Beetroot juice improving performance................YUKI!!!

jgsi

http://tinyurl.com/379rhz7
Anyone else subjecting themselves to this disgusting daily routine?
After 2 days the stuff makes me gag.. it's horrid... horrid stuff.... can someone tell me it's a wind up so that I can throw the stuff in the bin...... please

shockedsoshocked

Not a wind up.

Beetroot juice:

Pros: proven increase in aerobic endurance performance, easy to consume (1 litre / day for ~6-10 days before event)

Cons: expensive, high in calories (~800-900 cal per litre), turns urine purple

High in Nitrate which is believed to increase oxidative functioning

Bailey et al. 2009, JAP

Headhuunter

I buy raw beetroot from my local market in Lewisham, you can get loads for a quid. I then juice it myself with other fruit and veg - apples, pears, spinach, broccoli etc etc, whatever I've got. If you don't like the flavour juice a chunk of ginger with it, that hides the intense veggie flavour to a certain extent. Otherwise just drink it down quickly and wash your mouth out afterwards!

In fact it's best to consume freshly juiced fruit and veg literally within 5 mins of it being juiced or a lot of the nutritional value is lost because when you juice things, you break down the cell walls so nutrients, although more bio available than when they're raw and whole, degrade quickly.

I find that if you add a teaspoon or so of spirulina powder to the juice it really gives you a noticeable energy kick, not like a cup of coffee or energy drink, but a longer lasting, consistent boost, clears you head and it also suppresses appetite. The only downside is that spirulina tastes like something straight from satan's bottom, so a culinary delight it isn't....

rokkala

I quite like it, very refreshing when cold out the fridge. But i like beetroot...

Matt the Tester

yeah i read this as well it's nuts! i wouldn't mind trying this though as i might get better results in my solo rides when im pushing myself.

willbevan

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Not a wind up.

Beetroot juice:

Pros: proven increase in aerobic endurance performance, easy to consume (1 litre / day for ~6-10 days before event)

Cons: expensive, high in calories (~800-900 cal per litre), turns urine purple

High in Nitrate which is believed to increase oxidative functioning

Bailey et al. 2009, JAP

Linked study suggests 500ml a day for 6 days...

Is there another study ive missed that suggests 1L per day and upto 10 days or have I missed soemthing obvious?

Cheers

Will

shockedsoshocked

willbevan wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Not a wind up.

Beetroot juice:

Pros: proven increase in aerobic endurance performance, easy to consume (1 litre / day for ~6-10 days before event)

Cons: expensive, high in calories (~800-900 cal per litre), turns urine purple

High in Nitrate which is believed to increase oxidative functioning

Bailey et al. 2009, JAP

Linked study suggests 500ml a day for 6 days...

Is there another study ive missed that suggests 1L per day and upto 10 days or have I missed soemthing obvious?

Cheers

Will

Just the information I received from the physiologists/coaches who look after the athletes at the Uni. Could probably find out for you if you're interested though?

Tom Butcher

Thought I'd try eating beetroot regularly on the back of this - tried on yesterday - mission aborted - oh my god it's absolutely vile - I feel sick now just thinking about it. Is there not anything else that contains whatever is in beetroot that is beneficial ?

Team Banana Spokesman

add other fruit juices to change the taste.

maybe bhima will be along to help. he has a good recipie for those with juicers

Tom Butcher

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-nutrition-is-dietary-nitrate-the-key-to-enhanced-endurance-performance-41930

That suggests there are alternative sources of the stuff that is supposed to be a benefit. To be honest I was eating a cooked beet rather than the juice - but I can't imagine how much fruit juice I'd have to add to make it palatable if the juice is anything like that - whereas some of those other sources such as lettuce, celery, rocket are quite palatable. I think I'll stick with them.

rokkala

Tom Butcher wrote:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-nutrition-is-dietary-nitrate-the-key-to-enhanced-endurance-performance-41930

That suggests there are alternative sources of the stuff that is supposed to be a benefit. To be honest I was eating a cooked beet rather than the juice - but I can't imagine how much fruit juice I'd have to add to make it palatable if the juice is anything like that - whereas some of those other sources such as lettuce, celery, rocket are quite palatable. I think I'll stick with them.

Pretty sure i read in a study that it needs to be the juice that you drink, eating the beet doesn't give you the benefits described.

And yes, the juice tastes exactly like the beet does!

jgsi

Rokkala wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-nutrition-is-dietary-nitrate-the-key-to-enhanced-endurance-performance-41930

That suggests there are alternative sources of the stuff that is supposed to be a benefit. To be honest I was eating a cooked beet rather than the juice - but I can't imagine how much fruit juice I'd have to add to make it palatable if the juice is anything like that - whereas some of those other sources such as lettuce, celery, rocket are quite palatable. I think I'll stick with them.

Pretty sure i read in a study that it needs to be the juice that you drink, eating the beet doesn't give you the benefits described.

And yes, the juice tastes exactly like the beet does!

I am on the last bottle - have had enough already...
still tastes like has been juiced by the many feet of 20 stone Belorussian red cabbage growers.

Tom Butcher

Rokkala wrote:

Tom Butcher wrote:

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-nutrition-is-dietary-nitrate-the-key-to-enhanced-endurance-performance-41930

That suggests there are alternative sources of the stuff that is supposed to be a benefit. To be honest I was eating a cooked beet rather than the juice - but I can't imagine how much fruit juice I'd have to add to make it palatable if the juice is anything like that - whereas some of those other sources such as lettuce, celery, rocket are quite palatable. I think I'll stick with them.

Pretty sure i read in a study that it needs to be the juice that you drink, eating the beet doesn't give you the benefits described.

And yes, the juice tastes exactly like the beet does!

The article above suggests it's just nitrate rich foods rather than beetroot or even beetroot juice in particular. Beetroot juice is probably just a very concentrated source.

willbevan

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

willbevan wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Not a wind up.

Beetroot juice:

Pros: proven increase in aerobic endurance performance, easy to consume (1 litre / day for ~6-10 days before event)

Cons: expensive, high in calories (~800-900 cal per litre), turns urine purple

High in Nitrate which is believed to increase oxidative functioning

Bailey et al. 2009, JAP

Linked study suggests 500ml a day for 6 days...

Is there another study ive missed that suggests 1L per day and upto 10 days or have I missed soemthing obvious?

Cheers

Will

Just the information I received from the physiologists/coaches who look after the athletes at the Uni. Could probably find out for you if you're interested though?

if you could please as I am interested

trying 6 days at half a litre for the next club TT

had my first 1/4 of a litre just now, omg awful lol, going to add some ginger or soemthing to it!

APIII

Does anyone know if it has to be 1/2l a day, or will you still get some benefit from a lesser amount (I've not checked the link to the study btw) . Not sure I could face all that juice in a day.

Hibbs

I only managed two bottles before giving up. Disgusting. Then tried a beetroot/cherry juice mix... the flavour isn't too bad, but you still get the aftertaste... It's like drinking cherry juice and then eating a bowlful of mud.

Can it be taken intravenously?

ebt

On the continent painkillers are administered at the other end of the digestive tract, something to do with rapid absorbtion. Im just saying... thats all.

(nothing to do with the amusement at the thought of you guys 'broadening your horizons' with purple root veg)

Headhuunter

Best thing to do is mix the beetroot juice with something else. If you juice at home experiment by slinging in a couple of apples or a bit of ginger or something. You can make up some pretty tasty recipes

bexley5200

if you try this dont be alarmed when you go pee it comes out red

stonehouse

How about pills rather than juice, they any good?

blackhands

MonaVie wrote:

Really in any moment any place any you can take specially fruit juice, In this situation you easily take monavie juice.

We all know about that stuff and the false claims made for acai berry -
see Quackwatch and:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MonaVie

betrootspartan

just did a handicapped league race where the scratch group averaged 45k/h for 1hr 15 min. I felt pretty bomb proof for the whole race and came 4th in the end. Have been 'experimenting' with beetroot juice. Took one raw beet juiced with 2 apples and some fresh ginger about 2.5 hours prior to race. I really felt strong. I have a science backround and am a total skeptic re homopathy, reik and all that nonsense. I have to say I noticed a major boost tonight.

Alex_Simmons/RST

betrootspartan wrote:

homopathy

lol. disease of humans

I'm more than skeptical about homeopathy though. It's right up there in the dangerous nonsense stakes with the anti-vax crowd. Not dangerous to consume of course, but dangerous when used in place of proper medical treatment.

jgsi

You can buy this stuff in those shot bottles now - less of it - 'cut with lemon juice' according to the blurb... note the indirect use of a drug world sub culture word... anyways beside that... who can afford £2 per day ad nauseam?
No, I dont spend £4 perday on espressos from Starbucks either.....
oh, according to the manufacturers ... you can't just eat beetroot of course and have the same 'effect'.
Why so?
Anyone know more?

bompington

JGSI wrote:

oh, according to the manufacturers ... you can't just eat beetroot of course and have the same 'effect'.
Why so?

Let me guess...

Seriously, paging Alex Simmons - as the owner of 90% of the coaching knowledge round here, what's your take on it? I notice that there seem to have been a few trials, some on the "take shortly before" principle, some dosing regularly.

Mrs Bomp who is a doctor and actually knows some real science about metabolism says she thinks (a) it's the nitrates that count, unless the manufacturers are adding them artificially then this manufacturer's claims are bunk, (b) nitrates need to be converted into nitrites to do anything and (b) nitrites are short lived in the body, so long term dosing might not be at all helpful.

Oh, and (d) she won't even discuss it any further until I lose a stone and actually get fit :oops:

ric/rstsport

bompington wrote:

JGSI wrote:

oh, according to the manufacturers ... you can't just eat beetroot of course and have the same 'effect'.
Why so?

Let me guess...

Seriously, paging Alex Simmons - as the owner of 90% of the coaching knowledge round here, what's your take on it? I notice that there seem to have been a few trials, some on the "take shortly before" principle, some dosing regularly.

Mrs Bomp who is a doctor and actually knows some real science about metabolism says she thinks (a) it's the nitrates that count, unless the manufacturers are adding them artificially then this manufacturer's claims are bunk, (b) nitrates need to be converted into nitrites to do anything and (b) nitrites are short lived in the body, so long term dosing might not be at all helpful.

Oh, and (d) she won't even discuss it any further until I lose a stone and actually get fit :oops:

a small body of evidence is appearing about this actually being an ergogenic aid. mrs bomp (or anyone else) can do a pub-med search on Andy Jones who is leading the way in this area. think he's currently based in Exeter. BBC1 covered this last week on a programme about human powered flight

term1te

It wasn't long ago we were all doomed due to nitrates in drinking water, blue babies and the like. So the same nitrates that come out of farmers fields in rain water are dangerous, but if they come out wrapped in beetroots they're beneficial? I wonder how many people filter their water to remove the nitrates, then knock back some of the purple juice to improve their performance?

My local supermarket has started selling organic beetroot juice recently, doesn't taste too bad, but I'm not sure if has improved my times.

racingcondor

betrootspartan wrote:

just did a handicapped league race where the scratch group averaged 45k/h for 1hr 15 min. I felt pretty bomb proof for the whole race and came 4th in the end. Have been 'experimenting' with beetroot juice. Took one raw beet juiced with 2 apples and some fresh ginger about 2.5 hours prior to race. I really felt strong. I have a science backround and am a total skeptic re homopathy, reik and all that nonsense. I have to say I noticed a major boost tonight.

Wait a minute. 1 post and someone who is 'in science' makes a statement that's clearly not scientific evidence... Damn the beet farmers have a good marketing company behind them!

Velonutter

Just about to try some of these are they come in a vegetarian friendly capsule.

http://www.zipvitsport.co.uk/products/b ... undle.html

bompington

Velonutter wrote:

Just about to try some of these are they come in a vegetarian friendly capsule.

http://www.zipvitsport.co.uk/products/b ... undle.html

These, too, come in a vegetarian friendly package:

- at less than 1% of the price...

ric/rstsport

personally i love a bit of pickled or roasted beetroot (and pickled red cabbage). however, i'm not certain how many you'd need to eat to be the equivalent of the amount you're supposed to drink for an ergogenic effect. i do know you can purchase "beet it" shots. for those who aint keen on the taste