Beets are a member of the vegetable food group and come from the beet plant. Beets are packed with healthy nutrients, like five essential vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, and protein. These powerhouse nutrients may have a profound effect not just with health, but with performance as well.
Boost Stamina and Increase Energy
Beets are high in nitrates which, when consumed, are converted to nitrites which then boost the production of nitric oxide in the cells that line your arteries. (This is known as the “nitrate-to-nitric oxide (NO) pathway.”) Your endothelial cells line the entire interior surface of your circulatory system. The nitric oxide acts as a potent vasodilator which helps widen the diameter of your blood vessels to allow a greater volume of blood to flow through. And since your blood carries oxygen and nutrients to your brain, having healthy blood flow is essential for energy production and optimal performance throughout your entire body.
Enhance Performance
Competitive athletes know that increasing nitric oxide translates to higher performance allowing them to work out longer, run further, and push harder before becoming fatigued. Promoting blood flow actually lowers the amount of oxygen that your muscles require for exercise. This gives athletes a competitive edge by moving more efficiently and generating greater power.
Improve Cardiovascular Health
The antioxidants and nitric-oxide-boosting nutrients found in beets help increase blood flow and oxygen delivery. Higher nitric oxide levels relax the blood vessels which decreases blood pressure and improves cardiovascular health. This blood pressure lowering effect is typically seen within a matter of hours of drinking beet juice.
Fight Inflammation
Beets contain a unique source of betaine which is a nutrient that helps protect cells, proteins, and enzymes from environmental stress. Betaine can lower levels of several inflammatory markers, including C reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Bottom line is this nutrient has the potential to prevent numerous chronic diseases by fighting inflammation, protecting internal organs, and improving vascular risk factors. Even more amazing, beetroot is currently being studied for use in treating human pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers because of its powerful phytonutrients.
What are Fermented Beets?
The process of fermenting foods dates back thousands of years when people discovered that this could make foods more digestible and flavorful. Interestingly, fermentation can also change the nutritional makeup of foods. When beets are fermented, the simple carbs in beets are effectively removed greatly reducing the sugar content. From a weight loss standpoint, consuming fermented beets versus regular beets is a smart choice in order to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Fermentation also increases the nitrate content in the beets which translates to a higher nitric oxide production which is a performance advantage for athletes.
How to Choose a Beetroot Supplement?
When searching for the most effective beetroot supplement, make sure the beets have been fermented. This maximizes the nitric oxide production and also helps support healthy blood glucose levels with less calories. Ideally, search out a certified organic source of beetroot as repeated research on organic foods as a group show that your likelihood of exposure to contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals can be greatly reduced through the purchase of certified organic foods, including beets.
What’s the Best Beetroot Supplement?
The only certified organic fermented beetroot powder product that currently exists today is the one by Ground-Based Nutrition. GBN’s Organic Fermented Beets also contain an innovative ingredient (Organic Careflow™ Mango Fruit) which has been clinically proven to improve microcirculation by enhancing eNOS activity, the enzyme required to convert arginine to nitric oxide. The combination of the organic fermented beets with Careflow™ Mango creates one of the most powerful, nitric oxide formulations available today. When you’re ready to take your performance to the next level, give it a try.
Charles Weller
Author