I am just loving beetroot at the moment, and have come up with a super recipe for beet smoothie, which not only has great liver cleansing powers, it’s also my favourite colour….Purple!

The liver is the largest gland in the human body and is responsible for several functions which keep our bodies in good health including the production of bile. A healthy liver can benefit all parts of the body and so if it doesn’t function properly, the body can’t function at peak capacity either. My liver has taken a bit of a battering of late and I can feel that my body isn’t performing at its optimum level so it’s time to I did something to redress this situation. NOW!

Beetroot is one of the few vegetables which you can enjoy both their roots and leaves. Studies have shown that beetroots can help to protect liver cells from harmful chemicals as they contain the compound betacyanin – the red pigment which is found in beetroot. This pigment provides the body with powerful antioxidant protection. Beetroot is also rich in folate, a water soluble B vitamin which is important for a healthy heart and is also essential for the growth of tissues in the body. The red pigment in beetroot helps to raise the antioxidant enzyme levels in the liver and may also promote detoxification in the intestines, blood and liver.

Beet greens are also delicious and are rich in vitamins and minerals. They contain almost twice the potassium of the beetroot, as well as high levels of folic acid.

My Purple Passion Smoothie contains both beetroot and its leaves and is a gorgeous rich purple colour which fills you with that feel good factor!

Simply juice:

• a small beetroot
• a handful of beet green leaves
• a handful of spinach
• ½ cucumber
• 1 large carrot
• 2 sticks of celery
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 apples

Then transfer the juice to your blender and blend with 2 bananas and extra spinach if desired. Pour into an elegant wine glass and savour – purple bliss!!!!

This is an excellent smoothie for those sceptical about the appearance of green smoothies, as the intense purple of the beetroot predominates and the greens are cleverly hidden!

Lisa Simpson

Raw Liberty