Today I am going to tell you about beet juice and the awesome health and performance benefits. I first started hearing about beet juice through my endurance clients and other sports nutrition professionals. The research is a fairly new introduction to the benefits of beet juice on performance, but here is what we know so far:

• Increased reaction time during high endurance activity (One particular study with significant results gave athletes between 4-5oz beet juice daily and an additional 4.6oz shot hours before an event)
  
• Reduced oxygen "cost" on muscles, allowing an athlete to do more work in a short amount of time.. no matter the rate of oxygen consumption. 
• The reasoning? When you are working out hard you have less oxygen getting to your brain due to your blood vessels contracting from lack of carbon dioxide. The nitrates in beet juice is converted to nitric acid and then to nitric oxide- dilating your vessels... letting oxygen flow more freely. 
  

So..ya, you're not an athlete... how could this be beneficial for you? A new article the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition sent me explains it beautifully. Read Beetroot juice benefits patients with heart failure and see what all the hype is about. In a nut shell: 

• Nitric acid dilates blood vessels (allowing better blood flow and more oxygen circulation). What also dilates blood vessels? Hypertension meds. 
• As you get older simple tasks can cause more fatigue. More oxygen flow gives your muscle more power, making what was once simple, well simple again. 

I recommend mixing it with a smoothie daily. Bottoms up! 

You're starving. You haven't eaten anything since breakfast, which was a Kind Bar at 6am, and its time for lunch. You're ready to eat the steering wheel. Or, maybe you starved yourself all day because you knew you were going to your favorite restaurant that night and you wanted to "save" your calories. Fill in your scenario because you know you do this. When your body has not been fueled correctly it goes into panic mode. You body NEEDS energy to function. Have you ever noticed you don't quite do as good at work or school when you're hungry? Ya, your body is super mad at you. So how do we stop overeating? 

• You are able to make better choices with a clear mind. Eat consistent meals. You want to eat consistent meals and planned snacks in between your meals. This constant intake of energy will help keep you from overeating when you get to your next meal. 
• Stay Hydrated. Thirst and hunger mechanisms can get mixed up in that brain of yours. Stay hydrated to eliminate the possibility that some of the hunger you are feeling is really dehydration. How much water or water based beverages do you need a day? There are many research-based methods to determine this, but the easiest for people to remember is to half your weight (lbs) and consume that many fluid ounces a day. For example, if you weigh 140 lbs consume 70oz of water a day, or between 8 and 9 cups. 
• If you are going out to eat or to a function, eat a snack before you go. This will help clear your mind to make better choices. Also, order a broth based soup or a hot beverage while you wait for you meal. "Warm" your tummy up and you will feel less hungry. 
• Eat slow! It takes about 20 minutes for your tummy to communicate with your brain that you have fed it. A small, healthy appetizer can help with this as well.