Make your own powerful beetroot medicine
By Sari Huhtala
I’ve been playing around with functional food powders lately in my quest for self-sustainability. So, when I came across loads of science on the amazing power of beetroots as medicine for everything from inflammation to high blood pressure to dementia, it made sense to create a beetroot powder.
After dehydrating the flesh of over a half a dozen pumpkins and turning them into pumpkin powder, I realized I still had a supply of dehydrated beetroot slices left over from the fall that ought to be converted into a powder form too. This way, sprinkling a little here and there, not just adds a splash of colour, but supplies the body with a burst of nitric oxide that is amazing medicine for heart health, inflammation and oxidative stress.
When beetroot was consumed as a juice supplement or as an additive to bread, it “significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” according to a 2015 review, The Potential Benefits of Red Beetroot Supplementation in Health and Disease, published in the journal Nutrients.
Scientists attribute its effect on cardiovascular health to its high inorganic nitrate content. Although nitrates don’t necessarily connect to specific physiological functions, combined with salivary bacteria it reduces into nitric oxide, which aids in blood vessel dilation, neurotransmission regulation and signalling and stimulation of hormone release, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Recent studies have provided compelling evidence that beetroot ingestion offers beneficial physiological effects that may translate to improved clinical outcomes for several pathologies, such as; hypertension, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes and dementia,” according to the 2015 scientific review.
Do-it-yourself beetroot powder is simple. Wash and thinly slice red beets. If using an oven, choose the lowest setting. If using a dehydrator, keep it raw by setting the heat at no more than 105 degrees F. Place the raw beets on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet or directly on the dehydrator trays.
Dehydrate until there is no moisture left in the beets. Any moisture is an invitation for mould to take hold. I dehydrate my veggies overnight, for several hours.
Then, once cooled completely, either store in a sealed jar out of sunlight, or grind into a powder using a small blender or grinder. Store the powder in a sealed jar.
A little goes a long way. For example, I did the math when I was dehydrating pumpkins and calculated that one tablespoon of my pumpkin powder equals two thirds of a cup of pumpkin flesh. Wowza! That’s real nutrition.
A friend recently encouraged me to try my beetroot powder in my breakfast bowl, which is a combination of raw oats, buckwheat, chia seeds, flax seeds and other seeds with cashew milk. I’d been using the beetroot powder in soups, breads and smoothies, but hadn’t though of it as a breakfast booster. It’s actually flavourful and provides a mountain of goodness for the body.
(This information is not intended to replace medical advice and treatment from a health care practitioner).
Sari Huhtala is the creator, publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine, which was created in 2007. She has over 25 years of experience in journalism and over 15 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, and is a holistic chef, offering holistic cooking and edible wilds workshops. She is an organic farmer, wild-crafter and grandmother, who has spent over 20 years navigating a holistic, healthy path for her family. Reach her at friends@thelaughingforest.ca
