juicing beets ~ strange question

[pixelkatt]

I was in Earth Fare yesterday and went to the juice counter and ordered a carrot/apple/beet juice. I've never juiced beets before and wanted to try it. Later that night I noticed my pee was red.. and again this afternoon it was really dark orange (almost red in color). Has this happened to anyone? I saw on this site..

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/39309/sporadic_red_urine_it_may_be_beeturia.html

..where it said that it could be because of iron deficiency or maybe genes? Has anyone else heard this? It scared the heck out of me at first, lol.. :eek:

[RawHeaven]

yes, it has and it's not a weird question at all. beets will make it red. carrot juice will make your poop orange. greens and green smoothies will make your poop green eventually. no worries. it's just a sign that your colon, organs and kidneys are in great working order...I think anyway.

[pixelkatt]

Oh good.. :) That's what I kind of figured until I googled it and read about the iron deficiency and that it only occurs is 14% of the population (thought I might be special, lol).. glad to know it's normal. :D

[rawstrength]

Beets make my pee and stool red, too. I don't think that it means you are unhealthy.

[pixelkatt]

I wonder why they say it only occurs in some people.. even on wikipedia..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeturia

I'm just glad to know it's normal.. It TOTALLY scared the heck out of me! I forgot I had beets earlier and just saw red pee, lol.. then remembered a couple seconds later and thought "ahhh!! That must be it, lol..." :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

i've read that as you get cleaner and healthier your body doesn't pee or poo red anymore. i know when i have beet juice... my pee is normal now. it wasn't before i went raw though.

[pixelkatt]

Wow, now that is interesting! I wonder if there really is something to the iron deficiency thing then and going raw fixes that, which is why it's normal now? Just speculating, lol.. could just be because the body is cleaner when raw, with less toxins.. :)

[Lady Green Jeans]

It must be a shock to every first time beet eater. It was for me years ago. Had to call my mother and ask as I was almost terrified of the bathroom results. Thanks for educating many.

[RawSar]

Yes it definitely shocked me the first time too! hahaha... For me it has gone to a much lighter tone of red since when I first had beet juice where it was bright red! My guess would be that once your body gets cleaner and cleaner it won't change color like what Aleesha said...

[roo]

Victoria Boutenko speaks about this in Green for Life. It means you have low stomach acid. She has a chapter on Hypochlorhydria (low levels of hydrochloric acid). Very interesting read. I highly recommend the book. In the Roseburg study, which was 1 quart of green smoothies for 30 days, they found that 66.7% of the participants showed vast improvement in their production of HCL.

Google Hypochlorhydria. Lots of good info to be found. Here's a little from the first page I pulled up...

From http://altmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/bl_quiz_hypochlorhydria.htm


Low Stomach Acid Assessment


We've all heard about excess stomach acid and heartburn, but what about the condition at the opposite end of the spectrum, low stomach acid? It's believed to be involved in indigestion, premature aging, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiency, bacterial overgrowth, yeast infections, weak hair, skin, and nails, and a host of other conditions.
Who gets hypochlorhydria?

From approximately age 35 and on, most people begin to secrete less stomach acid. By the time people reach their 50's, many nutritionally-oriented doctors estimate that over 50% of their patients have low stomach acid, also called hypochlorhydria. People with a history of helicobacter pylori infection (the bacteria involved in stomach ulcers) and/or who have used protein pump inhibitor medications long-term are more likely to have hypochlorhydria.

Why is stomach acid needed?

Without stomach acid, we can't digest and absorb the protein we eat. That's because stomach acid is needed to produce an enzyme called pepsin, which breaks down protein.

Fat and carbohydrate absorption also rely on stomach acid. Stomach acid causes the release of secretin, which then triggers the pancreas to produce enzymes that digest fat (lipase), protein (protease), and carbohydrates (amylase).

Stomach acid helps keep the digestive tract sterile, preventing the overgrowth of bacteria and yeast. Low stomach acid can lead to bacterial overgrowth or candida yeast infection.

Stomach acid is needed to absorb properly absorb micronutrients, including iron

Conditions related to hypochlorhydria

Acne
Anemia
Autoimmune disease
Eczema
Food allergy and sensitivity
Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Osteoporosis
Rosacea
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Small intestine bacterial overgrowth
Candida yeast infection
Vitiligo
Adrenal fatigue

Keep in mind that other conditions can also cause these symptoms and that it is important to consult a health professional for a diagnosis.


Try drinking green smoothies everyday for a month and then drink 1/4 cup of beet juice to see if you see any red. Most likely you won't. :)

[Raw Angel Mom]

I haven't read all the replies. If your pee are red, and #2, this mean you are low in chlorophyll. You should consider green smoothie or wheat grass. At first, it will be green too but in time it will be the expected color brown.

Most people will have the red after consuming beet or green after eating green even the healthy people but they are low in chlorophyll and this is what caused this color as per Victoria Butenko's research.

Best wishes!

[pixelkatt]

Victoria Boutenko speaks about this in Green for Life. It means you have low stomach acid. She has a chapter on Hypochlorhydria (low levels of hydrochloric acid). Very interesting read. I highly recommend the book. In the Roseburg study, which was 1 quart of green smoothies for 30 days, they found that 66.7% of the participants showed vast improvement in their production of HCL.

Google Hypochlorhydria. Lots of good info to be found. Here's a little from the first page I pulled up...

From http://altmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/bl_quiz_hypochlorhydria.htm

Try drinking green smoothies everyday for a month and then drink 1/4 cup of beet juice to see if you see any red. Most likely you won't. :)

Wow! :) Thanks so much for posting this!!!! It does make sense. I always thought I had HIGH stomach acid because I have a sensitive stomach and always have, lol.. it sounds like it's just the opposite.

I DO drink green smoothies every day though and have since last September when I went raw. So maybe if I just keep doing this it will eventually get better (lighter).. I know the smoothies help tremendously. If I miss a day, my stomach gets out of whack and I get issues again (constipation, tummy aches, etc.).

Again, thanks so much for posting this! I learn so much from all of you here!! :D

[MelissaO]

Same thing happened to me when I first enjoyed beets. Beets like to stain everything - I had cut some up to put in a salad and had beet stained fingers afterwards. I have seen yellow beets on the internet before but not in my local stores - wonder if they are just as sweet but not as staining.

[pixelkatt]

Same thing happened to me when I first enjoyed beets. Beets like to stain everything - I had cut some up to put in a salad and had beet stained fingers afterwards. I have seen yellow beets on the internet before but not in my local stores - wonder if they are just as sweet but not as staining.

Probably not but now that I know what it is I don't mind it.. It's kind of fun.. in a gross kind of way.. :D like when you eat asparagus and it makes your pee smell, lol.. As for it staining hands, I have only juiced them and was pretty careful when cutting it. But if it does stain, it's just evidence of your devotion to being raw, lol..

[Stina]

Gosh, I'm just impressed your drinking beet juice. Just too strong for me. I only consume beets grated on a salad. I mainly do green drinks whenit comes to juicing: celery, cucumber, lemon, leafy greens, maybe apple, maybe ginger.

[pixelkatt]

Gosh, I'm just impressed your drinking beet juice. Just too strong for me. I only consume beets grated on a salad. I mainly do green drinks whenit comes to juicing: celery, cucumber, lemon, leafy greens, maybe apple, maybe ginger.

Oh I mix it with carrots, apples, apricots and whatever else I can find (I got a couple at earth fare to test out at home in my juicer). Don't know if I could do just strait beet juice either.. too strong. :)

[EriksTeteris]

Beeturia or pink pee after eating beetroot is supposed to be due to low stomach acid strength called hypochlorhydria, which is strong Hydrochloric acid. I used to have that, and it affects about half the population, particularly as you reach middle age, and on. The Russian test for 'Hypochlorhydria' is to drink a cup of beetroot juice, and if it changes colour towards beetroot, you have Hypochlorhydria. See this link :- http://www.hcgweightloss.com/chapter-11-roseburg-study/ But I wouldn't personally depend on that test 100%. I supplement my ageing tummy (56years old) with Betaine HCL now. It has cleared up some other digestive issues as well, but you can do it by eating things which encourage production of good stomach acid.

[maggiesdaddy]

I would have been scared the first time this happened to me, but my Grandma had told me a story about it so I knew it would happen. I guess my Grandpa really like beets and he once at a TON of them. Later that night he peed red and thought that he was dying. When he found out it was just beets he vowed to never eat them again. And he didn't.

Anyway, I will ask this here since this thread is getting some traffic. Does beet juice taste like dirt to you guys? I just tryed making it the other day and it tasted like I had a mouth full of soil. I cleaned the beats well with a scrub brush but I didn't skin them before I blended then and drained the juice out. I really don't want to drink this anymore if it is always going to taste like dirt!

[MysticTree]

I would have been scared the first time this happened to me, but my Grandma had told me a story about it so I knew it would happen. I guess my Grandpa really like beets and he once at a TON of them. Later that night he peed red and thought that he was dying. When he found out it was just beets he vowed to never eat them again. And he didn't.

Anyway, I will ask this here since this thread is getting some traffic. Does beet juice taste like dirt to you guys? I just tryed making it the other day and it tasted like I had a mouth full of soil. I cleaned the beats well with a scrub brush but I didn't skin them before I blended then and drained the juice out. I really don't want to drink this anymore if it is always going to taste like dirt!

My pee never goes red when I eat beetroot. I must be one of those whose stomach acid is ok! Hurrah!

Beetroot does have an earthy flavour - not really soil but a slightly autumnal, walking in the woods sort of flavour.

[kevin1986]

Cannot say i've had the pee red,but my stools,and I juice beets daily.

[GreginND]

I've have not noticed a significant change in my urine color with beets (maybe slight) but stool, yes. Every time. I grow red and yellow beets in my garden. I actually prefer the taste (and the color) of the yellow beets. The are great with apple/carrots.