It’s one of the most underappreciated vegetables in the produce aisle. And it’s regularly rejected by kids and adults alike.
But I’m on a mission to help change that.
Because despite the hate this humble root veggie regularly receives from its critics, beets are actually a HEALTH HERO.
They may not be much to look at. But hidden deep inside every ugly beet is an incredible ability to boost blood flow.
This natural, God-given talent, is why the juice of this vegetable could help increase your stamina, giving you an extra boost of energy to get things done.
But most incredible of all is beets could also help lower your blood pressure.
And if you have hypertension but LOVE how salt enhances the flavor of your food, you’re going to want to keep reading to find out how beets could help.
Diving into the salt versus blood pressure debate
When you were diagnosed with high blood pressure… or even borderline hypertension… it’s likely one of the first thing’s your doctor said to you.
“Cut out the salt.”
Now, if you’re a regular Healthier Talk reader, you already know that not everyone who battles elevated blood pressure IS salt-resistant or sensitive.
In fact, for many folks, a drastic change in how much salt they add to their food only has a modest impact on their numbers at best.
But we ALSO know that a higher percentage of folks with hypertension are salt resistant. This means that, for the time being, most doctors will still insist you need to ditch your salt shaker.
The reality is, many of us ARE eating far too much salt. But it’s likely NOT your salt shaker that’s to blame.
The Western diet is drowning in hidden junk sodium. Added salt lurks in all those processed foods we love to eat from soups to lunch meats.
In comparison, a sprinkle of salt on a home-cooked dish made from fresh ingredients isn’t likely going to make much of a difference.
But that alone probably WON’T stop your doc from trying to get you to ditch the shaker. However, a new study on beet juice extracts sure might.
If you can’t BEAT them BEET them
The new study has a growing number of researchers and docs doing something many of us thought we’d NEVER see.
They’re admitting that keeping your blood pressure under control DOESN’T always require a life sentence of bland, salt-free food.
The recent research even has some folks giving hypertension advice that may sound a bit familiar to you. And that’s because we’ve been saying it right here in Healthier Talk for nearly a decade now.
And that is if you ARE salt-sensitive, eating BEETS could be a great way to help you manage your blood pressure.
You see, beets are loaded with dietary nitrates. And your body converts those nitrates into blood-vessel-expanding nitric oxide.
In other words, eating this often-ignored veggie can naturally boost your blood flow. And that, in turn, could help keep your blood pressure in check.
The nitrates found naturally in beets are an incredible 100 times MORE potent than potassium. Which means beet juice could even help counteract the sodium in the foods you eat.
In fact, the researchers were so impressed by how a beetroot extract performed in their study, they offered some rare advice. They’re encouraging food manufacturers to add beet juice or nitrate extract to their products to help neutralize the junk salt in them.
In the meantime, you can start taking advantage of the BP-stabilizing power of beets on your own.
I’ll admit beet juice is an acquired taste. But it’s a simple way to supplement your diet with powerful nitrates. And fresh beets are delicious when they’re fixed the right way. Try roasting them with some carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, and a bit of olive oil for a tasty side dish that could help support healthy blood pressure.
Plus, beetroot supplements and powders are available online and wherever supplements are sold.
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