The benefits and harms of beetroot decoction have been known to ancient healers. It was successfully used to treat many diseases and was considered a panacea for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. Modern scientists have studied the properties of this product and have come to the conclusion that the benefits and harms of beet broth are due to its rich composition.
Nutritionists are unanimous in the opinion that this drink is useful to all people, without exception, regardless of physical condition, age and gender. Other representatives of traditional medicine do not agree with this statement and warn that a biologically active product, such as a decoction, can cause undesirable consequences. And we must admit that both parties to the dispute are right in their own way. Cooked in accordance with all the rules, the beet broth actually has many healing properties, but it should be taken dosed and taking into account the existing contraindications, which we will talk about later.
Why is beetroot tea useful?
So, let's start with the more widespread version: beetroot broth only benefits, product harm - these are just speculations of pessimists. To begin with, we learn what useful substances are included in its composition.
Beetroot is famous for its high content of vitamins and minerals, low calorie content. In a properly prepared beetroot broth, all these properties are preserved. Beet broth contains:
- B vitamins (mainly vitamin B 9 );
- Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that strengthens the immune system;
- organic acids (tartaric, malic, citric, lactic, oxalic), which are catalysts for metabolic processes;
- trace elements (magnesium and calcium, potassium and sodium, iron and manganese, iodine), without which the normal functioning of internal systems and organs is impossible;
- pectin and fiber, which are stabilizers of the digestive processes.
With this composition, the use of beetroot broth seems completely obvious. It can cause harm to people with some chronic diseases (we will talk about them below), therefore, before the first drink, a specialist consultation is necessary.
Do you know that the decoction and juice of beets are significantly different in composition? The chemical elements of beets after heat treatment go into a different form, their effect on the body changes. The broth is much safer, because its components are better absorbed by the body.
Beetroot broth properties
As follows from the above, such a drink is a real biologically active substance. The benefits and harms of beetroot decoction for the body are determined by a whole set of factors - this is the state of health, the dosage, and the duration of the course of treatment.
Beet broth has more healing properties than fresh root vegetable or juice squeezed from it. So that all its properties are fully manifested, the broth is taken thirty minutes before a meal. Moreover, you should start taking with a few tablespoons, increasing a single serving gradually.
Beetroot decoction has the following properties:
- Diuretic - a drink allows you to get rid of edema. Changes become noticeable after the first dose. If you take the broth regularly, the swelling will disappear and will not appear again.
- Laxatives - a decoction will help get rid of even chronic constipation. You can not be afraid that it will provoke diarrhea, just the intestines will work fine. For obese people, the benefits of beetroot broth are obvious. He can do harm only if overweight is caused by sugar weight or other chronic illness.
- Anti-inflammatory - with a decoction, with sore throat or tonsillitis, gargle. It relieves inflammation and alleviates the condition after the first procedure.
- Beneficial effect of a decoction made from beets, and on a healthy body. Even if you take it periodically, the positive effects will not take long: the proteins begin to absorb better, and this reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis, nervous tension will go away, and sleep will normalize. The body will get rid of toxins and harmful substances, which will improve overall well-being.
Cooking methods
The benefits and harms of beetroot broth for health are still being studied by doctors. They believe that the properties of the drink largely depend on the correct choice of the root crop and its preparation. Beets should be red, without rot and damage. To prepare the broth, it should not be cleaned, although there are recipes with peeled vegetables. The benefit and harm of beetroot decoction in this case depends not so much on the method of preparation as on the dosage and the rules of admission.
This healing drink can be prepared in several ways. Traditional healers do not recommend subjecting the root crop to a long heat treatment, as this can lead to a loss of healing properties. To have more benefits than harm, beetroot broth must be properly cooked.
- Wash medium beets well, cut off the top and fill with three liters of water. Cook until the liquid is reduced by a third. Remove the root crop, peel it, grate it on a coarse grater and return it to the drink, which should boil for another 20 minutes. Strain, cool at room temperature, and the drink is ready to drink.
- From a large, pre-washed beet, peel, put in a saucepan and pour water (cold). Cook it until cooked. The broth should cool at room temperature.
- Cut beets of any size into several parts, fill with water and cook for an hour and a half, until the decoction begins to resemble syrup.
Beetroot decoction: benefits and harms for the liver
A decoction is used to cleanse the liver. It is regularly taken in small portions. Or the procedure is carried out in one day. 800 ml of beetroot broth prepared according to one of the described recipes should be divided into four parts. The drug is drunk in four doses, with an interval of four hours.
You can’t drink the entire volume immediately. This will not benefit the liver (beet broth is harmful in the presence of some chronic diseases). It is better to take it before meals, and during treatment, fatty and spicy foods, meat dishes should be excluded from the diet. To maximize the cleaning effect, it is advisable to eat only apples during the day.
After this procedure, sometimes in the stomach there are unpleasant, and sometimes painful sensations. Do not worry about this - they pass pretty quickly. On the day that cleaning is planned, refrain from any activity. Just relax with a warm heating pad after each broth intake. The vessels will expand under the influence of heat, and this will enhance the beneficial effect of the drug.
Gallstones
With the complex therapy of crushing stones in gallstone disease, doctors confirm the benefits of beetroot decoction. Harm (reviews indicate this) can be caused to the body only if there is an allergic reaction to beets, which is quite rare.
To prepare a therapeutic agent, it is necessary to boil four beets of medium size in three liters of water for an hour. Then the root crop is pulled out, cooled and cut into slices, which are transferred to a three-liter glass jar. The root crop should be poured with three liters of filtered water. After that, close the jar with a lid and place it in a cool place protected from the sun.
After two days, the jar is opened, the contents are mixed well and left to infuse for another six days. The finished product is taken half a cup twice a day. A person who suffers from gallstone disease needs to include in the diet vegetable salads with beets, seasoned with olive oil.
For weight loss
Beets contain useful substances that accelerate the process of burning fat. Broth reduces the content of "bad" cholesterol in the blood. For this reason, it will be useful to people who seek to lose weight. You will need:
- 1 medium-sized beet;
- water - 1 liter;
- 5 grams of sugar;
- one lemon.
The root crop is cleaned and rubbed on a fine grater. Then squeeze the juice, which is so far set aside. Squeezed beets are poured with a liter of boiling water and boiled for about half an hour. Fresh beet juice, lemon juice and sugar are added to the liquid. After this, the product should be boiled over low heat for another five minutes.
The finished broth is filtered and cooled. Take it in ½ cup no more than four times a day.
Okroshka on beetroot broth: benefits and harms
Preparing such a dish is not difficult at all. It has a delicate taste and a pleasant aroma. Two medium-sized beets, previously peeled, cut into thin strips, poured with water (three liters). The root crop is cooked until cooked. The broth is cooled, salt is added to taste, two boiled eggs, three fresh cucumbers, greens and green onions.
This okroshka perfectly quenches thirst in hot weather, normalizes the digestive tract. It is not recommended to use this dish for exacerbation of gastritis and a tendency to diarrhea.
Beet broth in cosmetology
External use of a beet broth is no less useful than its traditional use. Here are just a few ways to use this product to preserve beauty and youth.
- Foot baths to which warm broth is added will help to get rid of corns and cracks on heels.
- A face mask made from wheat flour, raw potatoes, grated, and beetroot decoction will relieve any inflammation. To do this, mix all the components in equal parts to obtain a creamy mass. Apply the mask on the face for 10 minutes, and then rinse with cool milk.
- If you rinse them with a decoction of beets after each hair wash, they will become silky and elastic.
- Rubbing the decoction into the hair roots, you strengthen them.
- A beet broth mixed with water in equal proportions is a wonderful lotion that is used to improve complexion and cleanse the skin.
Contraindications to the use of a decoction
Today we talked a lot about the benefits and harms of beet broth. This remedy also has contraindications, and they must be taken into account before starting treatment. Beet broth is contraindicated in:
- hypotension, since the composition is quite mild, but still lowers the pressure;
- osteoporosis, since beets and preparations based on it make calcium absorption difficult;
- with oxaluria and urolithiasis due to oxalic acid, which is part of the root crop, the use of a decoction is contraindicated;
- you should not eat beets and products based on it with a tendency to diarrhea;
- with diabetes, you should not take a decoction, since it contains a lot of glucose.
Reviews on the use of the decoction
Most reviews are about liver cleansing. Patients are satisfied with the result. The broth gently cleanses not only the liver, but also the intestines. The tool has a diuretic effect, which helps get rid of edema. Many note that after taking a decoction of beets, their condition with gallstone disease improved.
To summarize
In conclusion, I would like to say that the use of a decoction of beets should only bring benefits, improving well-being. If after the start of the procedures you feel discomfort or noted an exacerbation of the symptoms of chronic diseases, you must stop treatment and consult a doctor.