Beets Do Have Protein and a Moderate GI Score

The main ingredient in our nitric oxide booster supplement is organic beetroot powder.

We’ve chosen this amazing superfood as the base for this supplement because it has so many health benefits. But mainly because it is the best natural circulation and blood pressure aid due to the dietary nitrate that beets contain.

Some people are hesitant to eat beets because they believe that they have too high sugar content to be beneficial. This is especially relevant for people with diabetes or prediabetes.

You may be surprised to learn that beets are not only safe for those who are worried about their blood sugar levels but are in fact helpful for those who have type 2 diabetes.

Beetroot is a fantastic vegetable that is sweet, but because of its protein content and moderate GI score, it is helpful, not harmful.

Let’s discuss this further.

The Benefits of Beets for Diabetics

Beets have an extremely healthy nutritional profile, including antioxidants, that brings a lot of health benefits for those who have diabetes. Most of these benefits are the exact opposite of what you may expect.

With all of these benefits below, proven by science, any diabetic person should include beets, beetroot juice, or beet powder in their diet. We’ll discuss how to deliciously add beets into your diet ahead.

Lower Blood Sugar Levels

The antioxidants in beets are called phytochemicals. They give them their dark red color.

These same antioxidants, along with neobetanins, also help keep the blood sugars level. Those who have diabetes know how difficult and crucial it is to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

The consumption of beet juice inhibits glucose uptake in its users. Why beet juice and not beets? The study used this for convenience, but it is possible that the nutrients can be better absorbed when it is in liquid form.

Reduce Insulin Resistance

The same study that proves beets’ ability to lower blood sugar levels also showed a marked improvement in insulin resistance.

A person may develop diabetes from insulin resistance alone. Lowering this resistance can significantly improve blood sugar maintenance. It also takes part in fat and protein metabolism.

When you eat foods high in sugar (carbs or sweets), a healthy person’s pancreas releases insulin to travel through your blood, communicating with your cells to pick up the extra sugar.

Without this, you are at risk of blood toxicity, which can be fatal. Eating foods like beets is a small act that can reduce your chances of having dangerous blood sugar levels due to reduced insulin sensitivity.

This insulin resistance can deteriorate even further, causing damage to the pancreas, which produces insulin.

Reduce Diabetes-Related Complications

The development of diabetes comes with many more complications than just fluctuating blood sugar.

These complications include neuropathy, retinopathy, kidney disease, heart disease, and even foot problems. These complications are mostly due to the oxidative stress that damages the endothelial cells.

These inflamed endothelial cells slow the blood flow to the many parts of the body, including the eyes, kidneys, and feet.

The antioxidants in beets protect the endothelial cells from this oxidative stress, reducing the negative impact on these arteries and improving the blood flow. This reduces many of the resulting complications diabetics may face.

Lower Blood Pressure

Speaking of arteries, beets are a great source of dietary nitrates, which help to lower blood pressure and relieve the strain on your blood vessels that can lead to hypertension or high blood pressure.

People with diabetes almost always have high blood pressure from the oxidative stress that results from the damaged cells due to toxic levels of sugar in the blood. High blood pressure, when left untreated, can result in heart disease.

Reduce Nerve Damage

One of the most significant complications that people with diabetes suffer from is neuropathy, or nerve damage. The excessive sugar in the blood causes these nerves to become inflamed.

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves in the feet and legs and possibly the hands and arms. This is the most persistent type of neuropathy that diabetics develop and it can be very painful.

ALA, or alpha-lipoic acid, which is an antioxidant highly present in beets, helps reduce the damage to nerves caused by diabetes by addressing the root cause.

The Benefits of Beets for Everyone

Beets aren’t just for diabetics or prediabetics. Beets can deliver good health for everyone.

Here’s why:

Good Source of Antioxidants

Beets have a list of powerful antioxidants that provide many different benefits to the body.

This list includes betalains, vitamin C, folate, ALA (alpha-lipoic acid), flavonoids, and carotenoids.

All of these antioxidants help to lower the risk of diseases caused by free radicals. These antioxidants also help to reduce inflammation and relieve many of the symptoms of diseases caused by chronic inflammation.

More importantly, these antioxidants also have good bioavailability and absorption rate in humans.

Improve Exercise Performance

Nitric oxide boosters are popular pre-workout supplements because they increase the blood flow throughout the body, delivering extra oxygen to muscles, which is necessary for a productive workout.

Beets are one of the few dietary nitrate sources, which are synthesized in the body to increase nitric oxide levels in the body.

Multiple studies prove the effects of nitrates on exercise performance. It improves muscle contractions and also enhances the endurance of muscles in a high-intensity workout.

Beet consumption can also improve running velocity, with lower rates of exertion measured in the body.

Good for Digestion

Beets are a superb source of fiber, which promotes good digestive health. A diet high in vegetables and other sources of fiber can reduce constipation and indigestion.

Nutritionists recommend that an adult should get 25-30 grams of fiber per day for good digestion. One serving of beets provides almost 4 grams on its own.

Helps Support Brain Health

The vasodilation of arteries from the consumption of nitrates in beets increases the blood flow to the brain.

Increased blood flow to the brain means increased levels of oxygen and nutrients get delivered. And when this occurs, your brain functions at its best. Studies show that this is especially important for older adults who are suffering from cognitive decline.

Good for Weight Loss

Beets are root vegetables that are low in calories but highly nutritious, delivering plenty of energy to maintain an active lifestyle.

They also boast a high water content, helping to fill you up, along with fiber and protein to keep you satiated for longer.

Do Beets Raise Blood Sugar?

Many people would research the sugar content in beets and wonder how it could be possible that beets don’t cause a spike in blood sugar.

One way to determine the effect of food on your blood sugar is the glycemic index. It is a rating system that measures glucose in food, with levels of one to one hundred.

Beets rate a 61 on the glycemic index. This makes it higher than average, but it doesn’t tell the whole story because another number needs consideration - the glycemic load.

When determining the glycemic load of a specific food versus its glycemic index, the sugar content as well as the carbohydrate content are measured.

When a portion of food has few grams of carbohydrates, its glycemic load will be lower. The glycemic load of beets is only five. This is a very safe number and wouldn’t result in a spike in blood glucose levels.

Nutritional Profile of a Beet

To truly appreciate all that beets can do for you, it’s best to look at its nutritional profile.

One cup of beets contains:

• 58 calories
• 13 grams of carbohydrates
• 9.19 grams of sugar
• 3.8 grams of dietary fiber
• 2.2 grams of protein

Beets also contain lots of vitamins and minerals. The list of its minerals includes manganese, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and magnesium. Beets are high in many B vitamins as well.

How to Add Beets to Your Diet

Beets aren’t the typical daily vegetable. They are often only found in some regions of the country due to their seasonal availability. However, there are many ways to add this vegetable to your diet to acquire all the benefits they offer.

Beet Juice

Beet juice is a slightly sweet, slightly earthy juice that mixes well with other fruits and vegetables to create a pleasantly tasting juice that delivers a nutritional punch.

You can drink pure beet juice, but the juice has a better flavor and a more significant nutritional boost when you mix it with other fruits and veggies.

For best results, we recommend that you use fresh beets and put them through a juicer. You can take raw beets, carrots, apples, cucumbers, lemon, ginger, and turmeric to create a delicious and powerfully anti-inflammatory drink.

Raw

You can cut raw beets in various ways to add to different dishes for the right texture.

These root vegetables can be cut into matchsticks to be used in salads or as a garnish. The matchsticks provide extra crunch, but if you prefer a less dense texture, you can add shaved raw beets to your salad.

Beets go well in a salad with arugula, feta, and a balsamic vinaigrette, but they also taste fantastic in a sweet salad with pears and walnuts. They can go sweet or savory.

You can also pickle beets and their green stems. But be careful of canned or jarred pickled beets, as they could have added sugars and would in fact raise your blood sugar levels.

Cooked

When cooking beets, there are a variety of methods to use that work well. Beets are an adaptable root vegetable that can be steamed, boiled, or baked and served as a side dish.

Beets can be pureed and added to sauces. Beets are the star in a delicious hot or cold soup famous in Russia called Borscht.

As you can tell by now, there are so many tasty ways to enjoy beets. You shouldn’t let them intimidate you because you don’t know how to use them. Be creative and try new things. You never know which beet dish will become your favorite.

Are There Any Risks to Beetroot Supplementation?

Beeturia is the only complication that can arise from beetroot supplementation, and it’s purely cosmetic.

Beeturia can cause your urine or bowel movements to have a red or pink tint, which is often mistaken for blood. It is only the dye in the red beets that causes this.

Even though it can be scary to see, it is totally harmless. If it really bothers you, you can eat golden beets that don’t have a red color.

It is possible that beet supplementation can interact with some PDE-5 inhibitor drugs and some blood pressure medicine, so be sure to consult your doctor to see if you can safely take beet supplements if you take any of these medications.

You should never be wary about eating beets. They are one of the earth’s most nutritious gifts. They can be simple to prepare. But if you don’t have access to beets or do not like their flavor, there are easier alternatives.

When you can harness that healing power and turn it into something easy to take regularly while maintaining its organic composition and nutrition, why not do it, right?

That’s what we were able to do and have packaged it into an easy to take powder supplement. Our Nitric Oxide Organic Beets can help diabetics, those looking to lower their blood pressure, and those simply looking to improve their nutrition.

Let us help you take advantage of all the benefits beets have to offer!