Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Our initial interest in this post is premade fruit and vegetable blends often labeled as healthy juices, which are costly to purchase. Surprisingly, these store bought beverages frequently contain ingredients that consumers do not anticipate. Licensed dietitian Eli Brecher revealed that a prominent ginger shot available at local stores contains 75% apple juice with only 25% ginger. This type of deception can be avoided by creating homemade juices.
Benefits of DIY Juices
Homemade juices ensure that individuals select the primary ingredient, allowing for a truly wholesome and nutritious drink. For example, substituting ginger with beetroot as the main component in your homemade juice offers more than just a milder flavor. It provides enhanced benefits for those aiming to reduce blood pressure and boost their vitamin C consumption. Experts from Good Food recommend starting the day with a glass of beetroot juice for breakfast to “boost your vitamin C intake.” Additionally, you can prepare this beverage a day in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
Scientific Evidence
Various studies, some of which are supported by the British Heart Foundation, have associated beetroot juice with lower blood pressure. These explorations have involved small groups of individuals but have established that nitrates naturally present in beetroot aid in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Beyond beetroot, other produce like spinach, celery, kale, bananas, and strawberries are also rich in nitrates, adding to your options for lowering blood pressure naturally.
DIY Beetroot Juice Recipe
Ingredients
- One small beetroot, quartered, with stems removed
- One large apple, quartered
- One carrot
- A half-inch piece of ginger
- Two teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Preparation Instructions
A juicer is suggested for this creation, but a blender and strainer can also achieve a smooth texture.
If using a juicer, feed the ingredients through the machine into a glass, mix thoroughly, and serve over ice. For blending, chop everything into small pieces and transfer into a blender with 200ml of cold water.
Puree until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Don’t worry if the texture is thick.
Pour the blended mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. For a thinner juice, line the sieve with a clean cloth.
Serve the juice in a glass with ice. Drinking the mixture immediately after preparation is ideal, but it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. If stored, mix well before serving.