Beets: Love them or hate them?

Until recently, my only exposure to beets was Dwight from “The Office”. Whenever I use beets now, I giggle to myself as I hear Jim say “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galatica” to antagonize Dwight.

Turns out, Dwight’s obsession with this surprisingly pretty root vegetable is not so strange. Since I’m not a medical doctor, I’m not going to go into all of the myriad health benefits of beets. However, they can significantly boost your mental health with their detoxifying power.

Beets are definitely an acquired taste. For this particular cleansing smoothie, I used a slice of canned beets and let me tell you, it was stinky. You’ve been warned. I combined coconut water (potassium has great anti-anxiety qualities), beets, a berry blend, vanilla protein powder and a few drops of liquid Stevia. I wasn’t sure how “beety” it would taste, so I was working hard to cover that flavor. Obviously, this one was tasty enough that my kids drank more than I did!

Beets assist in detoxifying your liver and gall bladder. Over time, your liver, which is the detox organ of the body, can become inefficient or diseased based on the abuse of our Standard American Diets (SAD). If it is inefficient in filtering toxins from your body, what happens? They build up in your body and cause problems. These problems can look very common; maybe you just brush them off. Bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation or other disruptions in the digestive system, interference with your hormones, which is an obvious link to depression and mood swings, cognitive problems like brain fog and more. There is much to be said about detoxing – perhaps for another post. For now, know that incorporating beets into your diet (in the least offensive way possible) is a good step towards healing your body.

If fresh or canned beets are too intimidating (or stinky), I found these pouches at Walmart that work just as well. Drink it on its own or add it to your smoothie!

Try it and let me know what you think!