Beetroot ... beat it

DRINKING beetroot juice can help lower blood pressure, say boffins at St Bart’s Hospital in London. But when did you last see a carton of beetroot juice on a supermarket shelf? And how much of the stuff do you have to swallow to see a benefit?

The scientific small print reveals you will have to down half a litre of the stuff every day – almost a pint – to have an impact. And as beets have so much fibre and so little juice, Sun nutritionist Amanda Ursell says you will need up to 5lbs of beetroot to get your daily dose.



Smooth ... fresh juice is better

Another superjuice that comes with a super-size question mark is cranberry.
A study by Dr Ann Walker, a lecturer in human nutrition at Reading University, found that cranberry juice combats urinary tract infections.

The only catch is you need to drink 300ml of pure, unsweetened cranberry juice a day.
Amanda says: “It’s so bitter, you couldn’t drink that quantity of unsweetened cranberry juice. You would probably be ill if you tried.”

Posh

Amanda advises skipping shop-bought smoothies.
She says: “A bottle of juice that has been sitting on a shelf for weeks won’t have the same goodness as freshly squeezed juices and smoothies.”
But one posh juice that makes the grade is pomegranate.

Israeli researchers found it contains an enzyme which helps break down fatty deposits on artery walls. If you’re looking for a value-for-money superjuice, she recommends these three:

TOMATO:

It has lycopene, a carotenoid pigment that reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

__________________