This 4-Ingredient Anti-Inflammatory Juice Improves Vision and Liver Detoxification

This 4-ingredient anti-inflammatory juice is one of my favourite detox juices. Most beet juice recipes rely on an apple to sweeten, but this recipe utilizes the sweetness of carrots and citric acid of orange to lift the earthiness of the beet.

This recipe is based around a popular anti-inflammatory juice blend from Venezuela called jugo tres en uno (“3-in-1 juice”) – except, I’ve added a fourth ingredient (ginger) to kick it up a notch and provide even more healing benefits to the body than you could ever imagine. So, instead of jugo tres en uno, I suppose you could call it jugo cuatro en uno. It consists of carrots, beets, orange and ginger.

The Benefits of The Juice

What does research have to say about this anti-inflammatory juice? Quite a bit!

Beets are loaded with betaine, which helps flush the liver and brings down homocysteine levels (1). As a result, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced, moods are stabilized and brain function is improved. Beets also contain gut-healthy thiamine (vitamin B1) as well as blood pressure-lowering nitrates, and minerals like manganese, calcium, potassium, iron, copper and sodium.

The antioxidants in beets have been found to relieve inflammation and oxidative stress in the body (2). The betalains in beets also provide support for the Phase 2 detoxification steps in the liver (3). Beet juice can help prevent chronic diseases and conditions, like high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessels). The nitrates from beets get converted to nitric oxide in the body, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels. This means that beets increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood (4).

Carrots are another amazing root vegetable with life-extending carotenes and minerals. One of their major benefits is the high concentration of vitamin A, which can help improve eyesight, especially night vision or vision in those with vitamin A deficiency (5). Vitamin A can help prevent eye disorders, too, like age-related macular degeneration (6) and cataracts (7). This vegetable helps lower cholesterol, too, and alleviates skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, all while enhancing the respiratory system’s resistance to infection.

Oranges are packed with vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, and flavonoids. The flavonoids in oranges can relieve chronic inflammation, and prevent chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia and cancer (8). Vitamins like thiamine and folate in oranges can help manage type 2 diabetes, improve digestion, and have a strong protective influence on cortical cataracts (9).

Ginger is another brilliant health-promoting juice booster, which provides beneficial cleansing effects on the body, and is great for battling colds and the flu. It helps stimulate the lymphatic system, provides cardiovascular and respiratory support, aids digestion, and relieves gas, bloating, nausea, and gastrointestinal distress.

A little side note: beets are really good at clearing the body – almost a little too good. So if you’ve not juiced beets before, start with a little (maybe quarter to a third of a medium-sized root), and then increase as your system gets used to the effects. If your urine or poop has a little pink or reddish tinge to it, don’t be alarmed! That is just the beets working their magic.

Ingredients (serves 1-2):

– 5 large carrots
– 2 large beets, peeled
– 3 oranges, peeled
– 3 inches fresh ginger root

Method:

Run all of the above ingredients through a juicer, or alternatively, you can blend the recipe in a high-speed blender to desired consistency.