As superfoods go, the humble beetroot seems to tick all the
boxes when it comes to fuelling up...
Don’t skip a BEET
How to fuel sporting success
N
EW RESEARCH HAS IDENTIFIED A
closer link between beetroot and
fitness performance than previously
thought. Scientific evidence reveals that:- Beetroot increases our capacity for short
bursts of intense activity. - Beetroot minimises muscle soreness
after exercise. - Its unique combination of nutrients gives
the greatest lift to those who need it most.
Training principles
Alongside emerging evidence that high-impact
interval training, or HIIT, reverses ageing at a
cellular level, the new findings have potentially
life-changing implications for anyone seeking
to improve their fitness.
Dr Tom Clifford, a scientist at Newcastle
University, is one of the experts and authors
unravelling the mechanisms and plant
chemicals which make beetroot so beneficial,
and he explains: “The nitrate in beetroot
seems to be particularly beneficial for the fast-twitch muscle fibres we use for short bursts of
rapid movement, as we do during HIIT (high
intensity interval training) and competitive
team sports. What’s also interesting is that
recreational athletes see bigger benefits from
consuming beetroot than those who are at elite
levels. In other words, beetroot seem to give
the biggest boost to those who need it most.”
His research shows beetroot also enhances
recovery and minimises muscle soreness.
“Potentially this could also be helpful to people
returning to sport after an injury, or trying to
improve their fitness levels.”
Personal trainer and founder of Pop Up
Fitness, Olivia Cooney, says: “When you are
starting a new workout regime, or stepping up
to something more strenuous like HIIT, it’s
really important to stay motivated, and make
the most of anything which lifts performance
and reduces muscle soreness afterwards. That’s
why beetroot is brilliant. Adding beetroot to
your diet makes sense if you want to get the
most out of your workout and support post-exercise muscle recovery. You can even buy
pre-cooked beetroot infused with fabulous
flavours like chilli, balsamic honey and ginger,
and juniper and berry — so you don’t have to
be a celebrity chef or serious foodie to come up
with scrumptious ways of using them.”
Dr Clifford says: “It is likely that
we are seeing some synergistic effects — where
a variety of nutrients in beetroot work together
and become more beneficial in combination.”
They include:
Nitrate, which our bodies convert into
nitric oxide, is just one of a number of
nutrients in beetroot which is likely to fuel
fitness. It has a regulatory role in respiration,
immune function, blood pressure, and muscle
contraction and nitrate supplementation
has been shown to enhance oxygen uptake,
exercise efficiency and stamina and stalls
muscle depletion of phosphocreatine, a body
chemical which fuels short bursts of activity.
Betalains, the pigments which give
beetroot its distinctive colour, have potent