“Veg-Table” Dietary Nitrate Scoring Method

What is the optimal timing and dose of nitrate-containing vegetables, such as beets and spinach, for improving athletic performance?



Why would one want to boost their nitrate consumption? Check out my latest two videos on the subject, Whole Beets vs. Juice for Improving Athletic Performance and Oxygenating Blood With Nitrate-Rich Vegetables.

And if you really want a deep dive for the background, see my original 16-part series:

Image Credit: woodleywonderworks via Flickr.

[cockboy]

i eat beets everyday. i have for the last year. large, raw, red and yellow beets. i put them in my smoothie, along with fresh turmeric, kale (all kinds), rainbow chard, beet leafs and stems, fresh ginger, parsley, dandelion, purple carrots, broccoli, carrot bush, and fresh fruit. my sister works out very hard 4 days a week. runs on the treadmill, lifts weight, ect. i hardly work out. last week we went on a large 17 kilometre, 1, 000 meter hike. i was ahead of her the entire time, with a smile on my face, while she was gasping for air, asking me to slow down.

a couple years ago i could not have done that hike. weighed 220 pounds. now I'm 170 and feel great. diet makes all the difference.

[fractode]

Breakfast cocktail: toss: 1 beet root; 1 apple; chunk of turmerics (washed, not peeled); black peppercorn; a few garlic cloves (unpeeled); a handful of arugula, some ice cubes, lots of water (and maybe some chilis if you're brave) into the Vitamix, set to "smoothie, " off you go! (The VM liquefies EVERYTHING so I don't bother to peel the garlic--and get all the extra fiber, as well.)

[loyalpatriot]

Doe any one know whether the Chinese cabbage in the chart refers to napa or bok choy cabbage? Rocket (arugala) and spinach are both very light before cooking and would require eating a huge bowl when raw to get up to 8 units. I could not find the research article for the chart online.

[ChrisKerel]

Why are all the tests with beets, and not arugula?

[crazypolishvegan]

Instead shot of vodka, have shot or two of organic beetroot juice :)
Thanks for the video Dr Greger - you're awesome Sir!

[happytx]

I looked up rocket it's augula. I don't see celery on the list. I thought celery is high in nitrate. Fresh beet carrot & orange juice is a great tasting combination.

[tamcon]

This was incredibly useful; knowing the general dosage of high nitrate foods was new to me. So I'll keep eating beets and drinking beet kvass, like a good little Ukie, and just eat more arugula and spinach salads weekly : ) Thanks for posting, NF.o

[genehendrix]

From an old video of yours Arugula has the highest Nitrate content, it contains 480mg Nitrate/ 100grams, so that's about 8 units )

[MichelleSeltzer]

Why is dr esselstyn recommending eating 6 servings of greens with vinegar?

[nebbykoo]

I love this channel. I have learned so much. Tonight I puree beets!

[thirdreplicator]

Is it okay to boil beets or does the good stuff seep out during boiling?

[KungFuChess]

Why not make a spinach, radish, beetroot juice?

[pdude]

Interesting doc, I sure love to make apple+beet juice every now and then. soo cheap, tasty and beautiful.

[billmorris]

But the highest on that list is rocket (arugula), which grows with a vengeance in my garden of only two square meters and I harvest brutally every morning and still can't get ahead of the growth. Better than beet juice.

[xwxcatwomanxwx]

can someone help me? how much arugela should i eat a day? i have high blood pressure and want to eat arugela instead of beets.

[maiqueashworth]

You say 80g is a small portion, but when you add up the daily dozen I find that's a lot of food to eat in a day. Also, I thought broccoli was fairly high in nitrate?

[richardedward]

Am I the only one? I eat beets and my energy levels spike but so does my irritability (rage).

[andym]

Does anyone have healthy salad dressing recipes? Apple cider vinegar doesn't really do it for me. Lime avocado is ok.

[pinetree]

Lettuce has more than beets according to the chart

[Kombaiyashii]

Is my math right? To get 8 units from beets, I'd have to eat approx 340grams of beets per day?