Ever wondered what to do with beetroots leaves? You can make a delicious beet greens smoothie, that's what! Below we'll show you how to put together a massively healthy, detox smoothie using the whole raw beetroot plant from root to greens.
But first, what makes a detox smoothie, and why is it good for us? You may have heard the term detox being tossed around in various recipes. Here's what that means in a single paragraph.
A detox recipe is one that gives your body the tools needed to get rid of toxins. To do that, you need insoluble and soluble fibres—especially prebiotics—and lots of water. You also want to avoid added sugars, which can lead to inflammation. Fibres absorb the toxins, like a sponge, making it easier for body to expel them. The water is for... well, you know that!
Beets are great helpers in detox diets because they are rich in fibres, both soluble and insoluble, and have lots of antioxidants. The beetroot is rich in folic acid and anti-inflammatory pigments called betalains, while the beet greens have lots of vitamin A and K plus free radical-fighting carotenoids compounds. Put them together, and you win!
We used raw beetroots, not the cooked ones, retaining all the nutrients of the plant. But you can use cooked beets if you prefer! You may have to opt for cooked beetroots if your blender is not strong enough—more on this option below.
Finally, to make our beet greens smoothie even more nutritious, we added in some high-protein ingredients. A single glass contains 60% RDI of fibres, 28% RDI of proteins, and zero added sugars. Any sugars are only those in the beets themselves. Oh, and it's ready in just 10 minutes!
Is this breakfast smoothie good for people with diabetes?
Yes, absolutely. To prepare this smoothie, we have used low-sugar ingredients like raspberries, beetroots, grapefruit, yogurt, and chia seeds.
Also, each glass packs 15g of fibres, that is 60% of the daily RDI. A high-fibre meal helps to break down and absorb nutrients like sugar more slowly. That means your blood glucose levels won't spike as fast, which is crucial for people with diabetes.
With diabetes, patients are often advised to moderate their carb intake throughout the day. Although the optimal amount of carbs can vary from person to person, a moderate carb restriction corresponds to 90 to 130g of carbs a day.
A serving of this smoothie has only 18g of sugars, meaning it can be enjoyed as a healthy breakfast meal by diabetics.
Can you blend raw beetroots?
Yes, of course. You can surely blitz both the roots and greens of a beet plant in your food processor to make a wholesome smoothie. However, make sure you have a high-speed blender for best results. Also, try to fill it as much as you can to get a good amount of friction among the ingredients, which is crucial for breaking down the beets into very small bits.
On the other hand, if your processor is not strong enough, but you still want to make this beet greens drink, then you have to use softer ingredients. That means cooked beetroots (they're easy to find at your local supermarket) and the beet top leaves, discarding the stems.
Can I use frozen berries?
You can opt for frozen raspberries instead of the fresh ones to make to this smoothie. You'll have a slightly thicker drink, but it will be still delicious, and refreshing too.
Also, you can swap raspberries with other berries like blueberries, blackberries, or blackcurrants, either fresh or frozen.
Does beet juice help runners?
Beetroot juice has become a very popular stamina boost among runners and other athletes.
Specific compounds found in beetroots, called nitrates, get converted into nitric oxide by the body. In turn, this chemical tells the blood vessel to expand, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to flow to the muscles making it easier for them to produce energy.
Studies have shown how runners could go 3% faster just by eating one beetroot (200g) [1]! Amazing!
Ingredients
| Soy Yogurt | 300 g |
| Chia Seeds | 2 tbsp |
| Beets (Roots and Greens) | 2 |
| Pink Grapefruit | 1 |
| Raspberries | 180 g |
Step 1
Combine the soy yogurt with chia seeds in a small bowl.
Stir well and leave the mixture to soak while you get the other ingredients ready.
Step 2
Meanwhile, peel the beetroots, loosely shred their top leaves and chop the stems.
We recommend using one full beet plant per person, that is the root, greens, and stems.
However, if you find the stems to be too hard, you can discard them or save them for a stew or stir-fry.
Then, peel and slice the grapefruit.
Step 3
Now, transfer the prepared beets and grapefruit to a food processor.
Tip in also the raspberries and half of the chia yogurt, and blitz all into a creamy smoothie.
If you prefer a runnier consistency, you can pour in a bit of water to loosen up the juice and then pulse again.
Step 4
Finally, divide the remaining yogurt among serving glasses or jars and then pour in the beet smoothie to get a gorgeous layered look.
Enjoy your detox drink right away, giving it a good stir before digging in.
Alternatively, you can store it in the fridge in a tight-seal jar.
Tips
Designed to help your body get rid of toxins, this smoothie is very low in sugars meaning it isn't as sweet as other drinks. If you prefer a sweeter taste, you can one date per serving to blend or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Add a teaspoon of cacao/cocoa powder per serving to the beet tops juice for a boost of antioxidants. Check this antioxidant chocolate cherry smoothie for tips!
Combine the yogurt with 30g (1 oz) of jumbo rolled oats to get extra fibres, prebiotics, and slow-digesting carbs.