Getting to the root of BP control
If you're serious about reducing your blood pressure, then consider drinking a glass of beetroot juice every day.
Researchers rounded up some healthy volunteers who all had normal blood pressure, offered them a glass of beetroot juice, and watched amazed as the volunteers' blood pressure went down within an hour.
What's more, the decrease in blood pressure was even greater after three to four hours and the results continued for 24 hours.
What's in those beets?
Nitrate is the knock out ingredient, according to the research team. (Nitrate is also found in green, leafy vegetables, so if beets aren't your thing, you've got other options.)
The nitrate is converted into nitrite through natural bacteria in your saliva, which is then swallowed and converted further into nitric oxide, or it enters back into your bloodstream as nitrite. According to the researchers, the peak reduction time in blood pressure correlated with the peak level of nitrite present in the bloodstream.
A study done by NIH had previously shown that nitrites in the blood can ease blood flow by opening up your blood vessels. And, nitrite levels were shown to be lower in those patients who had high blood pressure.
The next step for the research team is to recruit patients who have high blood pressure and study them for a longer amount of time to see if the benefits would impact their blood pressure levels.
If you don't have a juicer, consider getting one. I've owned an ACME for the last 15 years. They don't wear out. I hear the widely available Jack LaLanne juicer works well, too. Beet juice goes really well with carrot juice—both are sweet root vegetables. For more flavor, add some apple juice. Some fresh ginger will give it a healthy zing.
And if you want to retain all of fiber along with the juice, get a Vita-Mix. I own one of these, too—just used it this afternoon to whip up a smoothie after a bit of exercise in the basement of my 150-year-old house. But be ready for a hefty $500 price tag. Use it, and it'll be money well spent.
