Beetroot Juice Benefits

Beetroot juice is a healthy drink that contains many essential vitamins and minerals. If the taste leaves you wanting, the flavor of beetroot juice is easily assimilated with other fruit juice flavors, apple being its most popular companion fruit. Beyond supplying the body with a startling array of nutrients, beetroot juice also has tangible positive effects on your energy levels and cardiovascular health.

A Natural Multi-Vitamin

• The vitamin and mineral content of beetroot juice is impressive. In terms of vitamin content, it contains high levels of vitamin C, folic acid, beta carotene (vitamin A), and vitamins B1, B2 and B3. Mineral wise, beetroot juice boasts a long list of valuable nutrients: potassium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, copper, selenium and iron. Additionally, beetroot juice contains protein in the form of a complete set of amino acids.

Stamina Booster

• A recent British medical study at the University of Exeter shed some light on properties of beetroot juice that increase stamina. Specifically, the study showed that athletes were able to exercise 16 percent longer than they normally could because the nitrates in beetroot juice reduced oxygen uptake. This reduced oxygen uptake had the effect of making workouts less fatiguing.

  Professor Andy Jones, who organized the study was quoted as saying: "Our study is the first to show that nitrate-rich food can increase exercise endurance."

Lowers Blood Pressure

• As it turns out, the nitrates in beetroot juice may not only increase stamina, but lower blood pressure as well. The evidence is courtesy of yet another British study, this time from The London School of Medicine. Professor Amrita Ahluwalia's study determined that the nitrate levels in 500ml of beetroot juice a day had a measurable effect on blood pressure reduction. The findings further showed that not only did the nitrates in the beetroot juice reduce blood pressure a mere few hours after ingestion, but that the positive effects still registered a full day after ingestion.

  How nitrates reduce blood pressure is still under scrutiny, but the researchers believe that nitrite may act as a blood vessel expander, thus improving circulation.

Good For The Cardiovascular System

• Apparently, the widening of blood vessels caused by nitrate ingestion not only improves circulation, but decreases the risk of heart disease, artery hardening, and vascular disease. In short, by expanding the blood vessels, the nitrates in beetroot juice supply more blood to the heart, and along with it, more oxygen. Improved blood and oxygen flow through the heart keeps it healthy, but also reduces the chest pain that accompanies heart disease and hardened arteries. For years, doctors have recommended a different form of nitrate to patients with chest pain and heart disease: nitroglycerine. While the body makes nitroglycerine already, the production of it slows and eventually stops with age, leading to the heart and artery diseases associated with aging. Two cups of beetroot juice daily are recommended for increasing nitrate levels to a degree that's beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

  .

Best Ways To Get Beetroot Juice

• The best and cheapest way to get beetroot juice is to either grow the beets in your own garden, or buy organic beets at a supermarket or farmer's market, and juice them yourself. Unfortunately, this juice is often sold in 16 oz. bottles for around $6 to $7 per bottle, making it a bit on the expensive side. A case of six 16 oz. bottles tends to sell for about $40, so buying in bulk doesn't seem to offer any cost savings. A much cheaper though more labor intensive way to get fresh beetroot juice would be to grow the beets and place them--vegetable and root--into the juicer.