Although you can find them in other foods as well, beets offer the biggest amount of these two phytonutrients with really powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. In addition, beets are abundant with cancer-preventing anthocyanins, which give them their red color, contain cellulose and pectin, and are also full of important vitamins and minerals such as B1, B2, B12, C, copper, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and iodine.
All of this puts beets on the list of super-foods that have the ability to heal and prevent diseases and nourish multiple aspects of human health. More specifically, beets can boost blood flow, help treat anemia, regulate cholesterol levels, promote healthy liver function, decelerate aging, enhance digestion and decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease. Furthermore, beets are rarely outmatched when it comes to their ability to boosting athletic performance by increasing endurance and stamina.
Need more convincing? Here are 6 specific reasons to love beets!
#1. Blood Pressure Control
We can say, without any fear of being overly dramatic, that beets are the best natural remedy for high blood pressure. In fact, drinking beet juice can help lower blood pressure in just a few hours. Imagine what beet juice can do for you if you drink it every day – oh wait, you don’t have to imagine it, because studies have already found that this practice can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of 5 points. The nutrients responsible for this benefit are the nitrates found in beets, which once ingested get converted into nitric oxide, a well-known vasodilator.
#2. Boosted Stamina
One study from the University of Exerter’s School of Sport and Health Sciences found that drinking beet juice prior to exercise helped subjects exercise up to 16% longer. The men who drank beet juice also had lower resting blood pressure after consuming it, compared to the group who drank currant juice. These results are only the latest addition to a growing pool of scientific data that confirms the potential of nitrate-rich food to significantly increase athletic endurance and stamina while also reducing free radical damage. According to the lead author, Professor Andy Jones, “We were amazed by the effect of beet juice on oxygen uptake because these effects can’t be achieved by any other known means.”
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