What I love about Shanghai is that it combines tradition with modernity. And I personally like to apply this mix in different fields of life, especially when cooking. I like to take some old recipe and add my own twist. So as soon as I got my dream, life enhancing juicer for unbelievably low price of 138 RMB, the first juice I ‘designed’ was based on underappreciated beetroot.
I come from Poland where beetroot is our staple food – beetroot soup, beetroot salad, beetroot pickles. My mother and grandmother started feeding me beetroots from the early age because of their multiple health benefits .It even got itself a role in a gripping Tim Robbins’ book – ‘Jitterbug perfume’ as the essential ingredient of the ‘perfect perfume’ AND is included in the very first line of the novel, stating ‘The beet is the most intense of vegetables’. It is –besides its crimson color - just check out its health benefits:
1) Lowers blood pressure and helps fight heart disease thanks to nitrate.
2) Improves oxygenation to the brain and in this way, slows the progression of dementia
3) Lowers glucose levels.
4) Helps to prevent constipation and promotes regularity for a healthy digestive track.
5) Choline – a nutrient in beetroot – helps with sleep, movement, learning and memory, and can also reduce inflammation
6) Improves athletic performance as it improves muscle oxygenation.
For my very first juice, I combined a few slices of pickled baby beets with a half of RED DRAGON FRUIT – a rich source of fiber, vitamin C B1, B2, B3, and minerals such as iron, calcium and phosphorus. It also helps lower cholesterol levels, fights diabetes and reduces signs of aging.
I also added about 10 strawberries and a whole orange. The result was 1,5 glass of beautifully looking, ultra delicious juice.
In his novel, Tom Robbins says 'The beet is the melancholy vegetable, the one most willing to suffer.You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip...'.Of course no! But you can squeeze plenty of health benefits out of a beetroot,combined with various fruit out there on the Asian market.