Beet juice is a natural source of nitrate
By freshtopia.net (originally posted to Flickr as closeup) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
So what exactly is nitrate? Nitrate converts to nitric oxide in the body and beet juice is one of the best sources of nitrate. In a recent study it was shown that beet juice lowers blood pressure in those with elevated blood pressure. It also has been shown in various studies that nitric oxide enhances athletic performance by boosting stamina. Generally nitric oxide improves blood flow which has many benefits.
If you have a juicer, beet juice can be made very easily and mixed into any smoothie or taken alone. Also there are powdered beets which can be purchased to accomplish the same.
References
Edwin Lee MD, F. A. C. E. (2016). Effects of Nitric Oxide on Carotid Intima Media Thickness: A Pilot Study. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 22, 32.
Sweazea, K. L., Johnston, C. S., Miller, B., & Gumpricht, E. (2017). Beet Juice Energy Drink Increases Nitric Oxide Bioavailability and Lowers Blood Pressure in Healthy Men. The FASEB Journal, 31(1 Supplement), 966-10.
Web: