Red In! Red Out!

I have been wanting to try beets for a very long time. I have been wanting to juice them for almost the same amount of time. I finally gathered enough courage to be able to buy some beets and to juice them. I kept the roots separate from the stalks since I have had chard in the past and new it to be somewhat bitter and didn't want to ruin the root juice just in case the stalk juice was too bitter. That was a very good call on my part. The juice was okay, nothing I would ever crave. 

The real surprise, for me came later that day when I went to the bathroom. When I was preparing the juice, it stained everything blood red and looked just like blood. I must say that what the beets stains going in, they also stain on the way out. My poop and pee were both tinged with red. Had I not thought about the color of the beet juice nor studied the color, I would have been really worried and thought that I had internal bleeding. This discoloration lasted for quite some time. Regardless of whether or not I expected the coloring or knew what caused the discoloration, it was still quite disconcerting to see that color in the toilet again. I would suggest for those with Crohn's or Colitis to abstain from beet juice unless you are in full remission. You never know what you might miss.