Food as Medicine: Beet Kvass Recipe
By Dr. Sarah Allen
Good morning. I am Dr. Sarah Allen, licensed acupuncturist and clinical nutritionist. As some of you may know I was able to successfully put my RA into permanent remission many years ago using foods as medicine. In that time of healing, I developed a powerful relationship with food.
A lot of people asked what I ate or did not eat. There was a lot I eliminated, but there was a lot of specific foods I incorporated to cleanse my liver, improve my digestion, increase gut flora, and regulate my immune system. What I love about this recipe is that it does all of the above.
Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Beet Kvass.
Here is a video exemplifiying this medicinal blood tonic and illustrating how to make it: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWdniT2WK9E&t=57s)
This recipe dating back to the Middle Ages was used to treat hangovers and prevent infections and is still widely consumed to this day. Another reason I love this recipe is that it incorporates my favorite vegetable, the beet. There are so many reasons to love this vegetable. The beet root contains betacyanin, which gives the root its beautiful magenta color. A study published in the Journal of Molecules showed that this compound fights cancer, both helping stop healthy cells from developing into cancerous cells and preventing malignant tumors from growing (2019).
Another study, a systematic review of research published in the journal Nutrients, showed many benefits and described what happens in the body physiologically when you consume beets. Besides having a high amount of carotenoids, polyphenols, antioxidants, and being anti-inflammatory, it is also high in nitrates. The beauty is, when you digest beets, your body converts these nitrates into nitric oxide, which oxygenates the blood, thereby which having powerful physiological effects. For example, athletes are widely consuming beet juice prior to performance or workouts it because it improves cardiorespiratory endurance. Beets also improve cognition and help prevent dementia because they increase blood circulation in the brain. Additionally, they help treat hypertension by protecting the endothelial lining of the blood vessels and have shown to lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and help prevent atherosclerosis. Furthermore, beets help prevent and treat Type 2 Diabetes (2015).
Beets are also particularly medicinal in Chinese dietary therapy, as they enter the heart and liver meridians, both nourishing the heart and cleansing the liver.
One of the beautiful aspects of culturing vegetables as is done with this recipe is that the nutritional value is greatly increased during the lacto-fermentation process. Digestive enzymes are released and a wide variety and abundance of healthy bacteria are created, serving as a strong probiotic.
And lastly, Beet Kvass is quick, simple and inexpensive to make. Without further ado:
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Filtered water
- ¼ cup whey or commercial starter
- 1 T. sea salt
- 3 medium or 2 large organic beets
Instructions:
Place beets, whey in salt in a 2-quart container. Stir well and cover. Keep at room temperature for 2 days. You will notice the liquid will become darker and the taste will be tangy when ready. After the fermentation process is complete you may transfer to the refrigerator. The kvass should keep for 1 month.
After most of the liquid has been consumed, you may reserve some of the kvass as an inoculant instead of way. Fill container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. Discard the beets. The brew will be slightly less strong than the first.
It is recommended to drink one 4 oz glass in the morning and evening. Beet kvass serves as a blood tonic which promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, and cleanses liver. Enjoy!
Sources:
Clifford, Tom, et al. “The Potential Benefits of Red Beetroot Supplementation in Health and Disease.” Nutrients, vol. 7, no. 4, 2015, pp. 2801–2822., doi:10.3390/nu7042801.
Lechner, John F., and Gary D. Stoner. “Red Beetroot and Betalains as Cancer Chemopreventative Agents.” Journal of Molecules, vol. 24, no. 8, 23 Apr. 2019, p. 1602., doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24081602.