Performance enhancing beets

Beet juice is not just the unassuming base to your grandmother’s borscht. The red stuff, with its nitrates, has the ability to enhance athletic performance and improve cardiovascular health.

Several studies have confirmed the effects of nitrates on athletic performance, including a study done at the University of Exerter’s School of Sport and Health Sciences, with beet juice itself. In the six-day study, eight male cyclists drank 500 ml of beet juice, which contained nearly 700 mg of naturally occurring nitrate. The control group with the placebo drank 500 ml of black-currant cordial containing very minimal nitrates for the same amount of time. The cyclists completed a series of stepped, moderate-intensity and severe-intensity exercise tests on a cycling ergometer during the last three days of this period. In the severe cycling test, the loading was increased by 30 watts per minute until the subject could no longer continue. After this six-day period, subjects underwent a 10-day ‘washout’ period, during which neither beet juice nor cordial were consumed. Then the process was reversed: those who had taken beet juice took cordial and vice-versa.

The results were significant. The beet-juice group was able to cycle an average of 16 per cent longer. The author, professor Andy Jones, noted: “Our study is the first to show that nitrate-rich food can increase exercise endurance. We were amazed by the effect of beet juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.”

When exercise intensity increases, the body demands more oxygen. For those subjects drinking beet juice, the need for more oxygen rose more slowly that those drinking cordial. The slower rise in demand means the beet-juice drinkers delivered power more efficiently: an 8.6 m. of oxygen per minute per additional watt of power output instead of 10.8 ml per minute per additional watt for the placebo group. The time-to-exhaustion in the severe test was extended significantly when beet juice was taken compared to placebo: 675 seconds versus 583 seconds, an increase of 16 per cent.
The performance boost, researchers say, is due to the high levels of nitrates in beet juice. The authors suspect that when dietary nitrate turns into nitric oxide in the body, it reduces the amount of oxygen required to perform exercise.

If you have tried juicing beets you will know that the taste is not necessarily appealing on its own. You can cut the taste by mixing in some juiced apples or carrots and a bit of ginger. Experiment with beet juice in training before using it on race day. Some people will have red urine or stools from beet juice so don’t be alarmed.

Besides the performance enhancement, beets offer great nutritional value. Betalains, which are what give beets their red/violet pigment, function as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules. Betalains are sensitive to heat from cooking. To preserve the nutrients in the beets, cut them into quarters and steam, keeping the cooking time to less than 15minutes. Leave the greens on if possible while cooking to keep in more of the nutrients. Peeling beets is easier once they are cooked. If you have not cooked with beets before, be warned: they do stain.

For dose recommendations, I would suggest that 3-4 days before your event you drink 500 ml of beet juice daily. The day of the event, drink 500 ml (or a 70-ml concentrate equivalent such as beetit.com) two and a half hours before your event. When it comes to performance, any legal edge you can get can make the difference between a good or a great performance.
Beet, apple and goat-cheese salad

Ingredients
2 apples, thinly sliced
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced
½ cup fennel, thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 beet, julienned
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, pepper, goat cheese

Directions
1. Mix the first nine ingredients into a bowl and toss. Salt and pepper to task and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Serve on endive or arugula with crumbled goat cheese on top.
Nutritional Information
For one serving
Calories 239
Carbs 15 g
Saturated Fat 5 g
Protein 6 g
Fibre 3 g