Some nasty flu bug might catch you unawares. Have you thought about building up your immune system by increasing your vitamin intake? The summer with the wonderful berries, the fall with all the fresh and ripe fruit, both are gone, at least in our part of the world. Imported fruit and veggies do not contain enough natural vitamins and minerals to protect your health since they have to be picked when not ripe or ready. They are ‘gassed’ or prepared with chemicals to last and not go ‘bad’ during shipping until on the shopping counters for you to buy.

I would like to introduce you to a not so well liked vegetable, especially not in its raw form. I am talking about red beets. Most people say ‘oh, they have this earthy smell, I don’t like it and I can’t even imagine eating them raw.” On the other hand they are one of the healthiest things you could eat. They are loaded with enzymes, vitamins and minerals. The high iron content would not be advisable unless one is iron deficient. Let’s get practical and talk about the way you can ingest and enjoy red beets:

1. One medium sized red beet, a bigger juicy apple, lemon to taste and a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil. Juice the beet and the apple. Add the lemon and the oil, stir and drink, swallowing sip by sip. The oil is important to convert the forerunners of the fat-soluble vitamins and make them available for your body. If, for instance, you juice carrots (add apple for taste and enzymes!) you need to add oil as well. You should never have more than one eight ounce glass of beet juice each day. It is especially helpful when fighting the flu. If you drink more than a glass of carrot juice daily you will start turning orange. These drinks are also very good for your eyes.
2. Red Beet salad: Again, one medium sized red beet, a much bigger juicy apple, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ lemon freshly pressed, 1 large heaped tablespoon of brown sugar or maple syrup, caraway seed if you like it. Mix oil, lemon and sugar/maple syrup/caraway. Grate the apple, stir into the mixture. Grate the beet and mix everything together. It can be eaten right away but I like to let it soak, stir again and then enjoy it. This beet salad is loaded with fiber as well and therefore also aids digestion.
   

   Enjoy! Red Beet Salad

   It is considered a “beauty salad” since it has a lot of vitamins good for the skin and sparkling healthy eyes.

3. Naturally you know how to prepare cooked beets. These are good for you as well but don’t have quite the “health boosting power” of the raw beet salad. When store- bought they usually contain way too much vinegar. When I do them myself I avoid vinegar and use lemon.
4. The recipe I listed for beet salad can also be used with carrots.

Try the beet recipes, you may be surprised how good and refreshing they taste when prepared the way as above. The work with the preparation is worth the benefits. No side effects!

Remember: “He who has no time to care for his health daily will have to have time to be sick for weeks, months or years.”