If you’re the designated holiday driver who happens to suffer from a driving phobia, making beet juice your drink of choice can actually help. Even a single serving of the stuff has amazing effects.
A study published in Nutrition Journal and discussed at WebMD.com notes that beet juice can lower your blood pressure – and fast, too!
As WebMD.com explains:
“The study shows that within hours of drinking it, beet juice lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by an average of 4-5 points among a small group of healthy men.
“Researchers say that drop may seem small, but on a public health level a reduction like that would equate to a 10% reduction in deaths due to heart disease.”
Since your blood pressure also tends to increase when that familiar driving panic and anxiety sets in, a glass of beet juice may be just the panacea you could use to help keep it down.
Two caveats with the colorful concoction:
- Beware of sloshing any of the juice on fancy holiday tablecloths or shirts.
- Beet juice’s beneficial effects will go out the window if you add alcohol to the mix. Alcohol can also make your driving skills and overall driving anxiety worse.
Read the full WebMD.com article: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20121212/beetroot-juice-blood-pressure
Study info: Coles, L. Nutrition Journal, Dec. 11, 2012.
