Introduction:
When you think of beets or even beet root, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Probably the deep red and purplish color, right?
And as we know with many other fruits and vegetables is that the most colorful varieties tend to have the most nutrients and benefits. And that’s precisely what you can expect from beets as well as supplements like beet root powder.
While many love beet root for the taste, an aspect that is commonly overlooked is the fact that you can experience some incredible performance and wellness benefits to not only take your training to the next level but help improve your health and wellness as well.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into what beet root and beet root powder is, how to use beet root powder, how much beet root powder per day is needed to benefit, as well as the actual beet root powder benefits.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak to your doctor before starting an exercise program, making changes to your nutrition plan, or adding any supplements to your current regimen.
What is Beet Root?
Beet root is a root vegetable that has a sweet and earthy flavor that many people enjoy. While people typically include them in their soups, salads, dips, and when juicing, one of the most commonly consumed methods today is through beet root powder.
Beet root is packed with essential nutrients, including a good amount of fiber, vitamins (like vitamins C and B6), and minerals (such as iron, potassium, and manganese). They are also rich in nitrates, which are compounds that can help improve blood flow, among many other benefits we’ll touch on shortly.
As an example, if you cut up 100 grams of beet root, it would provide you with:
- 44 calories
- 2g fat
- 10g carbs
- 7g protein
- 2g fiber
The versatility of beet root makes it a popular choice for those looking to enhance their nutrition plan with a natural, nutrient-dense food. Whether you consume it fresh, cooked, or as a beet root powder supplement, beet root is an excellent addition to a healthy lifestyle.
What Are Nitrates That Come from Beet Root?
To get a little scientific on things, nitrates are inorganic compounds composed of one nitrogen atom bonded to three oxygen atoms, represented chemically as NO3-.
These compounds are abundant in many leafy green vegetables and root vegetables like beet root.
How Do Nitrates Work in the Body?
When you consume foods high in nitrates, such as beet root, these compounds go through a series of conversions within your body:
- Conversion to Nitrites: In the mouth, bacteria on the tongue convert some of the ingested nitrates into nitrites (NO2-).
- Formation of Nitric Oxide: Once the nitrites are swallowed and absorbed into the bloodstream, they are further converted into nitric oxide (NO) in the body, particularly under low-oxygen conditions.
Benefits of Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is a crucial molecule in the body with several important functions:
- Vasodilation: Nitric oxide helps relax and widen blood vessels, which improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure. This is particularly beneficial for cardiovascular health.
- Enhanced Oxygen Delivery: Improved blood flow enhances the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles and organs, boosting physical performance and endurance.
- Reduced Oxygen Cost: During exercise, nitric oxide helps reduce the oxygen cost of physical activities, meaning the body uses oxygen more efficiently, allowing for better stamina and performance.
- Neuroprotection: Nitric oxide can improve brain function by enhancing blood flow to the brain, which may help protect against cognitive decline and improve mental clarity.
7 Powerful Beet Root Powder Benefit
Whether you like the taste and flavor of beet root or not, beet root powder benefits exist, and if you want a simple way to experience these benefits for yourself without having to physically eat and chew beet root, supplements are a great option.
You can easily mix the best beet root powder you find according to your wants and needs in a smoothie or beverage, and it’s a totally different (and delicious) experience.
But what are the beet root powder benefits? Let’s take a deeper look at them below.
1. Enhance athletic performance
If you’re someone who is into athletics or trains hard in the gym, one of the best beet root powder benefits is the ability to enhance athletic performance.
Research has found that the nitrates in beet root can help improve physical performance by supporting the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell).
Additionally, you can experience a boost in stamina and endurance by boosting cardiorespiratory performance and your ability to delay fatigue and exhaustion.
Athletes may notice a considerable difference in their performance as beet root can help improve oxygen use.
2. Maximize muscle pumps
The nitrates found in beet root and beet root powder supplements can help increase nitric oxide production, further enhancing vasodilation or the dilation of blood vessels.
If you’re someone who trains in the gym and chases the pump, using a beet root powder can help you achieve a mind-blowing pump.
The ability for you to more easily flood the muscles with blood, oxygen, and nutrients can help engorge your muscles, causing a “ballooning effect” that may cause you to do a double-take as you pass by a mirror.
3. Boost energy levels
It goes without saying that whether you’re in the gym, on the playing field, or navigating your way through a hectic day, you need sustained energy. Beet root powder supplements can provide the body with the energy to push through whatever challenges you have throughout the day.
Furthermore, because of the nutritional properties that make up beet root, this root vegetable has been associated with weight management. How so? Well, beet root is full of healthy fiber that can help reduce your overall daily caloric intake by keeping you feeling fuller and satiated throughout the day.
4. Support heart health
Tying in with the vasodilation properties that come along with beet root, supplementing with beet root powder can have some pretty impressive heart health benefits.
With beet root powder being able to help expand and widen the blood vessels and support vasodilation, it can help lower the overall pressure inside the blood vessels that can potentially lead to heart health issues.
5. Increase brain function
Vasodilation improves so many aspects of your overall health, from being able to support the muscles during intense bouts of exercise to heart health and even to brain function.
The nitrates found in beet root can help support brain function, memory, and performance by dilating the blood vessels, which can increase blood flow to the brain.
Research has even gone as far as to say beet root supplements are fantastic as an ergogenic aid for exercise as well as the aging brain.
6. Improve digestion and gut health
Fiber is important for digestive health and for feeding the friendly bacteria found in your gut and microbiome. When digestive health is optimized, you can better absorb the food you’re consuming, which, in turn, can help support your muscles and overall performance.
Something else to note is that your gut health is directly correlated with your immune health. An unhealthy microbiome can increase your risk of illness and can create issues that will take you away from the gym and playing field.
7. Reduces oxidative stress
Whether you realize it or not, your body is being attacked consistently by free radicals. This oxidative stress is similar to that of rust forming on an exposed piece of metal. Now, imagine that “rust” forming in your body that can damage and alter your cells and DNA.
Not good, right?
If you want to maximize your performance, health, and wellness, a beet root powder supplement may be the answer.
Beet root contains a natural plant nutrient called betalain. Betalain is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce oxidative stress on the body.
How to Use Beet Root Powder
If you want to include beet root in your diet, you can simply add it into your favorite soup or salad, but a more convenient way to take in the many performance and health benefits is through the use of a beet root powder.
Simply mix the best beet root powder according to your wants and needs in water or your favorite beverage. Typically, a single scoop of your beet root powder supplement goes best with anywhere from 6-8 ounces of water, but you can adjust the amount of liquid to acquire your desired taste and consistency.
You can also dump a scoop of your beet root powder supplement into your smoothie that you make using fresh ingredients in the blender. You get everything you love from your delicious smoothie, only now you get the additional beet root powder benefits.
How Much Beet Root Powder Per Day is Needed?
While varying research makes claims using different dosages of beet root, how much beet root powder per day that’s needed can vary depending on your activity level as well as your current health status.
That said, the recommended dosage of beet root powder seems to fall between 3-6 grams per day being the sweet spot (with the higher end being more geared toward athletes and those who train in the gym regularly with any sort of intensity).
Experience the Best Beet Root Powder Supplement
There is no shortage of benefits from beet root powder, and you’re probably interested in what it can do for you and what you can experience through its use.
What we did was go out and source the highest quality and best beet root powders we could find until we found “the one” that was the highest potency and provided us with the most noticeable benefits. What we were left with is what you’ll now find as NutraBio Beet Root.
What makes NutraBio Beet Root the best beet root powder supplement out there?
In typical NutraBio fashion, we refuse to settle or compromise, and as you’d come to expect from us, we’ve meticulously crafted our beet root powder supplement to provide you with the highest quality and potency — providing you with a full, backed-by-research 6-gram serving.
You can experience the best benefits of beet root powder with every scoop.
If you want to try the beet root powder benefits for yourself, pick up a tub of NutraBio Beet Root to support your overall performance and wellness.
By: Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
