I keep on hearing that beets are ‘good’ for me, so last night, I decided to have some with dinner. That has prompted three questions:
I bought frozen beets in a bag and looking at a glance at the nutritional information, I didn’t see anything in particular stand out. So exactly what is it that makes beets so healthy? I guess question 1a) is whether frozen are ok to substitute for fresh beets to get the full benefits?
I went for my regular Tuesday AM run w/ sprint intervals and was a good 20 seconds faster per interval than the previous week. Same training/sleep/nutrition/rest pattern as the week before. Wow, can this really come from beets?!
And finally, is it normal that my pee is pink-ish today??
Yes to #3 and to add, don’t be surprised if your poop looks like that too.
I like fresh beets (they are great if you roast for about 45 min); if you don’t want to deal with the pink pee/poo, try golden beets instead (I think they are more flavorful IMO).
I am no medical expert - just a student - but after finishing a research paper on beet root/dietary nitrates, I’ll be upping my beet intake for race week from here on out. The rest of the time, I’ll just be sure I’m getting plenty of veggies in my diet (since beets aren’t the only magical source of nitrate). Roasted beets work as well as beet juice, so I’d guess that frozen holds up too. There are a lot of small studies about short-term supplementation, pretty interesting reading.
I think beets do show promise, however I am not sure you can get the benefits from just eating a beet or three. I think you need certain parts concentrated to see real, repeatable results.
Studies were done with beet juice which is a concentrated form. You can research it, the mechanics likely involves the nitrate concentration. You’d probably have to eat a lot of baked beets to get the same dose. Also, just a guess, but taking frozen beets, and then baking them probably furthers the distance from the beneficial dose.
2: No. Lets be real, :20 seconds? That’s a shit load in 1-2 minute interval. Training works.
Yes
IMO packaged beet juice is too expensive and making your own juice not really worth it. I eat them occasionally just for variation and because I like em, not because of any purported benefit. I think it’s better to focus on the 99% than the .05%
I would be very interested in reading your research paper when you are completed. I have read a few articles on beets and beet juice, some show results other say less results the better your VO2Max is already. I would be interested in what your research turns up.
Me and my son eat beets from our garden and friends garden. Roasted in the oven then my wife heats them up in a pan with honey and balsamic vinegar mixture very tasty.
1 raw beet + 1 apple + handful of greens + water. Blend 'til smooth. Drink. Profit?
I bought a 2 gal. bucket of beets at the last farmer’s market of the year for freezing, so if beets make a difference, I will find out! So far, the beet and apple smoothie is my favorite way to consume them. Fast, easy, and I read somewhere that there may be a benefit to mixing with saliva, which should be enhanced by sipping a blended version.
That said, I doubt there is anything magical about beets that you couldn’t get from other vegetables. There are plenty of other foods with comparable or higher nitrate levels.
