Beetroot for Performance: Juice, Powder or Concentrate?

Beetroot has become one of the most researched natural performance boosters in sport, but not every beetroot product delivers the same results.

From juices and concentrates to powders and whole foods, athletes now have more choice than ever. But when it comes to nitrate loading for endurance and performance, those choices matter.

In this guide, we’ll look at:

• What makes beetroot juice, powders, concentrates, and whole foods different
• How much nitrate you really get from each
• Why standardised products like Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shots are the simplest way to fuel with confidence

Where Do You Find Nitrate?

Nitrate occurs naturally in plenty of foods, especially leafy greens like spinach, rocket, and lettuce, plus root vegetables such as beetroot and radishes. Eating nitrate-rich foods is always a good idea, but reaching the levels shown in research to boost performance is difficult through diet alone.

That’s why beetroot juice and concentrated shots have become so popular among athletes in recent years. The challenge is that nitrate levels in food and juice vary massively depending on growing conditions, soil, and storage. For anyone trying to follow a proven nitrate-loading protocol, this inconsistency makes things tricky.

Juice, Concentrate, Powder, or Shot?

Here’s how the most common options compare:

*Nitrate content in beetroot powder depends heavily on beet variety, soil quality, drying process, and storage conditions.

Key takeaways:

• Beetroot juice: High in nitrate but requires half a litre or more, with no guaranteed consistency.
• Beetroot concentrate: Smaller volumes than juice, but still variable unless standardised.
• Beetroot powder: Nitrate levels are usually negligible, unless produced with testing and guarantees.
• Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shot: Delivers a precise 400mg of nitrate in 70ml, batch-tested and certified.
• Beet It Sport Crystals: A sachet version of the Nitrate 400 Shot, with the same 400mg guarantee in a versatile format.

Why Nitrate Matters for Performance

When you consume nitrate, your body converts it into nitric oxide. This simple process can have a huge impact on performance:

nitrate → nitrite → nitric oxide

Nitric oxide helps increase blood flow, improves how efficiently muscles use oxygen, and lowers the oxygen cost of exercise. The result? You can go harder for longer with less strain.

More than 300 studies have shown that nitrate loading improves endurance, sprint performance, oxygen efficiency, and time to exhaustion. The science is clear: consistent nitrate intake in the days leading up to competition can make a noticeable difference.

But consistency is the catch. Whole foods and juices vary too much to rely on. Standardised products like Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shots or Crystals take away the guesswork by guaranteeing an exact dose every time.

One Shot vs. Juice or Beets

To match the nitrate in one Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shot, you’d need to drink around 500ml of beetroot juice or eat 6–8 large beets (closer to 10 supermarket-sized ones). That’s a lot of beetroot, especially if you’re loading over several days.

For athletes following a proven protocol, that looks like:

• 5–6 days before: 1 shot per day
• 3 days before: 2 shots per day
• Race day: 1–2 shots, 2–3 hours before the start

To do this with food alone, you’d be looking at 90–120 beets or 10 pints of juice in one week. Realistically, that’s not practical, and you still wouldn’t know for sure how much nitrate you’re actually getting.

That’s why concentrated, batch-tested shots make life simpler.

Trusted by Athletes at Every Level

Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shots and Crystals are backed by more than 300 independent studies and used by top teams and athletes worldwide, including Premier League football clubs, UCI cycling squads, international rugby players, and Olympians.

They’re convenient, reliable, and guaranteed to deliver 400mg nitrate per serving. For athletes who take their fuelling seriously, Beet It Sport has become the gold standard.

The Bottom Line

Not all beetroot products are created equal. Whole foods and juices are great for general health, but their nitrate levels are unpredictable. Powders are often negligible. Concentrates help, but only standardised, tested products like Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Shots and Crystals ensure a clinically effective dose every time.

When you’re preparing for your next big race or training block, precision matters. With Beet It Sport, you get consistency, accuracy, and convenience, giving you a real performance edge.