Drink useful beet juice because good diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables and most respected athletes healthier diet than the average person. However, only in 2009 the reinforcing properties of beets were taken into account by the contestants.
Since then, many of them have invested completely in vein to achieve the last few percent above the competition. 7 years after publication of the first study, we have a much greater understanding of how the beets improves our productivity and how we can make the most of it. Here are some tips on how to optimize the consumption of beets.
Beetroot contains large amounts of inorganic nitrates. These compounds are precursors of a very important molecule that is necessary for our body to function – nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is produced naturally in our bodies, but we can dramatically increase its content if we eat foods rich in nitrates. One of the main functions to NO is the expansion of blood vessels in the muscles, allowing an influx of more oxygen.
Beet juice, concentrate or powder
The first study, conducted in 2009, advises consumption of 500 ml of juice daily. Squeeze the juice of 1 kg of beet every morning not only time consuming, but is expensive and impractical if you travel. Alternatives in the form of concentrates and powder are already widely available. Experiments have shown that the concentrate can reproduce the same results as with fresh beets. Not yet proven benefits of the use of the powder version. 500 ml (about 2 cups) is the advice of many professional athletes.
This is much beet juice. There are rumors of problems in the digestive tract after consumption of such amounts. Finding the right dose is a big advantage. When the average person improvements can be seen in the use of 300 ml daily. In 600 ml daily consumption improvements are a little older, but doubling the dose does not result in double the result. This suggests that nitric oxide levels in the body have limits.
Raw or cooked beets
Heat treatment significantly reduces levels of nitrates in vegetables. Therefore, the recommended method is squeezing or use of concentrate. The exception here is the slight infusion, which can even increase the amount of nitrate available to the body. Obviously beet requires serious preparation by lightly steaming. For other vegetables high in nitrates, such as spinach, light brew will not change the amount.
Quickly or slowly drinking beet juice
Nitrates in beet are converted into nitrites by the bacteria in our saliva. This is an important step that should not be overlooked. This transformation was not instantaneous and use of mouthwash or toothpaste shortly after consumption of juice can wash nitrates from saliva. Logically slow uptake to increase the time in which the bacteria are in contact with nitrates, increasing their transformation into nitrites.
As with any food additive, each body reacts differently. It is possible there is no increase in performance even when using the largest doses. It is not possible to determine how the other food additives and caffeine affect the levels of nitric oxide. Beets in itself will not make you a quick and tireless, but players who care for maximum results can be the difference between victory and defeat. New products such as beet concentrate, help for everyday use even before the race.