Beets, the red tuber vegetable that stains anything it touches, has received some special attention in the last several years as a functional food. A food that can positively impact our body and health. 

But before we all jump on the bandwagon and start eating beets at every dinner, what exactly makes beets a functional food? 

The main claim to fame for beets is their nitrate content that gets converted to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide has many benefits of which include the potential to lower blood pressure, relax the walls of blood vessels, and protect the endothelial lining of the blood vessels. 

This becomes even more important in the older population since nitric oxide production in the body decreases with age. By consuming dietary nitrates, you can effectively boost your nitric oxide levels.

Nitrates and Nitrites

Nitrates and nitrites are the precursors to nitric oxide that get converted in the body. They are found naturally in beets, celery, dark leafy greens, and many other vegetables. There are also synthetic versions (sodium nitrate) used to cure meat (bacon, sausage, deli meats, etc.).

However, there has been conflicting information on nitrates and nitrites as we have been told for a long time now that eating cured meats can have a negative impact on our health. 

However, by itself, nitrate and nitrite is beneficial to our health, especially our cardiovascular health. So why are cured meats touted as being bad for us then?

The issue is not with the nitrate/nitrite used for curing but rather the combination of it with the meat. Nitrates and nitrites in the presence of amino acids (the building blocks of protein) can create nitrosamines which are carcinogens to our body.

These carcinogenic nitrosamines are produced during the processing of the meat and during cooking, especially at high temps such as frying your morning bacon.

Vegetables, unlike cured meat, provide antioxidants which can prevent the creation of these nitrosamines. In addition, they do not provide amino acids which are a key part of the creation of nitrosamines. 

The power of beets

Although nitrates/nitrites have taken the main glory for the health benefits of beets, there is a whole lot more to it. Beets are a rich source of phytochemicals that provide a multitude of different powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

These compounds have many roles in preventing oxidative stress and reducing low-grade inflammation in our body. Both of which are responsible for many diseases later in life such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. 

It is these additional phytochemicals in addition to the nitrate content that give beets their main glory as a functional food. So, by only taking a nitrate supplement you will be missing out on all the other powerful benefits of beets.

Supplementing your diet with beets

Luckily there are many different options to get the health benefits of beets. You can eat them by cooking or canning them, or you can drink juice made from them. It’s important to note that eating boiled beets retains the greatest amount of phytochemicals, followed by juice, and canning having the lowest amount.

You can also take a beet supplement available in a powder you can mix with water or a capsule you can swallow. These supplements have been shown to offer the same powerful benefits as eating the beet whole.

Unfortunately, despite there being plenty of research on the benefits of beets, there is little data on the recommended dose. So, until more research on this is done it is best to follow these guidelines.

• Incorporate beets into your diet weekly or more often (boiled, steamed, or canned)

• Drink a glass of beet juice daily

• Follow the recommended amount of your beetroot supplement

• When taking beetroot supplements make sure not to exceed 2 grams/day to prevent toxicity, which is rare but has occurred.

The most important factor to obtain the health benefits of beets is to consume them and/or use a supplement on a regular basis. Short term use (anything less than 3-4 weeks) has shown to provide little to no health benefit. 

If you are older and are planning to use beets/beet supplements to increase your bioavailable nitric oxide it is important to not use mouthwash as this can impact the healthy bacteria in your mouth.

Nitric oxide is dependent on nitrate being converted to nitrite in our mouth by bacteria that is naturally present there. Without these healthy bacteria, the body is unable to produce nitric oxide from dietary nitrate sources.

If you want help with creating a strategy to incorporate beets into your daily diet, send me an email at dietitian2go@gmail.com or schedule a zoom or phone meeting with me.

Written by: Adam Skowyra MPPD, RDN, LD