Current uses

According to John Heinerman, Ph.D., in the Encyclopedia of Healing Juices, beets (and beet juices) are a blood-building herb that detoxifies blood and renews it with minerals and natural sugars. The encyclopedia goes on to note that there may be substances in beets that aid circulation.

Other sources also speak highly of beets and beet juices. Dr. H.C.A. Vogel, in The Nature Doctor, states that beet juice contains betaine, which stimulates the function of liver cells and protects the liver and bile ducts. Norman Walker, D.Sc., in Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices, claims that beets build red corpuscles and add tone to blood.

Of course, many of these claims are not substantiated in a "traditional" sense, and one might wonder if there is any "scientific" evidence of the health benefits of beets. There is.

An article in the February 27, 1996, issue of Cancer Letters reported on an animal study that shows that beetroot has a significant tumor-inhibiting effect. The abstract for the study says, "The combined findings suggest that beetroot ingestion can be one of the useful means to prevent cancer."

More intriguing information centers around betaine, a substance found in a number of plants in the chenopodiaceae family. Sugar beets, broccoli, and spinach are particularly high in this substance. It is most often derived from sugar beets. Recent studies point to this substance as a contributor to the prevention of coronary and cerebral artery disease. This is because betaine is proving to be a methyl doner.

A methyl doner ensures that homocysteine, a breakdown product of the amino acid methionine, is converted back to methionine. Mildly elevated levels of homocysteine have been found in patients with coronary artery and cerebrovascular disease. This condition is known as mild hyperhomocysteinemia, and is recognized as a risk factor for premature arteriosclerotic disease (Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis 14, no. 3 [March 1994]).

Juicing

Juicing, and the benefits of a juicing program, have long been recognized around the world. Since the early part of this century, researchers such as Norman Walker, D.Sc., and Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D., have investigated the effects of juice as part of the daily diet. Their studies show that juice can provide all the basics of human nutrition, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Juicing adds to the benefits of fruits and vegetables. Because juicing removes fiber, the important nutrients and phytochemicals found in plants are absorbed more easily by our bodies-sometimes within minutes-without too much effort on the part of the digestive system. As well, more of the nutrients are absorbed; fiber is not present to escort some of them out of the body.

Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are also rich in enzymes. Enzymes spark the hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that occur throughout the body; enzymes are essential for the digestion and absorption of food, for the conversion of foodstuffs into body tissue, and for the production of energy at the cellular level. In fact, enzymes are essential for most of the building and rebuilding that goes on in the body every day. When foods are cooked, enzymes can be destroyed; that is why raw foods and juices are so important to us. They provide us with an excellent source of all-important enzymes.

Nutritional researchers have concluded that there are three juices that form the core of any effective juicing program: a green vegetable juice, a carrot juice, and a beet juice. Combined, these three juices provide a simple way to add natural, healthy nutrients to your diet. See BarleyLife ^™, Just Carrots ^™ and RediBeets ^™.

Phytochemicals

Many claims about plants and health have not been tested in clinical, double-blind trials or by other traditional means. Should we believe them? The universal acceptance of the benefits of plant phytochemicals-substances found in plants that may play a role in preventive health-might at least nudge us toward the willingness to accept the possibility that plants have benefits.

Some of the research on phytochemicals is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which has launched a multimillion-dollar project to find, isolate, and study phytochemicals. The result of this and similar research is an ever-increasing wealth of data that points to the possible positive effect of fruits and vegetables on our health.

For example, research has shown that broccoli contains a substance, sulforaphane, that may prevent, even cure, breast cancer. Citrus fruits contain limone, which increases the activity of enzymes that eliminate carcinogens. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and similar vegetables contain indoles, which might lower the risk of breast cancer. Genistein, a substance found in soy beans, may block tumor growth, and lycopene, a component of tomatoes, has been linked to reduced risk of prostate cancer.

An article published in the April 12, 1995, edition of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the protective effect of fruits and vegetables against stroke. This study followed a group of 832 men for 20 years. The incidence of stroke in this time period was 191.7 per 1,000 in the men who ate two or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables a day, compared to 78.7 per 1,000 in those who ate eight or more servings a day. The study concludes that, "The more servings of fruits and vegetables they ate, the lower their risk of stroke."

More recently, evidence has indicated that eating fruits, vegetables, and grains is a good way to prevent cancer of the colon and rectum. This study differs from others in that it notes that while many previous studies looked at specific substances in foods for health effects, a whole food effect may be what is important. Researchers found that anti-disease effects persisted even when the amount of individual nutrients in a food were low.

One of the results of this research is that the NCI recommends that we eat five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits a day.

RediBeets? is a convenient way to meet the NCI's recommendations.

Whole body health results when all body systems are in balance. No single body system is targeted-we make choices that keep all systems toxin-free and that supply all systems with optimum nutrition. The result is total wellness: waking up every day feeling great! RediBeets? helps provide the daily nutrition you need to develop a strong foundation for your good health.

Suggested Reading

• "Beet juice aids stomach upsets, some cancers." Better Nutrition for Today's Living. October 1994.

• Kapadia, G.J., et al. "Chemoprevention of lung and skin cancer by beta vulgaris (beet) root extract." Cancer Letters 100, no. 1-2 (February 27, 1996): 211-4.

• Vogel, Dr. H.C.A. The Nature Doctor. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1991.

• Walker, Norman W., D.Sc. Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices. Prescott, AZ: Norwalk Press, 1970.

• Heinerman, John. Encyclopedia of Healing Juices. West Nyack, NY: Parker Publishing, 1994.

• RediBeets? is a Whole Body Health product. The complete Whole Body Health lines consists of the AIM Garden Trio?, BarleyLife?, AIM Just Carrots?, RediBeets?, and Herbal Fiberblend?. Use these products to give yourself a solid foundation for your health.