#223: What Is The Best Way To Use Beet Root Juice For Performance?

Brock (0:00)

In today's episode of the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast, what is the best way to use beetroot juice for performance?

Also, how to measure your pH acidity? What to do about dry mouth? Is laying down better than sitting? What is the best diet for ankylosing spondylitis? And the best sources of omega-3s?

SPEAKER_3 (0:25)

Welcome to the bengreenfieldfitness.com podcast.

We provide you with free exercise, nutrition, weight loss, triathlon, and wellness advice from the top fitness experts in the nation. So whether you're an Ironman triathlete, or you're just trying to shed a few pounds, get ready for non-run-of-the-mill cutting edge content from bengreenfieldfitness.com.

Brock (0:55)

All right, Ben, so how was your holidays?

Ben Greenfield (0:58)

Well, do my teeth sound cleaner?

Brock (1:02)

A little bit, yes.

Ben Greenfield (1:04)

I got a water pick for Christmas, that's why. Yeah, I'm never going to go to the dentist again, ever, in my life.

Brock (1:11)

I don't know if that's advisable.

Ben Greenfield (1:14)

Just a concentrated stream of water every morning to my choppers. So yeah, that was my Christmas highlight.

Brock (1:20)

Does that mean you don't have to brush anymore? Is that instead of brushing or in addition to?

Ben Greenfield (1:26)

I think I'll just use myself as a case study of one and find out.

Brock (1:30)

All right. So in six months, if you have no teeth, we'll know not to do that. Fair enough.

It's nice of you to sacrifice yourself that way.

Ben Greenfield (1:38)

If any candy manufacturers are listening in, we'll take on a sponsorship for this study. How was your Christmas rock?

Brock (1:46)

It was good. It was very, very mellow. I spent most of it alone, which was actually okay with me.

I'm fine with hanging out by myself on the major holidays.

Ben Greenfield (1:57)

All right, Scrooge.

Brock (2:01)

I have been called worse.

Ben Greenfield (2:03)

Well, if this podcast audio sounds slightly different, it's because I'm podcasting from a sheep farm in Moscow, Idaho, where I managed to find a tiny corner of an office here to set a microphone in. And so if you hear anything fun, including sheep, that's why there is no strange Christmas fetish here in the Greenfield household. Having sheep around it just happens to be that we are traveling. But Brock and I are dedicated enough to get this thing out to you.

Brock (2:30)

So we've done it from Thailand. We'll do it from a sheep farm.

Ben Greenfield (2:34)

Let's rock and roll.

Brock (2:40)

Okay, to get these and all kinds of interesting little tidbits here and there, make sure to follow Ben on twitter.com/bengreenfield.

And you can also go to Google Plus to get some extra stuff as well. And you can find all the links by going to bengreenfieldfitness.com as usual.

Ben Greenfield (2:58)

Let's start with some good news about almonds. They magically dropped their calorie count by 20% this week.

Brock (3:05)

And just suddenly, they all got smaller?

Ben Greenfield (3:09)

That's right. No, there was a study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that said that despite the fact that on the nutrition label, the facts label for almonds, or anywhere else you read about the calories in almonds, you'll see a serving of almonds listed as 165 calories per serving.

But in this study that looked at food's actual calorie count in terms of the absorbable calories at the gut level, a serving of almonds is actually only 130 calories.

Brock (3:40)

And what is a serving? What are they considering a serving?

Ben Greenfield (3:43)

I believe the serving of almonds is somewhere between 20 and 25

Brock (3:49)

That's quite a lot.

Ben Greenfield (3:50)

Right around in that range.

Brock (3:51)

Yeah.

Ben Greenfield (3:52)

And so that means that you can now enjoy more almonds for the same calorie count.

Brock (3:57)

And I will.

Ben Greenfield (3:59)

And this is just basically the structure of the almond, the fiber in the almond, which isn't digested by your stomach or your intestines, basically doesn't count. And there are other foods that are like this as well. If you've heard of resistance starches before, those are a type of food in which fiber in them is not very well-digested at all by your intestine. And so much of this starch, which is resistant to being absorbed or utilized as calories, just kind of passes through your digestive tract. So that includes things like lentils are probably going to have a lower calorie count than what you might see on the label or see listed. Barley is another one. Oatmeal isn't too bad on that level.