I have always hated beetroot or beets, I hated the taste, which is like sand and I hated the way it would bleed all over my food and colour and flavour everything. A plate of sandy, bloody food!

Even when I started seriously researching health and nutrition 25 or 30 years ago, I still could not bring myself to bring a piece of beetroot near my mouth. Mind you recently I have found grilled beets are almost nice.

It was only 10 years ago that I started drinking barley grass juice that I combined dried beet juice with my dried barley and carrot juice.

As I was not anemic, and was travelling a lot, I kind of stopped using the beet juice (Aim’s Redibeets) for the last year or so. I use their beets because it does not taste sandy & bloody!

I just recently (August 2009) became aware of the research conducted by Professor Andy Jones, which shows that drinking beet juice daily can increase your stamina by 16%.

 So I started drinking my dried beet juice with my barley grass and carrot juice in the mornings again last week and by Saturday I went for a 2 ½  hour walk/run , thinking I may be a bit stiff and tired the next day, but was not and then went for an 90min walk the next day and have increased my daily exercise since then because I am feeling like I have the energy and strength to just keep going for hours.( I normally walk 30-40min a day and maybe once or twice a month 1-2 hours) Hey man and I am getting older and have just come through the menopause! This is awesome!!

I can honestly say that there is a distinct increase in my stamina and that maybe I responded so well because I follow a healthy diet, but the subjects in the research were just regular folk with no particular dietary program and they responded pretty quickly.

You can make your own organic beet juice with a juice extractor and beets from your garden or if you need convenience – order Redibeets from Aim with their BarleyLife, barley grass juice and their Just Carrots carrot juice. 

Below is the research on stamina increase and previous research on beets ability to help the body lower blood pressure dramatically.

If you need to order Redibeets or any of the other Aim products mentioned contact any of our natural health consultants or www.naturalway.co.za OR to order directly at wholesale prices email us at info@naturalway.co.za. Otherwise grow your own beets, carrots and barley grass!

Cheers – with a glass of beet, barley and carrot juice

Mary-Ann

Beetroot Health Benefits – August 2009 UK

Drinking beetroot juice increases stamina and could help people exercise for up to 16% longer, claims a new study conducted in the UK. A University of Exeter (U-E) led study shows for the first time how nitrate in beetroot juice leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake, therefore making exercise less tiring.

Drinking beetroot juice boosts stamina and could help people exercise for up to 16% longer, a UK study suggests.

A University of Exeter team found nitrate (these are natural healthy nitrites and nitrates, not like sodium nitrite and nitrate in smoked and processed meats so don’t panic) contained in beets leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake – making exercise less tiring.

The small Journal of Applied Physiology study suggests the effect is greater than that which can be achieved by regular training.

Beetroot juice has previously been shown to reduce blood pressure.

The researchers believe their findings could help people with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases – and endurance athletes.

They focused on eight men aged 19-38, who were given 500ml per day of organic beetroot juice for six consecutive days before completing a series of tests, involving cycling on an exercise bike.

On another occasion, they were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for six consecutive days before completing the same cycling tests.

After drinking beetroot juice the group was able to cycle for an average of 11.25 minutes – 92 seconds longer than when they were given the placebo.

This would translate into an approximate 2% reduction in the time taken to cover a set distance.

The group that had consumed the beetroot juice also had lower resting blood pressure.

Mechanism unclear

The researchers are not yet sure of the exact mechanism that causes the nitrate in the beetroot juice to boost stamina.

However, they suspect it could be a result of the nitrate turning into nitric oxide in the body, reducing how much oxygen is burned up by exercise.

Study researcher Professor Andy Jones – an adviser to top UK athlete Paula Radcliffe – said: “We were amazed by the effects of beetroot juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.

“I am sure professional and amateur athletes will be interested in the results of this research.

“I am also keen to explore the relevance of the findings to those people who suffer from poor fitness and may be able to use dietary supplements to help them go about their daily lives.”

Professor John Brewer, an expert on sports science at the University of Bedfordshire, said: “These findings are potentially exciting for many people involved in sport and, but will almost certainly require further more extensive studies before the exact benefits and mechanisms are understood.

“We must also remember that exercise and training and a sensible diet will always remain as the essential ingredients for a balanced and healthy lifestyle.”

Dr Simon Marshall, of the University of San Diego, has carried out work on exercise and health.

He said much more work was needed involving many more subjects to draw firm conclusions.

“Certainly, a diet high in nitrate-rich fruits and vegetables is good for your heart health and this study provides further evidence of this.”

Nutritional facts in Beetroot

• Vitamins – Beetroot is a good source of vitamin C and folic acid. It also contains small amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B3, and vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene.
• Minerals: Rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. Also, smaller amounts of iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.
• Amino Acids: While raw beets are mostly water and carbohydrate, they also contain small amounts of all the essential amino acids that make up complete protein
• Antioxidants: Its carotenoids and flavanoids can help reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which could lead to damaged artery walls and ultimately heart attacks and strokes.
• Anti-carcinogenic Color: The deep red color of beetroot comes from betacyanin an anthocyanadin a group of powerful antioxidants which protects against colon cancer, slows down ageing and boosts natural immunity
• Silica: The rich stock of silica in it does perfect utilization of calcium in the body and is also required for healthy skin, hair, nails and bones.
• Beetroot is a natural source of vitamins and minerals
• Beetroot is used traditionally as a blood building food
• Beetroot may aid the natural process of elimination and support detoxification processes
• Beetroot has liver, spleen, gall bladder and kidney cleansing properties
• Beetroot is particularly rich in Vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus and iron
• The iron contained in beetroot is organic and non-irritating and will not cause constipation 
beetroot is useful in acidosis due to it being rich in alkaline elements
•  

Beetroot purifies the blood and has anti-carcinogenic properties. Research shows it boosts the body’s natural defenses in the liver, regenerating immune cells. Also contains silica, vital for healthy skin, fingernails, ligaments, tendons and bones

Drinking 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure, UK research suggests. February 2009

The key beneficial ingredient appears to be nitrate, which is also found in green, leafy vegetables.  (another reason for me to drink my Barley grass juice)

The researchers found that in healthy volunteers blood pressure was reduced within an hour of drinking the juice.

The study, by Barts and the London School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School, could suggest a low-cost way to treat hypertension.

Previously the protective effects of vegetable-rich diets have been attributed to their antioxidant vitamin content.

While it took less than an hour to note a reduction in blood pressure in the beetroot juice tests, it was more pronounced after three to four hours and a degree of reduction continued to be observed for up to 24 hours, the report published on the online journal Hypertension said.

Saliva breakdown

The researchers showed that nitrate in the juice is converted in saliva, by bacteria on the tongue, into nitrite.

This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed, and in the acidic environment of the stomach is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite.

The peak time of reduction in blood pressure correlated with the appearance and peak levels of nitrite in the circulation.

No such drop in blood pressure was recorded in a second group of volunteers, who did not swallow their saliva while drinking beetroot juice, or for three hours afterwards.

More than 25% of the world’s adult population are hypertensive, and it has been estimated that this figure will increase to 29% by 2025.

Hypertension causes around 50% of coronary heart disease, and approximately 75% of strokes.

In total, cardiovascular disease kills over 110,000 people in England every year.

Researcher Professor Amrita Ahluwalia said: “Our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure.”

Certainly drinking beet juice daily with a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables is a better solution that most meds which cause a variety of side effects from erectile dysfunction to diabetes.

Funny enough I have had reports for the last 10 or so years from numerous people telling me how drinking barley grass juice, carrot and beet juice from Aim has reduced their blood pressure and many have been able to discontinue their meds. (With their doctor’s approval)

One man made absolutely no changes to his diet as he is a food critic and wine connoisseur and has to eat in restaurants almost every night and makes no time for exercise.

Now we have the science to explain why.

Amazing things vegetables – so what you waiting for get out the juicer!

A cup of beetroot juice a day may help reduce your blood pressure, according to a small study published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

According to researchers from Barts Health NHS Trust and the London Medical School, high blood pressure patients who volunteered to drink 250ml of beetroot juice daily registered a drop of 10mm of mercury (mmHg).

A previous study involving participants with normal blood pressure, three years ago, also suggested there could be health benefits to drinking juice that contains nitrate — a chemical that reduces blood pressure.

However, in a statement, lead author of the study Dr Amrita Ahluwalia pointed out that those more at risk of a stroke or heart disease, caused by high blood pressure, may also benefit.

“We were surprised by how little nitrate was needed to see such a large effect,” Ahluwalia said.

“This study shows that compared to individuals with healthy blood pressure much less nitrate is needed to produce the kinds of decreases in blood pressure that might provide clinical benefits in people who need to lower their blood pressure.

“However, we are still uncertain as to whether this effect is maintained in the long term.”

In a statement, researchers highlighted that Beetroot juice contains dietary nitrate, which may help relax blood vessel walls and improve blood flow.

Increasing intake of foods rich in dietary nitrate may be an affordable and attainable way to manage blood pressure, they added.

“Our hope is that increasing one’s intake of vegetables with a high dietary nitrate content, such as green leafy vegetables or beetroot, might be a lifestyle approach that one could easily employ to improve cardiovascular health,” said Ahluwalia.

You can drink fresh beet juice daily or do what we do, drink a tsp. Redibeets from Aim, with your BarleyLife and Just Carrots or drink a bottle of RedRush a day all available from the Aim Companies.