Beetroot

Beetroot is the deep red root vegetable Beta vulgaris, the same one sold fresh at the greengrocer. In a supplement it arrives dried, concentrated or milled, so you get the root without the earthy taste or the stained chopping board. The reason most people buy it is dietary nitrate. Your body converts nitrate into nitric oxide, a molecule that helps blood vessels widen. That is why beetroot first became popular with cyclists, runners and rowers.

We should be honest about the evidence. The European food safety authority (EFSA) has approved no health claim for beetroot, so you will not find a promise on this page. Research on nitrate, blood pressure and endurance exists, but results differ between people and between doses. What we can compare properly is the products, and here the gaps are wider than in most of our herbs and plants range.

Three products sit behind the same word on the label

• Dried beetroot root: the whole root, dried and milled. Labels show big numbers such as 1,300 mg because nothing has been concentrated away.
• Extract with a ratio: a 4:1 extract means four grams of root became one gram of powder. A 20:1 is stronger again, so 500 mg can stand for 10 g of root.
• Juice concentrate and shots: usually the only form that states nitrate per serving, often in mmol. If a fixed nitrate dose matters to you, this is the clearest option.

A phrase like "equivalent to 3,500 mg" describes the raw material used, not the nitrate you swallow. Once you know that, comparing two bottles becomes much easier.

How we choose beetroot at BONO

We judge three things: the form, the dosage and whether a combination makes sense. We prefer products that state the extract ratio or the nitrate content, because a bare milligram figure says little. So we keep plain dried root for daily use and standardised concentrates for training days. We leave out blends where beetroot sits at the end of a long ingredient list, mainly for colour. We buy directly from the brands, so what arrives is authentic, and our compliance team checks every label before it goes live. Read how we select brands and products.

Who beetroot suits, and what to expect

Beetroot fits people who train and want a simple plant based addition, and people who like the vegetable but rarely cook it. Capsules are the easy daily option. Powder gives you flexibility and stirs into a shake or juice. Athletes usually take their dose two to three hours before effort, because nitrate in the blood peaks in that window. For everyday use, give it two to three weeks of consistent intake before you judge anything.

Beetroot is also a common partner for supplements with L-citrulline, since both are used with nitric oxide in mind. Taking them together does not double anything, so choose one starting point and keep it steady.

Two practical notes. Pink or red urine after beetroot is harmless and comes from the pigment, not from anything going wrong. And if you take blood pressure medication, are prone to kidney stones, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor before you start, because beetroot is high in nitrate and natural oxalates. Beyond that it behaves like the food it is, which is also why you will see it beside drinks and gels in our range for endurance sport.