Juicing Beets: Benefits, Blood Pressure Evidence, and 5 Recipes

Is juicing beets good for you? Yes, and unlike most “superfood” juices, beet juice has real research behind one of its claims. Beets are rich in dietary nitrates, which your body converts to nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels.

Multiple controlled studies show beet juice modestly lowers blood pressure within hours of drinking it and improves endurance exercise performance. It’s also a good source of folate, potassium, manganese, and betalains, the pigments that give beets their color and have antioxidant activity.

The catches are that beets are sweeter than most vegetables, the earthy flavor takes some getting used to, and beet juice will turn your pee pink. Here’s what beet juice actually does, how much to drink, who should be careful, and five recipes that make beets taste like something you’d look forward to.

Beet Juice Benefits, Graded

That top line is the one that matters. Among all the juices people drink for health, beet juice is one of the very few where a specific, measurable effect shows up in decent trials.

If you’re managing blood pressure, the site’s hormone health guide and your provider are the bigger picture; beet juice is a small, useful lever.

How Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

Beets are one of the richest food sources of nitrate. Bacteria on your tongue convert nitrate to nitrite, your stomach converts nitrite to nitric oxide, and nitric oxide tells blood vessel walls to relax.

Wider vessels, lower pressure. The effect starts within an hour or two, peaks around three hours, and fades over the day, which is why studies use daily juice rather than one big dose.

Two practical notes. Don’t use antibacterial mouthwash right before or after beet juice; it kills the tongue bacteria that start the conversion and blunts the effect.

And if you take blood pressure medication, adding a daily beet juice can push your numbers lower than intended, so mention it to your provider and keep an eye on readings.

Beet Juice Before a Workout

The same nitric oxide effect improves blood flow to muscles and lowers how much oxygen you burn at a given effort. In practice that means a walk, a bike ride, or a strength session feels a little easier and you can go a little longer. Drink 8 to 12 ounces two to three hours before.

It’s most noticeable if you’re not already highly trained, which describes most of us. Beet Cucumber Lemon below is my pre-walk juice.

How Much Beet Juice to Drink

• In a mixed juice: one small beet (or half a medium) per 12-ounce glass. That’s the daily amount I’d suggest for most people.
• For the blood-pressure effect: studies use about 8 to 16 ounces of beet juice, roughly two to three medium beets. Start at the low end.
• Sugar check: each small beet has 8 to 10 grams of sugar. Two beets plus an apple is a sweet juice. Balance with cucumber and lemon.
• Yield: one medium beet gives 3 to 4 ounces of juice.

Prep matters more with beets than with anything else you’ll juice: they’re hard, dirty, and they stain. The full method, including the peel-or-not question, is in how to prepare beets for juicing.

Five Beet Juice Recipes

• Beet Cucumber Lemon: 1 small beet, 1 large cucumber, 1 lemon (peeled), a thumb of ginger. Clean and bright. About 90 calories.
• Beet Apple Ginger: 1 small beet, 1 apple, a thumb of ginger, half a lemon. The beginner classic; the apple hides the earth.
• Beet Carrot Orange: 1 small beet, 3 carrots, 1 orange. Sweet, deep red-orange, kid-approved.
• Beet Celery Green: 1 small beet, 4 celery stalks, 2 handfuls spinach, half a lemon. Lower sugar; the beet greens can go in too.
• Blood Orange Beet: 1 small beet, 2 blood oranges, half a lemon. The prettiest juice you’ll make.

Golden beets work in all of these and taste milder, without the pink aftermath. More beet-friendly combinations are in the beginner recipes and the anti-inflammatory recipes.

The Pink Surprise, and Other Side Effects

Beeturia. Pink or red urine and stool after beets happens to roughly 10 to 15 percent of people. It’s the betalain pigment passing through, and it’s harmless.

It’s more common if you have low iron, so if it happens every time and you’re often tired, that’s worth a blood test, not because of the beets but because of what they might be hinting at.

Stomach upset. A lot of beet juice at once can cause cramping or loose stools in some people. Start with one small beet and work up.

Oxalates. Beets are high in oxalates, which contribute to the most common type of kidney stone. If you’ve had stones, keep beets occasional and talk to your provider. Cucumber, celery, and romaine are low-oxalate alternatives for your base.

Who Should Be Careful with Beet Juice

• On blood pressure medication: the additive effect is real. Mention it to your provider and monitor.
• Low blood pressure: beet juice can make lightheadedness worse.
• Kidney stones or kidney disease: oxalates and potassium. Ask first.
• Diabetes: beets are the sweetest common vegetable. One small beet in a vegetable juice is usually fine; two beets plus fruit isn’t.

Juicing Beets FAQ

Your This-Week Plan

• Buy three small beets with greens. Make Beet Apple Ginger on day one; it’s the easiest way in.
• Day three, drink Beet Cucumber Lemon two hours before a walk and notice whether the walk feels easier.
• If you track blood pressure, take a reading before and three hours after. That’s your own data.
• Skip mouthwash around juice time, and if you’re on blood pressure medication, mention the beets to your provider. The beginner’s guide has the rest of the routine.

This article is for general education and isn’t medical advice. Beet juice can lower blood pressure, is high in oxalates and natural sugar, and can interact with blood pressure medication. If you take medication for blood pressure, have low blood pressure, kidney disease or a history of kidney stones, or manage diabetes, talk with your healthcare provider before drinking beet juice regularly.