Superfood: Beet Kvass!

Beets!

This morning I walked into my kitchen and saw a big 2-quart jar of gorgeous fuscia colored liquid sitting on my counter and felt instantly excited about all the nutrition and probiotics brewing in my Beet Kvass.  If you haven’t heard of it, Kvass is a fermented beverage originating from Russia.  It was traditionally made from stale rye bread, but can be made from lemons, raspberries, pears, and many other foods (in this case, beets).    Kvass is considered a tonic for digestion, an excellent thirst quencher and, an antidote to a hangover.  It’s popularity in Russia arose not just as a health tonic, but because it was recognized to be safer to drink than water, during times of cholera, because of it’s high  amounts of beneficial microbacteria that support intestinal health. Fermented drinks are actually more hydrating then water as well. In order to remain hydrated your body needs a balance of sugar, salt and water. Electrolyte drinks are designed to ensure that balance, but are often packed with added preservatives, dyes and unnecessary sweeteners.

Beyond the pro-biotic content from the fermentation, beets are a superfood in their own right.  Chinese Medicine has long touted beets as a “blood builder”, used a food medicine either after the menstrual cycle, after giving birth, or anytime when we need to nourish the strength and flexibility of our connective tissues or the health of our eyes.  This proves to be true from a western nutritional perspective as well.   The pigment that gives beets their rich color is called Betacyanin, a phyto-nutrient that can dramatically increase the oxygen-carrying ability of the blood. Beets are also a unique source of  Betalains, which provide provide super high levels of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and liver detoxification support.  They also contain a high-quality plant-source iron which is well utilized used by the body, making beets helpful in the treatment of anemia. In a recent study from Italy, beets were shown to be the most important dietary source of  Lutein and Zeaxanthin, nutrients which are proving to be crucial to maintaining  eye health and preventing common age-related eye problems.   Finally, in recent studies on human tumor cells, Betanin pigments from beets have been shown to lessen tumor cell growth through a number of mechanisms, including inhibition of pro-inflammatory enzymes, which points to the possible importance of beets as a cancer preventing food.

Now, you can get some of these benefits from expensive supplement extracts of these nutrients in capsules forms, but why swallow capsules when you can get all these benefits for pennies in the form of a delicious, fermented tonic beverage?

For those who have not tasted it, Beet Kvass is kind of earthy, a bit sour, and a tiny bit salty.  When I first tasted it, I needed a second and third sip to acquire the taste, but now I am rather addicted to it because of how great it makes me feel!  You can buy it pre-made and bottled in the refrigerator section, usually near Kombucha, to try it, or you can easily brew your own, using the recipe below:

Ingredients:

2-3 large beets
¼ cup whey (if you don’t have this, leave it out….you can substitute already made kvass from the store, which serves as a starter, a small amount from your previous batch, or, if it is your first batch, just leave it out and it will ferment on it’s own)
2 tsp unrefined sea salt
2-quart container
filtered water

What to do:

1)   Scrub your beets—don’t peel them.  A lot of the beneficial nutrients are in the skins.

2)   Cut up beets into small cubes, about 2 cm per side, and place them in your jar.  They should fill the jar 1/3-1/2 way.

3)   Add the salt, and the whey or beet kvass from the last batch.

4)   Fill the jar with water, and then cover it with a piece of cheesecloth or a sprouting-mesh lid to fit the jar mouth.

Leave it to sit at room temperature for about 3 days. And then strain out the beets and keep the liquid in the fridge.  I like to squeeze a little lime juice in mine, mix it half and half with seltzer water, or sometimes add a splash of ginger juice from the Ginger People.  Enjoy!!