# Beetroot juice, good or not?



## Suffolk Cycling (2 Aug 2014)

Apologies if this has been discussed before - I did do a forum search and only came up with posts about people being beetroot-faced from riding too hard!

Do any of you drink beetroot juice? Do you swear by the benefits, or is it just a clever marketing ploy?

I'm thinking of writing a blog post exploring it, so views/thoughts very welcome (and credited in the piece, of course).

I've started drinking it on the recommendation of a fast-riding friend. Tastes pretty grim


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## Rob3rt (2 Aug 2014)

Plenty of scientific articles on it.


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## winjim (2 Aug 2014)

What are the claims for it? I think it's in some of the fancy juices my wife buys and we have some raw beetroot and ginger muesli in at the moment but I don't drink it specifically to improve my cycling.

I very much doubt that it is the single thing which makes your friend ride fast.


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## Suffolk Cycling (2 Aug 2014)

winjim said:


> What are the claims for it? I think it's in some of the fancy juices my wife buys and we have some raw beetroot and ginger muesli in at the moment but I don't drink it specifically to improve my cycling.
> 
> I very much doubt that it is the single thing which makes your friend ride fast.



Beetroot is high in nitrate and is meant to increase the oxygen in the blood, and get the muscles working longer... so they say!


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## stuee147 (2 Aug 2014)

i dont know about beetroot juice but my grandad always used to drink the water the cabbages were boiled in and he lived well into his 90s so there might be something in it i tried it once but never again i think it must be an acquired taste lol


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## numbnuts (2 Aug 2014)

Beetroot the food of the


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## Cycleops (2 Aug 2014)

Apparently can lower blood pressure within one day! Also good for anaemia.


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## summerdays (2 Aug 2014)

I voted yes because it's a vegetable and it's delicious!

Just back from the allotment where I picked some including the one below but they will be destined to become roast beetroot or beetroot gratin!


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## Suffolk Cycling (2 Aug 2014)

Impressive!


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## TheJDog (2 Aug 2014)

I love beetroot. I have juice, pickled and roast in my fridge. I hate parsnip. I hope parsnip isn't good for you.


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## Dogtrousers (2 Aug 2014)

I do. Because I love it. My favourite juice recipe is: Load of carrots, a few oranges (peeled), one or two beetroot, half a lemon, lump of ginger. Bung in juicer. Drink.

Mmmmm. But as to its athletic performance enhancing powers, I'm not a very good advert I'm afraid.


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## guitarpete247 (2 Aug 2014)

I have some beetroot growing. Hope that slugs don't go for it as we are overrun with the bleeders.


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## shouldbeinbed (3 Aug 2014)

It formed a large part of a pre-op week long diet advice for people awaiting heart surgery and needing to drop the last few lbs before going in. Maybe juice would have helped as there is only so much raw beetroot you can eat in a week without wanting to scream.


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## RebornBumbler (3 Aug 2014)

I seem to recall that the beneficial effects are only really pronounced if you're quite unfit.
In fit/professional cyclists there was no measurable positive effect.


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## dellzeqq (3 Aug 2014)

delicious!


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## yello (3 Aug 2014)

RebornBumbler said:


> I seem to recall that the beneficial effects are only really pronounced if you're quite unfit.
> In fit/professional cyclists there was no measurable positive effect.



I posted a link on the last beetroot thread we had that suggested something like that, as I recall. There are a number of other articles on the subject just a web search away.

It's not the beetroot itself that does the trick, it's an enzyme produced in your saliva when you eat beetroot.

I didn't vote in the poll BTW because I have no idea whether there's a benefit or no.... but I do like beetroot!


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## jefmcg (3 Aug 2014)

Dammit, I love beetroot. When I'm catering for myself only, I'll eat so much beetroot that it starts to look like I have colon cancer. I make a fabo salad with roasted beetroot, orancges, red onions and a balsamic vinaigrette.

You can buy powdered beetroot at healthfood stores: I wonder if that has the same benefits?


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## The Jogger (3 Aug 2014)

dellzeqq said:


> delicious!



Just got some today, very nice.


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## TheJDog (5 Aug 2014)

dellzeqq said:


> delicious!



I tried this on this recommendation and it is vile. I had to mix it with loads of fruit juice to get it down. They seem to have extracted only the worst part of the beetroot.

Sainsburys used to do a mixed veg with a lot of beetroot juice - that was nice but they don't make it any more.


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## w00hoo_kent (5 Aug 2014)

There was an article about it in Cyclist recently, I think they decided you needed to drink a lot of it (500+ ml at least?) and the effects were quite short lived. But then they are journo's, so who knows :-)


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## The Jogger (5 Aug 2014)

From what I have read, beetroot juice has many health benefits. Since this thread I have been taking the Cawston juice 250ml a day. Now considering bulk buying


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## Crankarm (5 Aug 2014)

numbnuts said:


> Beetroot the food of the



And the Devil looks like a beetroot.

I like beetroot, not just juice, the whole thing. Eat too much and your pee turns red which can be alarming!

I dunno what properties it has but I feel pretty good after I've eaten it and if I remember to eat it regularly I feel grrreat, devilishly good!


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## Trevor_P (13 Aug 2014)

I failed an HGV medical with hypertension back in 2012. After 5 months messing around with different meds, the one thing that had the biggest effect was Beetroot juice. 125ml a day 2 1/2 hours before the reading dropped the systolic by 25 points and the diastolic by 10-12 points. I still drink it today, even though it tastes terrible. Still take the meds too.


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## brand (13 Aug 2014)

Load of rubbish beetroot juice is the same as drinking orange juice you have removed all the goodness, well at least most of it. Buy the packaged stuff no vinegar just boiled. I could eat it all day. The sort of thing I will eat for breakfast or dinner. Take a break from it regularly just to check that it is not actually blood in your pee!


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## brand (13 Aug 2014)

Let's leave it with huffy post

“The researchers suggest the benefits of beetroot lay its nitrate content but it’s worth remembering other vegetables are rich in nitrates too, including green leafy vegetables like spinach. And nitrates aren’t the only good thing about fruit and vegetables so eat your beetroot and greens, but make sure you have a wide range of fruit and vegetables to make up your five-a-day.”

Professor Julie Lovegrove, of the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Reading, said: "This new data strengthens the evidence for a beneficial effect of nitrate-rich foods in lowering BP, even at relatively low levels of dosage."
Eat it all every single bit. Including the leaves
http://www.readersdigest.com.au/5-ways-to-use-beetroot-leaves


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## burndust (14 Aug 2014)

Love beetroot any in any form...always stick some of the unsweetened pre packaged stuff in my nutribullet pre ride/workout drink


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