3 Benefits of Beetroot Juice

03.09.2016 - By Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Dr. Susan Mitchell Play

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PODCAST. From marathoners and Olympians to football teams and those hoping for improved heart health, beetroot juice is all the rage. Are you thirsting for it yet?

Does beetroot juice… the juice from the knotty parts of those beets…have what it takes to back up all this praise?

Beets and other leafy green vegetables contain what’s called dietary nitrates that ultimately increase nitric oxide in the body, also known as (N-O). This increase in NO is one of the big benefits of beetroot juice. Let’s talk about 3.

Also be sure and check out the recipe for Rush Hour Ready Beets. So tasty! You’ll love them. These are not your old school beets.

Benefit #1: Enhanced performance for athletes.

Dietary nitrate supplementation with beetroot juice (by the way, it’s the same thing as beet juice) may improve your performance. Exercising muscles benefit from increased blood flow, the amount of oxygen needed is reduced and time to exhaustion is lengthened. These are benefits of …don’t miss this…regular beetroot juice consumption.

In the elite sports world, shaving off seconds or lasting longer may make the difference to win. To have success with beetroot juice, it must be part of training and started ahead of an event…preferably a week or more and then consumed daily. It’s not a one-time wonder. Google beetroot juice and you’ll find all types of products so an important point to remember is that the benefit can come from beets or beetroot juice or supplements, even beetroot shots with names such as Red Ace or BeetElite.

And let me say, beetroot juice is an acquired taste so you may need to mix it with cherry juice to add sweetness. Sports dietitians will be the first to tell you that it’s still the quality of your overall diet that counts and beetroot juice tops off that excellent diet.