Beets
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
A natural nitrate source that genuinely improves blood flow — the same idea behind citrulline supplements.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Nitrates released): Chewing releases nitrate compounds naturally concentrated in the root.
- Stomach (Rapid absorption begins): Nitrates begin absorbing quickly.
- Oral bacteria (Converted toward nitric oxide): Absorbed nitrate is converted step-by-step — partly by bacteria on the tongue — into nitric oxide, the same molecule citrulline and arginine target.
- Blood vessels (Widens blood vessels): Nitric oxide widens blood vessels, increasing blood flow to working muscles.
Timing
2–3 hours before exercise, in most studied protocols, for peak nitrate conversion.
Time to effect
- 2–3 hrs: Peak nitric oxide-related blood flow effect after intake.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto, Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
203 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 108 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 55.4
- Protein: 2g
- Carbohydrate: 9.4g
- of which sugars: 9.3g
- Fat: 0.6g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 3.4g
- Sodium: 32mg
Food vs. supplement
Beet juice was actually the original source of evidence behind the nitric oxide-boosting effect that citrulline and arginine supplements are now built around — a concentrated beet juice shot delivers a comparable nitrate dose to sports-nutrition research.
Kitchen tip
Roasting whole with the skin on and peeling afterward keeps more of the color and nutrients than boiling.
Common myth
“Mouthwash doesn’t affect beet juice’s benefits.” In reality: Antibacterial mouthwash kills the tongue bacteria needed for the first step of nitrate conversion — studies show it can measurably blunt the blood flow benefit.
Recipes that use it
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