Beet Juice
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Posts: 462 Member
Recently, I'm trying to drink this stuff, just a little each day, since I've been told it helps you get a better workout on the bike and supposedly is great for your overall health. Supposed to reduce blood pressure too -- and I have hypertension so I figured maybe I can get off my meds for that someday. It looks like a nice very dark red wine. But man, tastes like ****t!! Horrid, horrid, stuff. Ugh.
Anyone drink this and did it help you get a more productive ride at all?
Anyone drink this and did it help you get a more productive ride at all?
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Replies
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A friend who is a serious cyclist (12 and 24 hour racer) says that it makes a noticeable difference for blood flow and stamina.
Plus reduces blood pressure.
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/fitness/beetroot-a-super-juice-34648
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23846159
Although I don't mind beetroot in a salad, or even beetroot soup, drinking the juice is pretty grim. I bought a litre carton a month ago and only had one glass....
As a leisure/pleasure cyclist rather than a competitor I'm not going to force something down that I don't enjoy. Maybe before really long rides or audax events but otherwise - yuk!0 -
I add raw beet into my smoothies. It's not so bad if you have some protein powder in there to mask the flavor.0
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Good idea Ken -- probably cheaper too. I'll buy a beet or two next time and try that. The juice is kind of pricey! Do you think it helps with stamina?0
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From what I've read about it, to get a reasonable degree of benefit from it, you're looking at ingesting between 350-500 ml of the stuff around 2 hours before riding... That's an awful lot of beet root juice with/before breakfast if you're on a long days ride...
They do concentrated "shots" which can make it easier to get down, but what they save on the volume, they more than make up for with the taste.
I've tried both, and, actually I didn't mind the taste of the normal juice.... Though the sight of a large glass of what looks like stage blood prior to breakfast is not particularly appetising. The shots however are just SO strong they are profoundly unpleasant.
Did it make a difference... Well, it may have been the placebo effect, but I did feel like I could sustain higher power efforts for longer... And as I tried it at the end of the giro challenge , my legs were already pretty well tired.
And if course you have to factor in the whole "pissing rainbows" effect... It's quite stressful when you know you're properly hydrated, yet when you stop to water the bushes it's coming out bright orange or (worse) pinky red!
Would I use it again... Perhaps if it was a tough century ride, or maybe a 25/50 mile time trial. Otherwise, it's a very expensive marginal gain.0 -
I've not tried beet juice, though i love beets. Will have to try some. I have started drinking tart cherry juice and it seems to really help recovery from hard rides. This article mentions both beet and tart cherry juices as being used by many olympic athletes.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/looking-for-fitness-in-a-glass-of-juice/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=00 -
From what I've read about it, to get a reasonable degree of benefit from it, you're looking at ingesting between 350-500 ml of the stuff around 2 hours before riding... That's an awful lot of beet root juice with/before breakfast if you're on a long days ride...
I had only 3oz. this morning mixed with about 5oz. of my kids berry flavored juice, so that is only 88ml beet juice. It was quite passable mixed, although still not good! I notice no real diff on the bike; but my BP has been slightly lower.
Yeah, I can't see me drinking that much, like 12oz! Bleh. The flavor to me kind of reminds me of a clod of moist dirt
If the concentrated stuff tastes worse I don't think I could drink it.
I think Ken had the right idea and I am going to try some fresh beets. There are a ton of farmer's markets in my area and I'm sure I can get them at a good price over the rest of the summer. Much cheaper than the Biotta bottles and other brands. Blend some with whey powder and some fruit like strawberries or something.0 -
There is a lot of mixed science on this subject. Read some of the non-commercial articles for some good info.
Here is one link that will lead you to others that should prove helpful.
http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/nutrition/Never-Miss-a-Beet.html0 -
Good idea Ken -- probably cheaper too. I'll buy a beet or two next time and try that. The juice is kind of pricey! Do you think it helps with stamina?
I have no clue if it really helps. I think it does but it could all be in my head.
I grew beets in my garden this year so I have not had to buy a beet in about 6 months. Ended up with more beets than I could eat. LOL!0 -
Recently, I'm trying to drink this stuff, just a little each day, since I've been told it helps you get a better workout on the bike and supposedly is great for your overall health. Supposed to reduce blood pressure too -- and I have hypertension so I figured maybe I can get off my meds for that someday. It looks like a nice very dark red wine. But man, tastes like ****t!! Horrid, horrid, stuff. Ugh.
Anyone drink this and did it help you get a more productive ride at all?
Although I love Aunt Nellie's pickled whole beats, and we had a bumper crop of beats in our garden this year (we use to grill, in salads, and to make cold Borscht) - a great way for cyclists to get the nutrients and boost is with the Red Ace shots that many racers and serious cyclists are addicted to before rides. It's not cheap, but packs a heck of a punch for 68 calories...
http://redaceorganics.com/
I do use it and it will keep you wired for a few hours.0
