Red Devil

It's what oncology nurses & patients call Adriamycin (or Doxorubicin), a chemotherapy drug used to treat breast cancer.  The name comes from its color: bright red - that and the fact that it's so toxic it burns skin on contact.  Nurses wear gloves when they administer it in case they get any on their hands.  It's injected into the patient's vein...very...very...slowly to decrease the internal damage it causes.  Little wonder that after four rounds of it, my veins felt like they would rip apart when I stretched my arm.  What else did it do inside my body?  It did kill cancer cells, but like a bull in a china closet, it and the other drugs also left much destruction in their wake.

Why am I talking about this today?  Beet juice.

Nutrition is medicine - juice is a concentrated shot of medicine.  After I started drinking beet juice this morning (with the greens), I realized something: this is my new Red Devil.  I have to tell you, I hate beets.  They taste like dirt.  I do find it strange that I don't like them, because I am a real "graola-ey" type of girl (thanks, Heather, for the great word!).  I love earthy flavors, and I really don't mind eating a bit of dirt with my veggies (and if it's 'clean' dirt I believe it's actually beneficial).  I think they are the only veggie I can't stand...there's just something about the taste that repulses me.  Like the other Red Devil, they are powerful medicine.  But they don't burn your skin and they don't burn your veins.  They don't destroy your immune system - in fact, the complete opposite is true - they boost your immune system.  They also build and cleanse the blood, cleanse the bladder and kidneys, reduce inflammation, alkalize the body, detoxify the liver, normalize blood pressure, increase arterial elasticity and inhibit the formation of cancer-causing compounds (yeah!).  The only side effect I can think of is the face I make when I take the first sip of beet juice.  Funny, though...today beet juice didn't taste so bad.  I think I might just learn to love this Red Devil.