We’re always warning people away from juice. Once the juice of a fruit or vegetable has been separated from its fibrous flesh, the sugar can spike blood sugar, and you lose a lot of the benefits of the plant. But, blended juices, or very thin smoothies, made with whole fruits or vegetables, are different. Blended juices can be delicious and nutritious, filled with fiber and vitamins! You cut the fruit into small chunks and puree it with water in a blender until smooth.
Beets, or beetroots, are in season throughout the summer. Blended beet juice is rich in fiber and low in calories. It’s high in dietary nitrates that can be great for people with high blood pressure concerns. Some people love the flavor. It’s sweet, earthy and a little bitter. Others say it tastes like dirt. However you feel about beets, in general, will dictate what you think about the juice. Turning it into a juice does not change the flavor. You can add some pop to the taste with lemon, or you can cover it with a sweeter low-carb fruit in a smoothie.
A study found that when people drank a 17-ounce glass of beet juice and then ate a large amount of glucose, their blood sugar did not spike as much as when they ate the sugar alone. That study was conducted with traditional juice — the beets had been through a juicer — and the drink lacked fiber. The nitrate-rich drink appeared to help insulin sensitivity even without fiber. So, even traditional beet juice may aid blood sugar. But, it’s preferable to have it in a blended drink if you want to drink your veggies.
Something to keep in mind with all smoothies and blended drinks is portion sizes. We always suggest making them at home because then you know what’s going into the mix. When you start pulverizing your ingredients, you can consume a lot more food than you realize. You want to stick to healthy portions and enjoy blended drinks in moderation. You make blended juices with water to thin them out. That makes them lower in calories per serving than smoothies. A cup of beets has 43 calories, 9.6 grams of carbs and 2.8 grams of fiber.
If you want to try beet juice, you can go for juicing them yourself. Just be aware that you are losing the fiber. Or you can make a delicious blended juice. One of our favorites is this recipe for “Berry Beet Juice.” Beets, raspberries and strawberries come together to make a sweet drink with no added sugar, cream or anything other than water and ice! A glass is just 41 calories, nine grams of carbs and three grams of fiber. It’s a tasty and refreshing drink on a summer day that lets you drink your greens and might help your blood sugar!
