Why beetroot’s the healthiest juice

IF YOU’RE worried about sugar levels in fruit juices, vegetable j uices are the answer. Lower in sugar, and hi g h in vi t a mins a nd antioxidants, veggie juices have long been the nutritionists’ favourite, and vividlycoloured beetroot juice is one of most delicious.

Drunk by athletes at the London Olympics, beetroot juice has been a sales hit as interest in its health benefits has grown.

Sainsbury’s, which has a range of beetroot juices, says searches on its website for ‘ beetroot juice’ are up 548 per cent week on week, while M&S, which does an Apple, Beetroot & Blackcurrant Juice, reports that sales are up 100 per cent year on year.

High in nitrates, which help the body use less oxygen and so boost endurance, beetroot juice is particularly popular with runners, walkers and cyclists.

They like the fact that the nitrates in i t convert i nto nitrites in the body, which are believed to increase blood flow.

The juice is also high in folic acid, making i t beneficial to pregnant women or ones who are looking to conceive, and is also proved to reduce blood pressure.

B.Fresh, which makes coldpressed fruit and veg juices at its f a mi ly - r u n farm in Shropshire, says that demand for beetroot juice is so great the firm has just introduced a new variety made almost entirely of beetroot juice — its highest concentration yet.

Called #totalbeets, it’s 95 per cent beetroot and 5 per cent lemon juice, and a 250ml bottle contains just 104 calories. Katie Briggs, from B. Fresh, says: ‘We already had a range of juices which were blended with beetroot juice.

‘ But after cl i nical tr i al s showed that drinking a 250ml glass of beetroot juice lowered blood pressure, and in response to all the runners and cyclists in our team who kept asking for it, we decided to produce a total beetroot juice. The addition of a little lemon juice gives the root vegetable a very light lift, making it a r eally refreshing drink.’

B.Fresh’s #totalbeets is available at independent retailers all over the country or from b-fresh.co.uk with an RRP of £2.50 for a 250ml bottle.

Other supermarkets i ncluding Waitrose, M&S and Sainsbury’s also stock a range of beetroot j ui c es and blends.