A Dastardly Clever Beetroot Smoothie
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A Dastardly Clever Beetroot Smoothie

Few people realise that underlying many diseases is chronic inflammation. Take your pick, diabetes II, arthritis, arterial plaque (atherosclerosis) with subsequent risk of heart attack, or a stroke… a list longer than you or I can shake a stick at. The answer is not half an Aspirin a day, nor is it non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs unless you’re keen on gastro-intestinal side effects. Instead use nutrients cleverly. A dastardly clever beetroot smoothie is one  example of where ‘the cure is in the kitchen‘  (a phrase coined by Dr Sherry Rogers MD) comes into its own and research in PubMed backs this up.

The only thing that can go wrong with a dastardly clever beetroot (beet for Americans) smoothie is you spilling a drop of it on your shirt/dress and ruin it forever (beetroot being the pig of pigments). This is safe to do for everybody! Our clever smoothies are not the prettily coloured, beautifully layered smoothies you see in blogs. No Gucci smoothies here, instead we make them so they kick bottom (Johnny English), they inhibit the activity of cyclo-oxygenase enzymes (including both COX-1 and COX-2), support Phase 2 detoxification and much more… Here’s what builds very robust health:

Ingredient How Much What Effects Its Benefit
Organic Sour/Tart Cherries stoned 1 cup full (i.e. more than shown in header picture) Next to vitamin C and Anthocyanins they contain Perillyl alcohol (POH) Limonene and Ellagic acid which are particularly protective against breast lung liver skin and colon cancers; anthocyanins and bioflavonoids slow down cyclo-oxyygenase enzymes COX-1 and COX-2 and this helps inflammatory conditions (laboratory tests at Michigan State University found that tart cherry compounds are at least 10 times more effective than aspirin in reducing inflammation without any of aspirin’s side effects); you need to put them in first with that ½ pint as they’ll rattle around before everything becomes smooth and only then you can add the next ingredient!
Carrots 1 left in fridge scrubbed and chopped Carotenoids in carrots not only help prevent oxidative damage inside our body they prevent oxidative damage to their Polyacetylenes (falcarinol and falcarindiol) that inhibit growth of abnormal cells in the colon; also 50-75g/day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease; vitamin A represents highest % of vitamins; inorganic minerals Mb-K-Mn-Cu-P.
Spinach stalks I’m post-war waste-not want-not generation so stalks are used Invariably stalks do not contain the same nutrient levels as our home-grown spinach leaves do (all used up in a smoothie yesterday) and they will contain lots of fibre; but given that nutrients travel up the stem from the soil they will contain lots of nutrients bar the photosynthesis dependent B vitamins. More fibre causes a smoothie to thicken so add water kefir (unless you like chewing your way through a smoothie).
Apple only 1 quarter left in fridge Significantly alters colon microbiota (notably the amount of Clostridiales and Bacteriodes); apple polyphenols ease the regulation of your blood sugars (Quercetin inhibits alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase); malic acid improves hepatobiliary flow i.e. fat-soluble detox. Obviously too little apple to do much good but it looked forlorn in the fridge, so in it went.
Beetroot 1 big one, top, tail, scrub and slice Raw beetroot (don’t buy the cooked ones!) provide antioxidant anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. Beetroot pigments have been shown to lessen tumour cell growth through a number of mechanisms. Beetroot nitrates convert into nitric oxide which helps not only cardiovascular health but also cognitive health.
Freeze Dried Cherry Powder 1 heaped soup spoon Anthocyanins and bioflavonoids (e.g. Queritrin and Isoqueritrin) -but not as many as in the sour/tart cherry- of course they give your smoothie a lovely flavour.
Organic Goji Juice Powder 1 heaped soup spoon Increases subjective feelings of general well-being and improves neurologic/psychologic performance and gastrointestinal functions; its antioxidant Zeaxanthin is a powerful vision protector that accumulates in the macula (the prominent bright yellow spot in the centre of the retina that allows you to distinguish fine detail).
Turmeric 1 (heaped) table spoon Organic turmeric (curcumin) is among the most potent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agents in the world. It is currently being tested in 16 clinical trials on cancer (prostate breast colon osteosarcoma). For absorption it’s best to combine fat-soluble turmeric with a dash of high-phenolic extra virgin olive or coconut oil (if you don’t have kefir or yoghurt to hand) and add a pinch of black pepper because piperine increases turmeric’s absorption). Buy organic in 1kg from buywholefoodsonline.co.uk makes this dirt cheap, but you MUST buffer this amount of turmeric with enough fermented dairy to keep it palatable!
High-phenolic olive oil up to 1 tbsp What’s there not to love: lowers cholesterol levels (and oxidation of cholesterol), reduces cardiovascular disease risk, improves brain health & cognitive function, reduces inflammation (!), reduces diabetes risk. The one I use is from Tuscany’s master Frantoio Franci (Franci Bio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml). Frantoio’s ultimate oil, Villa Magra Grand Cru, is scooped up by the Michelin 5-star restaurants as soon as it comes out. So I use the best that I can lay my hands on.
Plain Milk Kefir or Natural Yoghurt up to 250ml  Milk kefir has a much broader probiotic spectrum than natural organic yoghurt or water kefir have; it provides the lipids for turmeric’s absorption as does the high-phenolic olive oil. When you use 1 tbsp turmeric then you must offset that spiciness by fermented diary just like this is done in Indian cooking.

Beetroot detox

The detoxification of lipid-soluble toxins happens in the liver where Phase I creates an intermediate substance that then needs to (must!) go through Phase II in order to make it water-soluble, so your kidneys/bladder can excrete it. Beetroot’s pigments (betacyanins in red beetroot used in this smoothie) trigger Phase II via glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Those familiar with Dr. Max Gerson MD will immediately recognise that this is what palmitic acid does in coffee enemas. Facilitating clean-up improves your chance of cells replicating without error and function normally. The ample Manganese in beetroot is a necessary component for the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) that protects cells from damage induced by free radicals, notably the mitochondria (every cell’s energy creator). Increased expression of MnSOD has been found to suppress the malignant phenotype of human breast cancer cells suggesting that MnSOD is a tumour suppressor gene in human breast cancer [Li,J.J., Oberley,L.W., StClair,D.K., Ridnour,L.A. and Oberley,T.D. (1995) Phenotypic changes induced in human breast cancer cells by overexpression of manganese-containing superoxide dismutase. Oncogene, 10, 1989–2000].

Beetroot anti-inflammatory

Beetroot’s anti-inflammatory properties are thanks to betanin, isobetanin and vulgaxanthin that inhibit the activity of cyclo-oxygenase enzymes (including both COX-1 and COX-2). Such enzymes are messenger molecules that cells use to trigger inflammation; a useful functional mechanism when it’s triggered short term, a destructive mechanism when it’s triggered long term. Next to betacyanins in red or betaxanthins in yellow beetroot, and carotenoid phytonutrients, beetroot gives you betaine (made from choline, which is a vitamin B-complex, and it helps keep inflammation-causing homocysteine at healthy levels). Betaine itself is associated with lower levels of several inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Now you know why I regularly add beetroot to my smoothies

The inorganic nitrate in beetroot is associated with a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure [Source: J Nutr. 2013 Jun;143(6):818-26. doi: 10.3945/jn.112.170233. Epub 2013 Apr 17], inorganic nitrate in beetroot also helps oxygen to get into your red blood cell (oxygen saturation). It works via the ‘nitrate‐nitrite‐nitric oxide (NO) pathway’. It’s worth remembering that Viagra (nitric oxide – phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor PDE5i) started life as an anti-angina drug until of course other effects were noted and the rest is history! Beetroot doesn’t mimic the blue pill but its NO will help your circulation and cardiac architecture.

Kindly note that some people pass red/pink urine after consuming beetroot. It’s called beeturia which points to unmetabolised betalain pigments which normally lose their colour via oxidation by hydrochloric acid, ferric ions and colonic bacteria. So, if you pee is reddish after a beetroot smoothie, then you either have hypochlorhydria (not enough stomach acid), or a problem with iron metabolism, or a problem with gut bacteria balance. Not everybody has the capacity to absorb (so combine aloeride + milk kefir) and metabolise enough betacyanins and betaxanthins to get full antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, Phase II triggering benefits. It is however completely harmless, so there’s nothing to worry about if the No#1 or No#2s become reddish after a good helping of beetroot.

Bottom line is that by reducing chronic inflammation you reduce the chance of diseases that follow in its wake.

Some patients in my Practice were too busy to smoothie regularly, but they wanted the increase in raw nutrients and so they used the Juice Plus Premium supplement. These are encapsulated (dehydrated) raw vegetables, fruits, grapes and berries. It’s horses for courses.

Note that curcumin is comprised of 3 separate compounds: curcumin I (diferuloylmethane), curcumin II (desmethoxycurcumin), and curcumin III (bis-desmethoxycurcumin). And they don’t work the same way. The curcumin supplements you buy now are mostly comprised of curcumin I (70-80%) and curcumin II (12-20%) yet they have only tiny amounts of curcumin III (0.5% to 1.5%). These curcumin compounds fight inflammation in different ways. Curcumins I and II inhibit a key trigger for inflammation called NF-kappaB. They inhibit this protein to relieve pain and inflammation. It is true: dozens of studies show that ordinary curcumin can inhibit inflammatory proteins such as NF-kB and C-reactive protein (CRP), along with enzymes such as COX and LOX. Curcumin III neutralizes an entirely different inflammatory protein called MSK1 (mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase-1). This protein is responsible for triggering pain and inflammation at the genetic level — before NF-kB even gets into the picture! Buy certified organic and be very generous with your dosage so as to get enough curcumin III also.

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2 Comments

  1. I have been taking Aloeride for 2 weeks now and have found great improvements in my habits. So pleased I have found a great natural cure. A great website. Many thanks.

    1. Super happy to read this Theresa! Many thanks for your comment, kind regards, Han.

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