Beetroot Benefits: What the Vegetable Does and How to Eat It

Published on 16 October, 2026

Beetroot has a genuine claim to being a functional food, and it rests on one compound rather than on its general wholesomeness. Beets are unusually high in dietary nitrate, which the body converts into nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels. That is a real, measured effect. Most of the other claims made for beetroot are ordinary vegetable benefits dressed up, and the part of the plant with the best nutrition is the part most people throw in the bin.

The Nutrition, Including the Part You Are Discarding

Figures are per 100 grams from the United States Department of Agriculture food composition database.

Per 100 g	Beets, raw	Beets, boiled	Beet greens, raw
Calories	43	44	22
Carbohydrate (g)	9.6	10	4.3
Fiber (g)	2.8	2	3.7
Protein (g)	1.6	1.7	2.2
Potassium (mg)	325	305	762
Calcium (mg)	16	16	117
Iron (mg)	0.8	0.79	2.57
Magnesium (mg)	23	23	7
Folate (mcg)	109	8	15
Vitamin C (mg)	4.9	3.6	30

Boiling costs the beet about a third of its folate and a quarter of its fiber, which is an argument for roasting rather than boiling. And the greens beat the root on almost every line: more than twice the potassium, seven times the calcium, three times the iron, six times the vitamin C and more fiber. They are sold attached to the beet, they cook like chard, and they are usually thrown away.

The Benefit With Real Evidence: Blood Pressure

Beetroot is one of the richest dietary sources of inorganic nitrate. Bacteria on the tongue reduce it to nitrite, which the body converts to nitric oxide, a signaling molecule that relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessel walls. Wider vessels mean lower pressure.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of beetroot juice supplementation found systolic blood pressure 3.55 mmHg lower and diastolic 1.32 mmHg lower in supplemented groups than controls. The effect was larger in studies running fourteen days or more than in shorter ones, 5.11 mmHg against 2.67 mmHg, and larger at higher doses.

When trials used nitrate-depleted beetroot juice as the placebo, the effect shrank but did not disappear, which suggests beetroot does something beyond its nitrate content. The betalain pigments that give beets their color have antioxidant activity and are the leading suspect, though this has not been established.

A reduction of around 3 to 5 mmHg is modest for one person and meaningful across a population. It is roughly what you would get from a serious reduction in salt intake, and it stacks with the other dietary levers rather than replacing any of them.

The Mistake That Cancels the Benefit

The conversion of nitrate to nitrite depends on bacteria living on the back of the tongue. Antibacterial mouthwash kills them. Studies using chlorhexidine mouthwash have shown it blunts or abolishes the blood pressure effect of dietary nitrate.

If you are eating beetroot for blood pressure, do not follow it with antibacterial mouthwash.

Exercise Performance

Nitrate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise, which in practice means a given pace feels slightly easier. The effect is real but small, most consistent in recreational rather than elite athletes, and it requires a dose closer to concentrated juice than to a portion of roast beetroot. Our guide to carrot and beetroot juice covers the juice side of this in detail, including what juicing takes away.

What the Root Offers Beyond Nitrate

Stripped of the nitric oxide story, beetroot is a respectable vegetable rather than a remarkable one. It supplies fiber, folate, potassium, manganese and the betalain pigments. At 43 calories per 100 grams it is low in energy, and the sugar content that worries some people amounts to around 7 grams per 100 grams, which is less than most fruit.

The claim that beetroot is high in iron has been repeated for a century and the table above settles it: 0.8 milligrams per 100 grams in the root, which is unremarkable. The greens, at 2.57 milligrams, have a better case, and it is plant iron, which is absorbed less readily than iron from animal sources. Eating it alongside something rich in vitamin C improves that absorption considerably.

How to Cook Beetroot Without Ruining It

Roast rather than boil. Boiling leaches folate and water-soluble compounds into water you pour away; roasting whole in foil keeps them and concentrates the sweetness.
Leave the skin on and the root tail intact while cooking, then rub the skin off afterwards. This stops the color and sugars bleeding out.
Keep the greens rather than binning them. Wash them well, strip the thicker stems, and wilt them in oil with garlic as you would spinach or chard.
Grate it raw into salads or slaws. Raw beetroot keeps the most folate and vitamin C, and the texture is better than the reputation.
Pair it with something acidic and something fatty. Lemon or vinegar lifts the earthiness, and yogurt, cheese or oil balances the sweetness.
If you want the blood pressure effect, aim for a regular portion several times a week rather than a large one occasionally. The trials that found a larger effect ran for two weeks or more.

Who Should Be Careful

Anyone who has had calcium oxalate kidney stones. Beetroot and beet greens are high in oxalate, and a high-oxalate diet is a recognized risk factor for stone recurrence. Discuss intake with the clinician managing your care.
Anyone taking blood pressure medication. The effect is additive. This is not a reason to avoid beetroot, but it is a reason to mention it if you are already being treated.
Anyone on nitrate medication for angina, where the interaction should be checked before adding concentrated beetroot products.
Anyone alarmed by pink urine. Beeturia is harmless, it affects a sizeable minority of people, and it is a pigment passing through rather than blood.

Where Beetroot Fits in a Wellness Routine

A 3 to 5 mmHg reduction in systolic pressure will not treat hypertension on its own. Combined with reduced sodium, weight loss where relevant, regular movement and less alcohol, it is one lever among several that together do move the number.

Everything served at YO1 is vegetarian, and root vegetables and greens appear throughout the menu rather than as a supplement. Every stay opens with a personal wellness consultation with a Health Counselor, and guests on the Cholesterol and Hypertension Management program have their meals planned around what their numbers call for.

Book Your Wellness Journey at YO1

Every stay at YO1 opens with a personal wellness consultation with a Health Counselor, and the vegetarian menu, therapies and daily yoga are planned from that conversation.

To plan a stay built around what you have come for, visit yo1.com.

FAQs

Q: What are the main benefits of beetroot?

A: The one with strong evidence is a modest reduction in blood pressure, through dietary nitrate converting to nitric oxide. A meta-analysis found systolic pressure about 3.55 mmHg lower and diastolic 1.32 mmHg lower. Beyond that it supplies fiber, folate, potassium and betalain pigments at only 43 calories per 100 grams.

Q: How much beetroot should I eat to lower blood pressure?

A: Regularly rather than heavily. The trials showing a larger effect ran fourteen days or more and used higher doses, so several portions a week sustained over weeks beats one large serving. Concentrated juice delivers more nitrate per glass than whole roasted beets do.

Q: Is beetroot high in iron?

A: No, despite the long-standing reputation. Raw beetroot has 0.8 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, which is unremarkable. Beet greens are better at 2.57 milligrams, and since that is plant iron, eating it with a source of vitamin C improves absorption.

Q: Is it better to eat beetroot raw or cooked?

A: Raw or roasted keeps more of the nutrients. Boiling costs about a third of the folate and a quarter of the fiber, because both leach into water that gets poured away. Roasting whole in the skin is the best compromise between nutrition and flavor.

Q: Can you eat beetroot leaves?

A: Yes, and they are more nutritious than the root. Beet greens carry more than twice the potassium, seven times the calcium, three times the iron and six times the vitamin C of the beet itself. Cook them like spinach or chard.

Q: Why does beetroot turn urine pink?

A: It is called beeturia, caused by betalain pigments passing through, and it affects a sizeable minority of people. It is entirely harmless. The one thing worth noting is that if you are unsure whether what you are seeing is beeturia or blood, that is a question for a doctor rather than an article.

Q: Does mouthwash stop beetroot from working?

A: Antibacterial mouthwash does interfere with it. The conversion of nitrate to nitrite depends on bacteria on the back of the tongue, and studies using chlorhexidine mouthwash have shown it blunts or abolishes the blood pressure effect. Keep the two apart.

Q: Is beetroot high in sugar?

A: Less than its sweetness suggests. Raw beetroot carries around 7 grams of sugar per 100 grams, which is below most fruit, within a total of 9.6 grams of carbohydrate and 2.8 grams of fiber.

Q: Who should avoid beetroot?

A: Anyone with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones should discuss it with their clinician, since beets and beet greens are high in oxalate. Anyone on blood pressure or nitrate medication should mention regular intake, because the effects add together.

Q: Is beetroot juice better than eating beetroot?

A: For nitrate dose, yes, which is why the trials use juice. For everything else, no: juicing removes the fiber and concentrates the sugars. If blood pressure is the goal, juice delivers more per glass; if general nutrition is the goal, eat the vegetable and keep the greens.

Sources

Bonilla Ocampo DA, et al. Dietary Nitrate from Beetroot Juice for Hypertension: A Systematic Review. Adv Nutr. 2017. PMID: 29141968
Bahadoran Z, et al. Nitrate Derived From Beetroot Juice Lowers Blood Pressure in Patients With Arterial Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Nutr. 2022. PMID: 35369064
Jackson JK, et al. Medium-term effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Hypertens. 2017. PMID: 28319596
U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Beets raw (FDC ID 169145), Beets cooked boiled drained (169146), Beet greens raw (170375)

Get in Touch

Please take a moment to fill out the form below with your contact information. A YO1 Longevity & Health Resorts representative will reach out to you with additional information.

Press Coverage

Connect with Us, Start Your Journey

Take part in customized health programs that are best suited to meet your individual needs.

Book Your Stay