Sports Product Review: Beet-It Sport Bars

Pearle Nerenberg April 23, 2017 hockey, sports

Every month, Pearle Nerenberg independently tests products and reports back on their utility for athletes. This month: Beet-It Sport Bars

Why beets have been in the spotlight as a superfood and a super supplement?

Beets contain a high concentration of a substance known as nitrate. Nitrates got a bad reputation for being a component in cured meats, however, the reality is people get much more nitrate by eating a healthy diet filled with vegetables than they do eating cured meats. Nitrate can be converted to nitrite in your mouth and eventually to nitric oxide. It is nitric oxide that is thought to have great results for athletes. In fact, some research has convincing results surrounding the impact of nitric oxide on sports performance.

What I like about the Beet-It bars.

• They are convenient to have in a sports bag.
• They taste great (even though they are made from a vegetable!).
• They are tested for nitrate content of 0.4 grams per bar.
• They are third-party tested by Informed Choice to make them safer for elite athletes to eat without worrying about testing positive to a banned substance.
• The nutrient composition of this bar makes it a perfect snack to have for an energy and nitrate boost 1-2 hours before sport.

Tip!

Do not chew gum, brush your teeth, or swig mouthwash prior to eating nitrate rich foods like the beet-it bars. If you don’t displace them, the friendly bacteria in your mouth will help turn the nitrate in your food into the performance enhancing nitric oxide. Go team microbiome! For more information on the microbiome read the article “The Microbiome of a Hockey Player.”

Company website: www.beet-it.ca

Cost: $2-$3 per bar

Get more articles from Pearle by signing up for the monthly hockey newsletter and by getting your copy of The Nutrition Edge for Hockey Performance!

Disclaimer: Pearle reviews products for the benefit of her hockey playing community. She never accepts endorsements from supplement companies. The company is notified of Pearle’s product review after her review has been published.

Author

Pearle Nerenberg

Pearle Nerenberg, MSc., R.D. is Canada's leading expert on hockey nutrition, and author of the book The Nutrition Edge for Hockey Performance. She co-founded and chairs the Hockey Nutrition Network, an international non-profit organization dedicated to linking hockey players with top sports dietitians who have an expertise in hockey nutrition.