You Can’t Beat Beetroot

Natural fruit and vegetables have been proven time and time again to be good for our overall health. One vegetable in particular is one we may not think twice about when we go for a carrot or tomato instead.

It’s called Beetroot.

Besides the fact that it is low in calories and has an abundance of minerals vital for our overall health, it is also a fabulous source of tryptophan which is the pre-cursor to your feel good and calming hormones. The main benefits we might find more attractive to us as athletes is that the more tryptophan our bodies can produce more productive sleep, which in turn will help overall muscle growth and recovery. Sleep is an often forgotten facet in our lives and something some people take for granted. If we are having regular sessions of deeper sleep, we are giving the body a better opportunity to grow muscle.

Beetroot is also found to be high in betalains. These pigments found in the layers of the vegetable are rich in antioxidants that are proven to reduce free radicals in the blood and prevent the oxidative reactions that occur from free radical build up that causes many diseases. When we put our bodies through extreme amounts of stress, particularly when we exercise, there is a natural increase in free radical production.

It’s also high in the mineral boron which in Roman times was used as an aphrodisiac. This is because boron plays an important role in the production of sex hormones.

What’s even more intriguing is that in a recent short-term study with 14 volunteers, half drank 500mls of pure beetroot juice and the other half drank pure water. The end result for the beetroot drinking group was a dramatic reduction in their blood pressure.

The study, conducted by Dr Andrew Webb from the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and London School of Medicine, found that beetroot, which is high in nitrates, converted to nitric oxide when mixed with bacteria in human saliva. The nitric oxide dilated the blood vessels, allowing blood to move more freely around the body resulting in a drop in pressure. This shows that foods, and particularly vegetables, high in dietary nitrates can prove beneficial in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

So when selecting a vegetable to go into a salad or even to add as a delicious side dish for your main meal, give beetroot a try.