Written by Katherine A Young
Since my bout with symptomatic anemia in the fall of 2022, I have been more conscientious about consuming foods and drinks that will help my iron levels. I read on various health sites such as Healthline that beets were beneficial in helping to produce iron and drinking beetroot juice in particular was a healthy option. Well, I figured I’d give beetroot juice a try. I bought some at Kroger, R.W. Knudsen Organic Beet Juice ($7.49) (https://shorturl.at/yBHM2) and drank a cup with my dinner.
The juice tasted smooth. Earthy. My lips were tinted a light purplish color. I could dig it.
Or so I thought…
Waking up early the next morning, I felt nauseous. My head felt a little dizzy, but I thanked God for the day, stretched, and got on up to shower. Got into the bathroom and it felt like an abyss swallowing me up right at the bidet. I felt stuck there for over an hour and forty-five minutes. Yeah, I can’t go to work—not in this state. A true unexpected cleanse was happening, and I was initially wrecking my brain as to how I became in this state: that beetroot juice. I was the only one of my immediate family who drank it during dinner—thankfully.
But whoa unto me! I spent quite some time from the bathroom to my bed, exhausted, with an upset stomach as well. I looked up side effects of drinking beetroot juice and all of these symptoms came up in a row: nausea, upset stomach, and diarrhea all greeted me with the explanation that the compound of betaine is a “crystalline alkaloid found in sugar beets and other plants” (https://puracy.com/blogs/…). Okay…all I know is that I don’t want to feel this way again, so I’m good.
I still don’t understand much about it, but one thing for sure is that I don’t need to drink beetroot juice to keep my iron levels stable.
No Ma’am. No Sir. No Thank You.
There is so much “advice” out in our world about what to eat to increase your iron levels, what not to eat, yadda-yadda, yadda-yadda yah…I will keep doing my best to stabilize my iron naturally but without the beetroot juice haha.
Interesting little life snippet.
Have you ever experienced anything like this with a food or beverage? Are you anemic and you seek natural ways to stabilize your iron? Connect with me.
Photo by Z Graphica on Unsplash