Beets are a cleansing food associated with a healthy heart and liver.
Beets are a super fitness food also, making it essential to your daily or weekly meal plans. This is partly due to its nitrate content. Juicing, shredding, pickling and steaming are all great methods or increasing your intake.
(When you consume dietary nitrate (found primarily in beets and some dark green, leafy vegetables), the bacteria on your tongue converts about 20% of consumed dietary nitrate to nitrite, which enters circulation, where it is converted to nitric oxide. Beetroot juice–induced increases in nitric-oxide production “lead to an improvement in energy efficiency and endurance performance, and when consumed chronically will increase the rate of training adaptation,” states John Ivy, PhD, professor emeritus, department of kinesiology and health education, University of Texas. In other words, you may be able to produce greater power for a longer period of time before fatigue sets in.)*
Having pretty food that makes you pretty is worth the effort. So, instead of buying the typical cucumber pickles, give these a try. They only take about 10 minutes to throw together. Wait a day or two before serving them up for best flavor. Don’t forget to use the deliciously healthy liquid. Try pouring it over your salad. See the benefits of cider vinegar.
BENEFITS OF CIDER VINEGAR:
- Potassium – helps to fight against brittle teeth, hair loss and runny noses.
- Pectin – helps to regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.
- Malic Acid – gives ACV the properties of being resistant to viruses, bacteria, and fungus.
- Calcium – supports strong bones and teeth.
- Ash – gives ACV its alkaline property which aids your body in maintaining proper pH levels for a healthy alkaline state.
- Acetic Acid – It appears that this acid slows the digestion of starch which can help to lower the rise in glucose that commonly occurs after meals. see more at http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/the-benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar
I used an old pickle jar–perfect for this recipe. But you can use any glass jar with a screw top lid.
- 1 clean 24-ounce jar
- 1 small red beet, trimmed and peeled
- 1 small yellow (golden) beet, trimmed and peeled
- 2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced diagonally
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 1 teaspoon mineral-rich sea or desert salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 14 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed or roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 cup vinegar (use 50% raw apple cider vinegar and 50% white wine vinegar)
- Filtered water
Layer sliced vegetables in jar, add remaining ingredients. Fill the jar the rest of the way with the filtered water. Cover and shake a little bit to mix. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to consume. Give it at least a day.
* direct reference from Muscle and Body Magazine
Pretty as a Pickle
Fit For Life 
