In a randomised and placebo controlled study, 13 heathy adults aged 64 years consumed either two Beet It Sport shots (containing 400mg of natural dietary nitrate each) or a nitrate depleted placebo shot containing no nitrate. Those who drank the nitrate rich shot were found to have reduced blood pressure by an average of 6.6mmHg (Public Health England (NHS England)) recognises that reducing blood pressure by 5 mmHg in all adults with hypertension reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease events by 10%).

Participants also had a reduced blood clotting time and improved blood circulation. Overall the findings suggest that drinking just two concentrated beetroot shots can protect against the development of cardiovascular disease.

The new study supports the use of natural dietary nitrate as a safe, well-tolerated and potentially powerful prevention strategy in Cardiovascular Disease in the older adult population. Once dietary nitrate is consumed it interacts with enzymes in saliva to produce Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide prevents blood clotting and improves healthy blood flow to and from the heart, but as we get older production of Nitric Oxide decreases, which increases the risk of heart disease.

Fortunately, Nitric Oxide production can be increased naturally by drinking just two Beet It Sport shots, which contain a total of 800mg of natural dietary nitrate. It is the only beetroot-related product on the market to guarantee the optimum amount of nitrate needed to impact positively on heart health. You would have to drink around 800ml of normal beetroot juice to get a similar amount of nitrate – a challenging ask for even the most ardent beetroot lover!

Authors of the report concluded: “Drinking two concentrated beetroot shots has anti-thrombotic and anti-adhesive properties which preserve cardiovascular health with advancing age. Regular consumption of concentrated beetroot juice could be a key component of lifestyle interventions to preserve heart health with advancing age.”

The findings are among a growing body of research, using the Beet It Sport Shot, regarding nitrate-rich concentrated beetroot juice and health benefits in the ageing population.

Further information on nitrate rich BEET IT can be found at www.beet-it.com

The following have used Beet It

• Drinking beet juice before exercise makes the brain of older adult’s work more efficiently, mirroring the functions of a younger brain, according to a 2016 study out of Wake Forest University: Beet root juice: an ergogenic aid for exercise and the aging brain, Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

• Increased time to fatigue in older adults following dietary nitrate supplementation. Positive outcomes of dietary nitrate supplementation on cardiovascular health (reduced BP and MAP, increased blood flow and improved endothelial function, and reduced RRI) and cerebrovascular health (increased CBF), according to a 2017 Systematic review of 12 studies out of Auckland University: Performance and health benefits of dietary nitrate supplementation in older adults: a systematic review, Nutrients.

• Daily dose of beetroot juice significantly improved exercise endurance and blood pressure in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, according to a 2016 study out of Wake Forest University: One week of daily dosing with beetroot juice improves submaximal endurance and blood pressure in older patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology

• Drinking beetroot juice for 3 weeks was associated with beneficial effects on daily systolic blood pressure in older, overweight subjects, according to a 2014 study out of Newcastle University: Beetroot supplementation lowers daily systolic blood pressure in older, overweight subjects, Nutrition Research.

• Drinking beetroot juice was associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure in adults, according to a 2013 review paper out of Newcastle University. Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation reduces blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Journals of Nutrition.

• Drinking beetroot juice reduced resting blood pressure and improved VO2 kinetics during walking in older adults, according to a 2013 study out of the University of Exeter: Effects of short-term dietary nitrate supplementation on blood pressure, O2 kinetics, and muscle and cognitive function in older adults, American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

• Drinking beet juice increased the blood flow to the brain in older adults, according to a 2010 study out of Wake Forest University: Acute effect of a high nitrate diet on brain perfusion in older adults, Nitric Oxide.

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There was and still is so much much confusion about when to introduce foods, what type of foods, whether to puree or try baby-led weaning… It’s not easy when we are bombarded with conflicting advice. Advice from parents, advice from friends, books, magazine articles, advertising. One minute it’s 5 a day and then it’s 7 a day, eat dairy, don’t eat dairy… so what is the correct advice?

I think most of it is common sense and with all the stories about the addictive effects of sugar I think the first major decision is to avoid as much processed sugar as possible.

I know at her nursery some parents don’t allow their children to share in the birthday cake celebrations and while I understand the thought process I think denying a child the opportunity to share and join in a celebration is a little sad and perhaps leaves the child wondering why they can’t join in. Perhaps instead of avoiding sweet treats completely, look at some healthy alternatives that use natural sugars, like honey, agarve, stevia and maple syrup. I recently made some delicious chocolate avocado brownies, raspberry protein balls and carrot and beetroot cakes for a school fete… they went down a treat and were all using good ingredients, like raw cacao instead of chocolate, fruit and vegetable powders for colouring and flavouring, dates for sweetening and avocados instead of cream.

Baby-led weaning for fussy eater

When my daughter was 6 months I decided to try the baby-led weaning, it seemed to make sense to get them to explore foods, textures and choose what they want to eat. Yes it was messy and there was lots of waste but she seems to enjoy the process. I didn’t just choose the solid foods, I mixed it with purees just because she liked eating them but added in things like cucumber, bread sticks, houmous, banana, strawberries, grapes (cut in half, length ways to avoid chocking), blueberries and then moving on to broccoli, cauliflower, carrots sticks, sardines on toast, quinoa, rice and pasta. There are some good books telling you what to introduce and when as certain foods should be introduced as they get a bit older and some tasty recipes like Avocado, chicken and potato puree.

She never really liked meat and even now she isn’t really interested but occasionally she will eat some lamb meat balls or chicken goujons. I don’t stress over what she is eating and if she refuses or says she doesn’t like it (even if she has never tried it before) I ask her to try it and then if she still doesn’t like it she leaves it, but I will still keep presenting it and gradually over time it gets introduced into her meal times.

Occasionally I wonder if she is getting all the right nutrients, I have tried vitamin supplements in the past put I think getting a colourful diet is much easier than trying to sneak vitamin powders into her food and drink.

Clever ways to hide veggies for fussy eaters

Zingology carrot ice lollie

We make carrot and beetroot juices and then freeze them into ice lollies, I mix Zingology strawberry and raspberry powders into natural yoghurt and porridge and sprinkle beetroot powder on to salads. She still won’t drink the green drinks although I successfully made a pineapple, spinach, kale and mint green drink which I froze into ice lollies!

She does have sweets but they are limited, all the party bag, christmas and easter treats get put into tins in the cupboard and occasionally she is allowed to pick a treat and we negotiate on how many sweets she can choose, but it is never more that three. It’s now July and we still have sweets left from Christmas and Easter and she rarely mentions them.

Food shopping is treated as a special occasion. I do a lot of mine online with Ocado and then once or twice a month we go food shopping so that she can choose her food for dinner and healthy snacks. Interestingly she now chooses fruit like cherries, apricots and blueberries and vegetables like peppers, sweetcorn, carrots and broccoli  as her treats and we never go down the sweets aisle!

I will never forget the excitement of giving my daughter a corn on the cob to unwrap. She didn’t know what was inside and she shredded all the outside leaves off onto the kitchen floor and was so excited to see that there was a sweetcorn inside, then we cooked it for dinner and has loved corn on the cob ever since.

Drinks are an area that I see as a problem for many parents. My daughter has never had a fizzy drink, there is no need for high sugar drinks, they rot the teeth and are full of sugar. She has always had water, occasionally milk or coconut milk (Koko) and then we buy Rocks organic blackcurrant juice. We make carrot, apple and beetroot juice and if we go out for a meal she has a bottle of apple juice (pressed and not from concentrate). I have a dislike for most children’s drinks, full of sugar, made from concentrate and not a single good thing about them. I know that at some point she will be given fizzy drinks but even now when she is given a carton of juice that is sugar laden she doesn’t drink it and if she is thirty she asks for water.

Have I got it right? She doesn’t eat all the food I prepare but she isn’t a fussy eater. Meals times aren’t stressful, there is rarely a battle over food, she seems healthy and happy and knows when to stop eating when she is full. She likes fresh fruit and vegetables, it might not be an extensive range of foods but that will build over time as she learns to explore and her taste buds mature.

I have enjoyed the process of making new recipes, trying new foods and taking her food shopping. Even though our garden is the size of a postage stamp we grow herbs and the occasional fruit and vegetable… We might only have two figs this year but she now knows what a fig is and last year we only managed to get one successful pumpkin but it’s the excitement of seeing it grow, picking and eating it that gets her interested in new foods. A few weeks ago I saw her out in the garden with the neighbours children getting them to try the salad burnet and telling them that it tasted like cucumber, the three children tried the rocket, mint and lemon balm laughing and giggling as they picked and smelt the leaves…

Tips to avoid a fussy eater

• A food needs to be presented about 10 – 20 times before a child will try or accept a food, don’t expect them to love it the first time they see it and don’t give up just because they didn’t like it.
• Don’t force them to eat, encourage them to try and negotiate on how much they need to eat.
• If they like certain foods make a meal including a few of the things they love and then introduce a new food for them to try.
• Take them shopping and show them all the amazing fruit and vegetables available, get them to choose something for dinner, take it home and ask them to help prepare it.
• Sometimes they might not like food cooked so try and offer it raw. Just because you are having a sunday roast doesn’t mean you can’t offer raw carrots instead of cooked!
• Try fun ways to introduce fruit and veg, we use Zingology fruit and vegetable powders and then bake cakes together using these sparkly powders. Stir them into yoghurts or porridge.
• Don’t exclude treats but do limit them. Try and have healthy treats made with good ingredients, natural sugars, nuts, seeds, dates, coconut and raw chocolate.
• Try rice or coconut milk instead of cows milk on their cereal especially if they can’t handle dairy.
• Try quinoa, brown rice and brown pasta instead of the refined white.
• Visit a health food store and see what healthy alternative there are such as nut butters instead of the cheap peanut butter. Rice cakes, protein bars and snacks, protein powders for fruit smoothies.
• Serve water with the meal, try juicing and if you do want juice buy something like Rocks or Zingology powders.
• Avoid fast food places like MacDonalds and KFC there are plenty of local cafes and restaurants that can offer fresh, healthy and tasty foods.
• Ask your children to help make the meals, try making home made pizzas where they choose their own toppings from a selection of vegetables.
• Most of all have fun with your food and drinks and before long you won’t have a fussy eater.

Introducing whole food and juice powders

Whole food and juice powders are an amazing way to sneak fruit and veg into the diet of a fussy eater. Zingology powders take the organic fruit and vegetable and use a gentle process to extract the water molecules leaving all the vitamins and nutrition intact. In studies at Washington State University Zingology strawberry powder was shown to retain the same vitamin C content as its original fruit. These powders are very different to freeze dried powders as they taste good enough to eat off the spoon, they can be used to turn back into juice, freeze juices into ice lollies, bake into bakes, stir into dips like houmous, hide carrot powder in baked beans, soups and stews. These powders can be a good send for parents of a fussy eater.

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Beetroot is not everyone’s favourite vegetable but it has experienced a bit of a revival recently thanks to its use by athletes at the Olympics for increasing blood flow to the muscles and the news that it can help treat blood pressure. Supermarkets report sales are up by 20% in the last four years alone and the once humble summer veggie has achieved the unlikely status of the new superfood!

Beetroot for fertility

Beetroot contains nitric oxide which dilates blood vessels allowing a rich supply of oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to flow to the uterus and ovaries. This ‘opening’ of the arteries allowing blood to flow more freely is also the reason why drinking beetroot juice regularly may help lower blood pressure and improve brain function; some research has shown improvement in memory before specific tests.

For women undergoing IVF treatment with a thin uterine lining, Melanie Brown, Nutritionist at The Harley Street Fertility Clinic comments; “I always recommend 300mls of beetroot juice a day until implantation. Uterine blood flow is so incredibly important for implantation; aspirin and Clexane thin the blood and increase uterine flow. So if you have thin uterine lining I would recommend trying beetroot juice in combination with other foods that increase blood flow, such as a handful of blueberries”

Melanie add; “Beetroot is also a great source of iron so a great vegetable for vegetarians to include in their diet.”

If you’re looking for beetroot ideas, why not try one of the following:

• Try finely grated fresh beetroot mixed with horseradish and crème fraiche with smoked trout & healthy soda bread
• Why not make a freshly squeezed beetroot, apple, carrot & ginger juice
• Or roast baby beetroot; arrange in a dish with butternut squash. Cut both into round slices, drizzle with a little rape seed oil and scatter with fresh thyme, then roast for about 40 minutes.
• Try raw finely sliced beetroot with baby spinach and torn buffalo mozzarella with a sweet balsamic and olive oil dressing
• Or a colourful grated beetroot and carrot salad with a dressing of rape seed oil, apple cider vinegar and a little honey makes a health light meal.

Why not try beetroot powder?

Whether you are undergoing IVF treatment or are starting to plan for a family it’s a great idea to start juicing to get all the right nutrients. To make life a little bit easier Zingology have taken the best organic beets and used their patented process which extracts the water molecules using a gentle light process leaving all the enzymes, nutrients, vitamins, colour and flavour of fresh beetroot juice. This is a totally unique powder and is the closest thing you will find to eating fresh organic beetroot.

The Zingology powders are not like freeze dried powders as those loose taste and nutrients in the freeze drying process. Zingology powders taste good enough to eat off the spoon and mix back into a juice easily. We like to add beetroot and carrot juice powder to freshly pressed apple juice and if you want an extra zing add a bit of fresh ginger!

A single serving of 9 grams is the equivalent to the juice of 2.5 beets. You simply mix with water to turn it back into juice or add to freshly pressed apple juice, sprinkle on salads, mix into dips or use in baking cakes and desserts. It’s a great way to get the goodness of fresh beetroot but in a quick, convenient way without the mess. One canister contains the juice of 52 beets. For more information click on the image.

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I love my  apple, carrot and beetroot  juice, so how refreshing to quickly juice my apples and then toss in a spoonful of carrot and beetroot juice powder, give it a quick shake with a couple of ice cubes and drink. No messing with blood coloured raw beetroot and if I’m really pushed for time then just the powders will do just fine.

Until now the only powders on offer were the freeze dried variety and while it made the veg readily available, the taste was a bit like cardboard. Traditional freeze dried and dehydrating methods used for creating the beetroot juice powder left the powder deficient of the key nutrients as well as the flavour and colour.

Now a new technology from Zingology, removes the water molecules using a light process. This has enabled the powder to keep it’s enzymes, nutrients, colour and flavour intact, meaning that the powder is the closest you will find to eating the actual raw vegetable.

As well as adding water or juice to rehydrate the powder, you can bake, cook, sprinkle and stir making this truly versatile.

Use it in cake mixture for cupcakes, butter icing, add it when making fresh pasta, sprinkle on to salads, add to dressing and sauces or freeze the juice into ice lollies for the unsuspecting children.

So whether you are a foodie and love cooking, a sports enthusiast who wants to improve their sports performance, a health conscious individual who enjoys their daily juice (and wants to avoid the pasteurised or concentrates) or a parent looking for sneaky ways to encourage their family to eat their 7 a day, perhaps Zingology beetroot juice powder will become your next kitchen cupboard essential.

Zingology beetroot juice, Carrot juice, whole strawberry and whole raspberry powder is available from independent health stores, through wellbeingmagazine.com/shop or online through Ocado.com

Beetroot Juice Powder Recipe Idea

• place the leaves in a bowl, drizzle over the oil and balsamic, season and divide between 6 plates
• cut each log into 9 pieces (or 6 if log is small).
• Place one piece of goats cheese in the middle of each plate.  Sprinkle with a little beetroot powder and a few roast walnuts and then place another round of goats cheese on top and repeat.
• Cover with a third round of goats cheese, sprinkle with nuts and a good dusting of beetroot powder and serve

Recipe adapted by Heather Leeson, Nutritonist using Zingology Beetroot Powder

Beetroot Juice could lower blood pressure

Researchers, led by Amrita Ahluwalia, PhD, professor of vascular pharmacology at The Barts and The London Medical School, have reported that just a cup of beetroot juice per day may help reduce blood pressure. Their findings were published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Hypertension.

They found that a dose of one cup of the beetroot juice could help people with high blood pressure drop their readings by about 7 percent. The researchers believe it is the high nitrate concentration in the root which leads to this effect.

“Our hope is that increasing one’s intake of vegetables with a high dietary nitrate content, such as green leafy vegetables or beetroot, might be a lifestyle approach that one could easily employ to improve cardiovascular health,” Ahluwalia said in a statement.

The beetroot juice used in the study contained about 0.2g of dietary nitrate, the equivalent of what would be found in two beetroots. The body converts nitrate to nitrite and then to nitric oxide in the blood. Nitric oxide is known to widen blood vessels and aids with blood flow.

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Beetroot either fresh or juiced and preferably organic is a brilliant immune booster, helping cell oxygenation.

It has been recommend for general health improvement and especially for those with cancer. The purple pigment has been shown to increase and normalise cell respiration – the oxygen-based energy production within cells. It is equally important in the treatment of other degenerative diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome.

Back in August, scientists revealed that drinking organic beetroot can help athletes exercise for up to 16 percent longer. The trial, led by the University of Exeter and co-authored by top UK sports scientist Professor Andy Jones, revealed drinking beetroot juice reduces oxygen uptake to an extent that cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.

Buying beetroot

Beetroot should be firm with a smooth, undamaged surface. Smaller roots are more tender – avoid any larger than about 6cm in diameter as they may have tough, woody cores.
If you want to use the leaves they should be crisp, fresh looking and not too long or thick (if you don’t, it doesn’t matter too much if they’re a bit limp as they deteriorate much more quickly than the root).

Storing beetroot

Cut off the leaves and store in an unsealed plastic bag in the fridge. The leaves should be used within a day or two but the root will keep for a couple of weeks.

Preparing beetroot

Tender baby roots can be grated raw in salads. Mature beetroot can be boiled (better for smaller, younger beetroot) or wrapped in foil and baked (better for larger, older roots).
To preserve the beetroot’s colour and nutrients, rinse and brush clean but do not remove the skin or root until after cooking. Cook until a skewer easily penetrates to the core (anything from 30 minutes to 2 hours boiling or 1½ to 2½ hours baking at 180°C). You may want to wear rubber gloves when cutting and handling beetroot as the pigmentation leaves a pretty stubborn stain.

The leaves can be cooked like spinach – steam uncovered in a pan with a small amount of boiling water (around 1cm depth).

Growing beetroot

If you are not yet a connoisseur of beetroot, go for ‘Bolthardy’. This variety is resistant to bolting and can be sown as early as the weather permits. It keeps extremely well, lasting into early Spring – the flavour is excellent, fresh and sweet. www.gardenaction.co.uk

Eating beetroot

Beetroot can be a bit messy to prepare so Zingology have come up with a new process to turn beetroot juice into a powder that keeps the flavour, colour and nutritional content of fresh beetroot. For more information click on the image.
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