Foods
Beets, Nitrates, and Stamina: The Surprising Science
How a humble root vegetable became one of the most-studied performance foods.
5 min read
Last updated Traditional wisdom + modern evidence Educational, not medical advice
Beets are remarkable for their dietary nitrate content. Your body converts those nitrates into nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and improves how efficiently you use oxygen.
What studies show
About ~250 mL of beet juice 2–3 hours before exercise modestly improves time to exhaustion and reduces blood pressure — and the effects build over 1–4 weeks.
Whole beets work too
Two roasted beets give you roughly the nitrate dose used in common test juices — add them to salads, soups or grain bowls.
Sources & references
Background reading
- The Nutrition Source — Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health