usually make batches of smoothies every 2 days and store them in my refrigerator for up to 2 days. Separation will occur, so give the smoothie a good shake before serving.
TOOLS USED
- Using the right blender: If youre going to commit to drinking smoothies a few times a week, I highly recommend getting a high-speed blender. I used to make smoothies with a cheap blender, and I never quite got the consistency that I wanted. Currently, I use a Vitamix, but the Nutri Ninja served me very well for a long time and its less expensive than the Vitamix. Note, these are affiliate links.)
WANT MORE SMOOTHIES + DETOX DRINKS?
- 1 small red beet, trimmed and peeled
- 1 large apple, cored
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Healthy Beet Smoothie Recipe
Kale is one of the superfoods that have become extremely popular in recent years. Of all the different greens that exist, kale is without a doubt one of the healthiest. Just one cup of this vegetable can provide you with 684% daily value of vitamin K, 206% daily value of vitamin A, and 134% daily value of vitamin C. Kale can improve your digestive and bone health thanks to its fiber and vitamin K content. Mix that with two beets and youll have one incredibly healthy smoothie.
What Youll Need
- 1 can of whole coconut milk
- 1 tbsp lime juice
How to Prepare
Ideally, you should freshly squeeze the lime juice for this smoothie. Add a few ice cubes if you want to make this a refreshing drink. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
What About Beet Greens
Yes! Just like any other green, beet greens are full of nutrition and are a great addition to smoothies. Detach the leaves from the stems and blend the beet greens along with the other ingredients in this smoothie. Beet greens are a great source of calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K.
Boost your immune system, strengthen your bones and cleanse your kidneys and liver with beet greens. If you have a bunch of beets with the greens attached and youre only using the beets, freeze the beet greens for later use.
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Using Canned Beets In Smoothies: 3 Benefits + Beet Smoothie Recipe
There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting your beets out of a can. If you want to use canned beets in smoothies, it is totally up to you. Even if you dont prefer canned vegetables, its worth trying canned beets just for how easy they are to incorporate into different recipes.
I can tell you that unlike other vegetables that taste gross and disgusting when taken out of a can, beets are not actually that bad. Beets retain much of their flavor when they are canned, and so it is actually a little tricky to tell them apart, a fresh beet from a canned beet.
Plus, canned beets come thick with lots of juices that you can add to your smoothie. Canned beets maintain just about the exact same nutritional value as their fresh counterparts, and so you still get a huge serving of fiber, iron, and folate when you eat canned beets.
And as for using canned beets in smoothie recipes, its actually pretty beneficial. Its more convenient, you still get lots of nutrients, the health benefits are indisputable, and everybody enjoys the convenience. Today we are going to talk about the benefits of canned beets in a smoothie, and I will throw in a fantastic beet smoothie recipe for you to try at home.
Read More:What is the best blender for making smoothies?
Cooked Beet Smoothie Or Juice
If you want to enjoy all the properties of fresh food, we recommend that you take them in shakes or smoothies. And this why? Well, because its nutrients are assimilated much better in this way.
Beets, for example, have more iron than even spinach. But we will only enjoy this high mineral contribution when liquefying it.
You dare? We knew yes! Next we are going to show step by step how to prepare a spectacular cooked beet smoothie, which has a great flavor and is very low in calories. Put on your apron!
Read Also: How To Make Homemade Weight Loss Smoothies
Notes On The Ingredients
Greens: I like sweet mixes such as Super Greens or Power Greens. Spinach is mild and sweet and works well too. In fact, I keep a bag of frozen spinach in the freezer for times when Im out of fresh.
The Beet: Beets are kind of messy to peel and chop so I try to be really careful with them. Sometimes I will wear gloves to prepare them and I always place a flexible plastic cutting sheet on top of my cutting board. First, I chop off top and bottom. Then I peel the beet with a potato peeler. Finally, I chop it up and add to the blender.
Water: Dont add too much at first. Oranges and apples are juicy. You want it drinkable but not too watery.
The Oil. I use light-tasting olive oil or coconut oil. Do add oil. It helps it have staying power to keep you from getting hungry and quality oils are really good for your skin. I dont usually recommend it because of the strong taste, but in this recipe you can use virgin olive oil.
Bananas. I let them get ripeno green peels! Then I peel them and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer. You can break them into smaller pieces at that time or do it when you make your smoothie.
Why no dairy? I dont add any milk or yogurt to my smoothies. I think the reason it gives me good energy is that it is so clean and fresh. The collagen, oil, and banana give it plenty of body.
Are Beets Safe To Eat Daily
Beets and beet juice are fairly high in nitrates. There is a bit of argument as to whether nitrates are dangerous to consume too regularly but youre probably not going to want to consume the same smoothies every day anyway! Sipping on beet smoothies 2-3 times a week is probably okay.
One other thing to note about beet consumption is the potential for beeturia. This doesnt happen to everyone who consumes beets but the betanin compound in them can turn your urine and/or stools red or pink if you have trouble breaking it down.
This is considered harmless but it can be scary as it resembles blood. Raw beets are likely to create a stronger color than cooked ones.
Also Check: How Do You Make A Smoothie In A Blender
Pineapple Beet Super Smoothie
1. PREP FRESH PRODUCE
Wash and dry the fresh produce. Remove the ends from the carrots and beet. Save the beet greens to make a super nutrient rich green smoothie! Peel the carrots, beet, and orange.
2. ADD TO BLENDER
Add the ingredients to the blender starting with coconut water. Next add the soft ingredients, orange, banana, and pineapple. Then add the harder veggies, carrots and the beet. Finally, add any frozen fruit or ice on top. This blender layering technique pushes the ingredients down into the blades and helps to create a perfectly smooth texture!
Fresh Tip: If you dont have a high speed blender like a Vitamix then you may have trouble liquefying the carrots. Try blending just the carrots with the coconut water first before adding other ingredients!
3. BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH
Blend until smooth and youve reached your desired consistency. Once blended add any protein or superfood boosts youd like. I used camu camu powder, baobab powder, and flaxseeds!
Fresh Tip: Be sure to use at least one frozen fruit so that your smoothie is cold and smooth! I like to halve, peel, and then freeze any bananas that are going brown. It stops me from having to throw them out and frozen bananas make perfect creamy smoothies!
Most people are used to the idea of veggies in their green smoothies, but incorporating all colors of fruit and vegetables in our diet is important.
This upbeat red smoothie is packed with vitamins and minerals thanks to the nutrient dense, energy boosting beets.
Can You Make A Beetroot Smoothie In A Nutribullet
Yes, you certainly can.
The Nutribullet is one of the best mid sized smoothie blenders on the market. And Ive made delicious tasting beet smoothies with one.
The key to making a beetroot smoothie in a Nutribullet is to cut the beet into sections.
You dont want to throw in a whole beet that is just so large. That will be trouble for the blender.
If youre using a small or mid sized blender, you will sometimes have to precut some fruits or vegetables.
Its the tradeoff you make for getting a smaller blender that is not as expensive as a Vitamix and doesnt take up as much room.
Also, keep in mind the Nutribullelt is better at making a single serve smoothie than a Vitamix .
Recommended Reading: Green Smoothies That Actually Taste Good
Canned Beet Smoothie Recipe
The smoothie recipe we are looking at today calls for beets, carrot juice, sliced peaches, and even a large apple. This is a fantastic recipe in which you can hardly taste the overpowering flavor of the beets, but will turn out a beautiful red color with a bold taste.
While most recipes call for using fresh beets, this is nonsense. You dont need to use cooked or uncooked beets, and you dont need to use organic beets fresh from the farm. You can absolutely use a can of beets as the main ingredient in your smoothie.
Lots of people also talk about storing their smoothies for several days, but I dont recommend doing this when working with beets. These smoothies are better consumed immediately, especially since after a few days in the refrigerator all the ingredients are going to separate and it is going to get gross.
Tips For Healthy Smoothies
The best smoothies are made with top-quality ingredients chosen for their intense colors and flavors. Pick up a selection of vegetables and fruit that suit your palate and play around with add-ins to maximize your smoothies health benefits.
- Buy good quality ingredients. Look for high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables from your grocery store or farmers market. You want ingredients that are firm and feel heavy for their size, and not dried up or bruised.
- Stick with a healthy liquid base. I used freshly squeezed orange juice and water to help the blender work its magic. Coconut water is always a great option as well.
- Boost with superfoods. Try adding ground turmeric, cinnamon, maca powder, or bee pollen to amp up nutrition.
Also Check: What Do You Put In A Fruit Smoothie
Should You Use Beets Or Beet Powder
Being that this is a blog devoted to smoothies and blending, I like to advocate using raw beets. Whole beets, and whole food for that matter whenever given the option.
There are some great beet powders available, but I would suggest using the whole beet when making a smoothie.
If you dont have a beet on hand, then adding some beet powder to a smoothie is a great idea, but beets are cheap enough and dont require much effort to prepare that its worth using them whole.
One reason that I like using whole beets in my smoothies is that I dont mind the excess sugars . Also, Im not usually following strict keto diet which is one of the big selling points of beet powder.
Also, I tend to think that natural beet in the raw form is like anything else in the raw form when compared to a pill. You will normally get more benefit from the raw product than the pill.
There is a place for beet powders but as a rule I advocate for a natural whole food smoothie.
Why Are Beets Healthy
- All of my research shows that beets are the answer to my anemia problems. They purify the blood, cleanse the liver, lower blood pressure and are proven to reverse hypertension.
- Beets improve your blood flow, help deliver oxygen to the parts of your body that need it, including the brain.
- They are the sweet vegetable that is low in calories but high in good carbs and gives you the right kind of energy.
- They are rich in folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium.
- They replenish iron in your body, which for me is really important. Its rich in antioxidants that help fight cancer and reduce inflammation.
- I even found out that betaine from beets aids depression and the tryptophan relaxes mind just like chocolate!
We have been drinking this smoothie every day for a couple of months now and we see and feel the benefits. We can definitely feel the good energy that we get after the smoothie. My check-up is coming up and I have a feeling that my level of iron will be great! I also started making more veggie smoothies for us and the kiddos. I think once you make one healthy decision others follow because you learn.
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Benefits Of Beets And Chocolate For Pre
Lets talk about how the benefits of chocolate and beets can work together in the body. And I am talking about raw cacao and not the candy bars found in the drug store.
Cacao contains magnesium, dietary fiber, and antioxidants including flavanols and polyphenols. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for heart health. The flavanols in cacao prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from clogging the arteries. They also moderate nitric oxide, which is a compound found in beets.
Beets are loaded with potassium, are high in magnesium, and can help replenish iron. Besides being a source of antioxidants, beets contain dietary nitrates. Dietary nitrates convert to nitric oxide, which is responsible for the dilation of blood vessels and helps support blood circulation.
This improves an athletes capacity for sustained exercise and endurance. Nitric oxide also helps the speed of nutrient delivery to the muscles, improving energy efficiency for performance and recovery. Pretty freakin cool in my opinion!
My Favorite Beet Smoothie Recipes
I am a big fan of beet smoothie recipes that incorporate berries or other tart fruits.
Blueberries work really well if you are looking for an antioxidant rich smoothie.
You can get a big bag of organic blueberries from Costco or a local health food store.
I like frozen blueberries in my smoothies because it eliminates the need to use Ice and you still get a cold smoothie.
Here are some Blueberry Beet Smoothie Recipes
Im also a big fan of combining cacao and beets.
Cacao is like chocolate, but without the guilt!
Its a fantastic choice for brain and heart health.
This smoothie is great for a lot of reasons. First, the flavors work really well. The natural sugars in the beets are the perfect way to naturally sweeten the cacao.
Also, not only will this combo improve cognitive function, but it will provide you a lot of minerals. Cacao is a food super rich in minerals such as Zinc.
The above recipe uses blackberries as well as a vegan milk to make a creamy and delicious beet smoothie. I didnt have a ripe banana when I made this recipe, but it still turned out really creamy!
Beets and Kale Smoothies For Green Lovers
Of course not all beet smoothies need to have fruit as the main pairing.
I like to mix kale with beets to make a super healthy green smoothie.
The only caveat I would add to this is that you need to have a good blender for kale.
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