Morning Beet Juice

So true confession time. I love nearly all vegetables and fruits. Except beets. I hate beets! I mean, I really hate them. They make me want to gag. And it stinks because they are so good for you! They are low in calories and high in so many nutrients – folate, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin C, B6, iron, manganese – they even have a little protein. Beets can help lower blood pressure, improve athletic performance, reduce inflammation in the body, and ease digestion. They are little nutritional powerhouses.

Recently I’ve been on a kick to recalibrate my palate where it comes to beets. I want to see if this old girl can learn a new trick – learn to love beets. So far I’m only at Step 1 in this process. And that step is to get myself to think of beets as a sweet treat. So I’ve juiced them here with a carrot, which is actually fairly sweet for a vegetable, and two oranges, which definitely feels like cheating. I also added in the beet greens and half a lemon with the rind still on to brighten it up and distract me from the distinct “dirt” flavor beets have on my tongue. If lemon rind is too much for you, you can always peel it off before juicing the lemon.

I use a masticating juicer made by Omega. It’s not a top-of-the-line model, but it’s been reliable for me for several years. Masticating juicers use a screw to extract the juice at a slow speed, instead of the fast-spinning blade on regular juicers. Because they operate at a slow speed, the ingredients don’t get heated up in the process, so the delicate vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in the juice are not disturbed.

The result is a very drinkable, highly enjoyable juice. Because of the oranges, you definitely can’t call it low glycemic. In my experience, change is most possible when we meet ourselves where we are. And this is where I am right now. Enjoying beets for the first time, with a little help from some oranges.