2. Better Athletic Performance
Athletes have long known about the energy-boosting effects of beets, and often eat them before a big event. Many studies indicate that the nitrates in beets improve the efficiency of mitochondria, the energy-producing center of your cells. Beets are also thought to improve the way the body uses oxygen by up to 20%.
Athletes who participated in studies on the effects of beet juice were able to significantly improve their performance and extend their time to exhaustion. Blood nitrate levels peak about 2-3 hours after eating beets, so that’s your best window for eating them if you hope to improve your athletic performance.