Harness the huge health benefits of beets this summer
We all have very specific smells that send a wave of nostalgia through our body and trigger childhood memories. Maybe the smell of vanilla reminds you of your grandma’s baking; the smell of coconut brings back memories of the sun cream you used on family holidays; a whiff of bonfire smoke takes you back to your spot around the campfire wrapped in a blanket. For me, it’s beetroot – I am back in my mum’s kitchen, she is using her special pan for cooking beetroot, and I can also smell the night-scented stocks that she always planted in front of the kitchen window, and freshly cut grass.
Nostalgic smells can bring in some of the fondest memories of some of the happiest times; they unlock childhood memories, remind you of loved ones, and take you way, way back. I have very fond memories of the simple meals we ate when we were growing up. Whenever Mum cooked beetroot, she’d remove the roots, slice the beets up and serve them with salad, tinned salmon and new potatoes. Yummy!
Back to the present day! We often read how we should ‘eat a rainbow of colours’ when choosing our fruit and veg – beetroot is vibrant, nutrient-rich and an incredibly healthy choice to add to your shopping basket. These deep-red, earthy delights (I know, not everyone would label them a ‘delight’, but I love them!) offer a host of health benefits, including supporting blood pressure regulation and cardiovascular health, boosting athletic performance, and helping to stimulate the flow of bile as they help the liver flush out toxins.
Beets are also a nutritional powerhouse. They are low in calories but high in essential nutrients. One cup of raw beets contains significant amounts of folate, potassium, vitamin C, and fibre. They contain several antioxidant compounds, which promote healthy body reactions in case of allergic, inflammatory, microbial, and cancerous activities.
Beetroot is the ideal ingredient for a seasonal cleanse. Just as the trees, plants, and animals prepare for each season, we should too. Every season affects your body differently and, as we enter the warmer months, it is vital to prepare for the transition and take stock of what we are eating.
Our Seasonal Cleansing Beetroot Smoothie is a great choice for the summer months – easy to prepare, gentle on the tummy and it will help to eliminate toxic build-up in the liver and digestive tract.
To maintain good health, we need to eat a rainbow of colours and there is nothing more colourful than a dish full of beetroot during the summer. Remember though, beetroot will change the colour of your urine and poo. This is perfectly normal and is known as ‘beeturia’. The pigments in beetroot can give urine a pinkish colour and also tint the colour of your poo. Don’t panic when you notice this – it usually lasts just a day or two.
We tend to eat more salads during the summer, but if you have a sensitive gut, try not to eat anything raw, including fruits, salads and vegetables after 4pm. Raw foods can take many hours to digest properly, creating lots of fermentative, bloaty gas. Eat your raw foods with breakfast or lunch.
The benefits of seasonal cleansing
Every day, millions of toxins from different elements enter your body. Regular exposure to toxins from chemicals in the air, food, water, medications, and beauty products is a concern.
There are a variety of toxic chemicals including carcinogens, hormone disrupters, neurotoxic chemicals, respiratory toxins, reproductive toxins, and more. It’s a scary sounding list but our bodies have built-in systems that assist in detoxification (lungs, liver, kidneys, skin, intestines). When toxic chemicals enter through one of these paths they are carried around in the bloodstream and eliminated or stored in tissues, like fat and bone.
Give your body a helping hand to remove these toxins by eating an array of vibrant, colourful, non-processed foods, drinking plenty of plain water, avoiding constipation, exercising, skin-brushing, having Epsom salts baths, using castor oil packs and getting plenty of rest. Remember too that toxins can also enter the body through your eyes and ears, so limit screen time.
When the toxic burden becomes too much, our system can become sluggish and mild symptoms can occur like fatigue, constipation, bloating, weight gain, and trouble sleeping. As we enter the month of June, consider carrying out our 5-day Charcoal cleanse when the moon is full on Tuesday 22nd June. This full moon is called a Strawberry Moon because wild strawberries ripen in June and were harvested by Native American tribes. You will find more information on the benefits of taking activated charcoal, as well as the 5-day cleanse protocol on our Activated Charcoal Fact Sheet.
Supporting your body through cleansing as the seasons change can help restore your energy levels, boost your mood, give your tummy a well-earned reboot, and enhance your ability to absorb nutrients leading to improved overall wellbeing.
We hope that you enjoy this vibrant and highly nutritious smoothie – it can be prepared in advance and consumed for breakfast, or as a post-workout treat or a mid-afternoon snack. By keeping your digestion strong and healthy in the warmer months, you will be better prepared when cold and flu season rolls around in the autumn.
If you have a question about a digestive and gut health issue or would like to know more about a tailored supplement protocol, please get in touch.
