Vegetables Rate by Nitrate

If nitrates can boost athletic performance and protect against heart disease, which vegetables have the most: beans, bulb vegetables (like garlic and onions), fruiting vegetables (like eggplant and squash), greens (such as arugula), mushrooms, root vegetables (such as carrots and beets), or stem vegetables (such as celery and rhubarb)?
New subscribers to our e-newsletter always receive a free gift. Get yours here: nutritionfacts...
Please also check out my associated blog post nutritionfacts....!
Image Credit: Evan-Amos, Benjah-bmm27, Quadell, Sanjay Acharya, Bjankuloski06en, ZooFari, and Whut via Wikimedia Commons, Cory Doctorow / Flickr, and Raw Candy.
NutritionFacts...
• Subscribe: nutritionfacts...
• Donate: nutritionfacts...
• Podcast : nutritionfacts...
• Facebook: NutritionFacts.org
• Twitter: nutrition_facts
• Instagram: nutrition_facts_org
• Books: nutritionfacts...
• Shop: drgreger.org

[@nastynas373]

Great video, but the chart may be misleading because its measured in Nitrates/100g. Its much easier to eat 100g of beets than 100g of cilantro. Leafy greens are less dense so you'd have to eat more of them. 100g of cilantro is like $2.00, where 100g of beets is like $0.50

[@Jyrgeeni]

Ofc good to keep these things in mind, but still very useful information

[@ceolbeats7182]

@King Mike Network Greger & juicing 😳???

[@Qmayb]

You also can grow greens, basil, arugula and cilantro are very easy to grow in hot weather

[@paolody438]

ARUGULA has 18x more nitrate than Kale! 1:41

[@jesslagooch5291]

Beats are best

[@cquinc]

I would like to know if Arugula sprouts are as good or better in producing Nitric Oxide in the body as the mature plant. I grow my own Broccoli in this manner to increase Sulforaphane and other nutrients. I would be grateful to receive the answer as it will cause me to begin yet another life long healthy habit based upon the answer.

[@garethbaus5471]

I don't know the answer, just commenting in case you get a reply from someone who does.

[@Ryansarcade9]

I like arugula! Great on burritos

[@shakaama]

yes it oxidizes the very nutrients you are trying to put into your body. so literally you have to blend and drink immediately. No sitting that junk down. in 15 minutes you could loose half the nutrition you started out with, due to oxidation.

[@aegisfate117]

Oh yea. I always finish my 40oz-48oz smoothie in less than 5 minutes. Then I get the blender cleaned and put on the dish rack.

[@debbietaylor20]

Is carton beet juice the same , I buy organic beet juice, or is it better to juice the beets yourself ?

[@SYN30STM]

To avoid oxidation you would have to fill a Mason jar almost overflowing and seal it. Apparently it can last 72hrs like that if you store it that way

[@godemperormeow8591]

nani

[@edenbound1574]

Add some antioxidants? Lemon juice? Greger's group has done some work recommending blended foods be eaten slowly; the longer food interacts with saliva, the better the nutrients are absorbed.

[@michaellewis8322]

I keep reading that reheating veg containing nitrate turns the nitrate into nitrites which is very toxic for the body - is this true? i normally freeze mixed vegetable soups and reuse

[@vmobile890]

Ok fine I eat all the greens and prepare with reduce oxalates some days cooke or steam or juice

[@345kobi]

Organic vegetables are not allowed to be fertilized with nitrogen. Given that, I wonder how conventionally grown vegetables compare to organic in nitrate levels.

[@tdreamgmail]

I love rhubarb!

[@monabo1]

Celery

[@carltroia6235]

What is arugula in the UK 🇬🇧

[@Rubesmanzenski]

But you have to eat it raw as cooking it destroys the nitrates, right?

[@deewiedman7384]

what the oxalates if you get kidney stones.

[@TmexIronman]

Are you saying you loose nutrients when you blend the fruits and vegetables in a blender?

[@xymonau2468]

When you break things up in a blender, you miss the important action of saliva as the first part of your digestion process. No food is ever broken down in our bodies the way a blender breaks it down, so it isn't actually as good for us. It's like pre-chewed food without the saliva. It changes the availability of some things. Occasional smoothies are fine, but you are really meant to chew your food to get the very best result. Greger has a few videos re this.

[@whtahtefcuk]

Can I spit in my smoothie?

[@adamguerra2120]

Xymo Nau listen to what u said... It doesn't even make sense... Let's for a second think it was... U could just chew on ur mouthful of smoothie before u swallow... And guess what... It's more broken down than ur teeth ever would have been able to do.

[@phacocataractdrlvkraju5]

Mouth lodges bacteria which helps in using the nitrates by body. So time it appropriately, avoid the brushing of teeth, mouth wash, chewing gum nearing consumption

[@michaeldautry]

What if I blend beets to make a whole juice?

[@Danquebec01]

A smoothie? I think that would be good.

[@kimberlytippen4436]

Yeap smoothie better :D

[@damiandamiano3651]

arent nitrates bad ??

[@NutritionFactsOrg]

Hi, Damian Damiano! Nitrates found naturally in plants have benefits for our health, while nitrites in animal-derived foods have adverse health effects. More on that here: nutritionfacts.org/video/when-nitrites-go-bad/ I hope that helps! -Christine Kestner, MS, CNS, LDN, NutritionFacts.org Health Support Volunteer

[@eyetineetee]

I maranantha

[@Ryansarcade9]

Takes a long time for views and comments to load.

[@rathernotdisclose8064]

Juicing isn't considered "whole" but is blending?

[@RoadToRetire25]

Rathernot Disclose yes

[@arebolar]

Why do all of these foods give me diarrhea?

[@SSchithFoo]

gggg

[@vikashmbhakta1]

So, I gave this a try. I ate Arugula before playing basketball. I felt a lot better and less tired. Felt energetic even after. Normally, after an hour of full court basketball, I am drained. It works. Thanks, Dr. Greger!

[@oskartang9797]

How much arugula did you eat?

[@valnaples]

You mean "you PUT it to the TEST"? hee! So glad it worked....veggies for the WIN!

[@whitewidow69]

Placebo

[@ArtyAntics]

I actually had rocket in my rice n beans yesterday for dinner after my walk and I was less tired but that might be a coincidence . I’m going to give it a try now you have sad that. I suffer with fatigue a lot so any improvement is needed! Can’t hurt to eat more veggies!

[@mikelmarion]

@@ArtyAntics did you ever try it?

[@YD-uq5fi]

Arugula is so good that it even works for a breakfast smoothie of Arugula + Granny Smith green apple + Walnut + Ginger. It tastes good, combines many superfoods, and the walnut makes it filling.

[@ABAdams]

but if you look into this a bit more; you find that nitrates vary seasonally. Some are higher in spring, some in fall; "A single hundred-gram serving of spinach can contain anywhere from 24 to 387 milligrams of nitrate. Depending on the growing conditions plants face before harvest, the amount of nitrates present can vary significantly". So; in some seasons baby spincah is highest, sometimes it's arugula.

[@Nobody-Nowhere]

most of those greens are grown in greenhouses so the quality is pretty much stable.

[@thomahammer9581]

I could eat a pound of beets easily, but would have a tough time eating a pound of chard or spinach. So beets would win for me. Plus baked they taste better than plain spinach.

[@WOB1010]

If you have a good juicer...A small glass of Rhubarb (8 oz.) is quite good. (Tart) You can add a drop of orange extract for flavor.

[@SteveGendron-p3h]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🌱 *Consuming a diet high in nitrate is recommended for treating hypertension and protecting against adverse vascular events like heart attacks.* 00:29 🥦 *Among various vegetable categories, green leafy vegetables are the top source of nitrate, with arugula leading by a significant margin.* 00:58 🌿 *Beet juice is not the highest nitrate source; instead, Swiss chard, oak leaf lettuce, and other greens top the list.* 01:27 🍃 *Whole foods are preferred over beet juice for maximizing nutritional benefits, and stem vegetables like rhubarb can be potent nitrate sources.* 01:55 ❤️ *Twin Harvard studies emphasize that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy ones, correlates with a lower risk of heart disease.* Made with HARPA AI

[@leechurchill1965]

Mom was right (rest her soul).

[@sabertoothwallaby2937]

Ok

[@charlieangkor8649]

a 50kg bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is the winner

[@SeekerofTruths]

Arugula tastes like bitter shit! I would know

[@thereishope3867]

but Nitrate in processed meat causes colon cancer, but in plants it is beneficial🤡

[@brianrichards7006]

As I remember, the leafy part of rhubarb is poisonous.

[@BelleOmbreGrey]

The picture was of the edible stems. Further he distinguished it from the others in the top ten as the only "stem vegetable". I think poor comprehension is a sign of vascular problems. Better get yourself some rhubarb

[@michaelbalfour3170]

@@BelleOmbreGrey Easy there, that was a bit uncalled for.

[@kei-ev5cf]

@@BelleOmbreGrey 🤣🤣😭

[@gjknepper]

The leaves are high in oxalic acid and I believe the stems contain some also.

[@Jeroen1971GSXR]

I expected spinach in the top 10?

[@infiniteoptimal]

NOOOOOOOOOOWaHH!!

[@jodrew1845]

Spinach is problematic, chech out dr g's vlog from several days ago.

[@JohnSmith-by2fl]

pretty hard to eat 100 grams of Cilantro or even Arugula 100-200 grams of beets....much easier

[@xymonau2468]

Well, if you are eating a wide variety of foods each day, the nitrates add up. You can intentionally have one thick salad wrap or sandwich stuffed with a lot of greens. That's a good start. And you can have a big dish of rhubabrb for dessert a couple of times a week, too.

[@friesenge1st]

the factor is 4x. 100 g arugula with tasty dressing is no problem for me. 400g beets is more problematic imho. but before sport, my option is clearly beetjuice. refreshing, slightly sweet and sooo dayum powerful

[@mr.hippie_953]

Many times, I blend up leafy greens into a smoothie. I know chewing is preferable but like Dr.G says, eat healthy foods however its necessary in order to get them in your diet. My smoothie today has 142g of arugula. Like others have posted, a tasty dressing will squash any challenging amount of leafy greens.

[@skuz8631]

@@mr.hippie_953 You are literalky consuming the maximum effective dose of nitrates. That's amazing. How the hell do u drink a smoothie with 7 cups of arugula?

[@jhlourensini]

looking and lookin the study sources from this video, and I can't still find Spring Greens in the tables. Impressive.

[@averagebodybuilder]

All these foods are high in oxalates. So please do the needful before consuming. Either steam cooking, quick boil, ferment, or take probiotics that consume oxalates.

[@valnaples]

Green leafies protect our heart...our eyes....our colons....our stomachs...our entire body!!!! GO FOR the GREENS! yay!

[@WOK-YT-handle]

Sitting here 12 years after this video was posted trying to convince myself to finish this arugula salad. This is such an unpleasant bitter batch🤢 😿

[@danielsoares3737]

I love arugula! 100 grams is easy! I already eat 100 grams of watercress daily. Now I will be doing 100 of each!

[@QueefJuiceOverflow]

holy shit, you're gonna develop super powers from that!

[@danielsoares3737]

+QueefJuiceOverflow Lmfao that would be awesome!! I upped my watercress intake to 150g a day and have been eating arugula salad almost every night. I love arugula!!

[@piecesofme8531]

@@danielsoares3737 What is in watercress?

[@BelleOmbreGrey]

Be careful with watercress ( liver flukes )

[@piecesofme8531]

@@BelleOmbreGrey What are liver flukes?

[@solidstream13]

Can the green leafy veggie be cooked and still contain the nitrate?

[@skuz8631]

Yes I wanna know how many nitrates vs oxalates are destroyed when cooking

[@johnnycanuck6923]

what about Kale? it say it does more to boost than arugula?

[@sanderscupac7829]

Kale is the BEST........ PERIOD

[@ObiWanCannabi]

0:22 you know why? because we are sugar and phosphates and nitrogen, at a genetic level that is all we boil down to. hypertension is your body at its critical point, its maxed out on one thing and it needs something to do with what its got, at a genetic level we are a sugar double helix with some phosphate and nitrates are the CTAG Coding the DNA, if the system is imbalanced we need to adjust and raise those levels that are deficient, so in people its nitrates, in plants its usually sugars, if you feed a plant too much nitrate nitrogen then things get weird with new growth, same with people if you over feed them sugars, you have too much paper but not enough coding to write to it. if you can get a plant to increase its sugar generating it can cope with the excess nitrates, like if you increase those nitrate levels in people they can handle the increased sugar levels. But you could and should probably work at lowering the initial consumption so the system isnt running at full steam, nitrogen in plants is like fuel to a fire, in people sugar works the same damn way, we crave it in foods as much as plants crave nitrates in soil, they will snap it up even if they end up spending a ton of energy to just piss it out in their sweat. Nitrates are rare to plants in nature just as sugars should be rare to us in nature, but we put them in everything.

I had read that a diet rich in nitrate may be detrimental for your health because it can react with free amino acids and generate nitrosamines, especially when the food is heated or under acidic conditions (such as in your stomach). Granted, if you follow a low-protein protein the rate of those reactions would be lower. The advice warned particularly about eating green leaf vegetables like chard that had been grown using synthetic fertilizers since those could cumulate large amounts of nitrate.

[@adamcolter3190]

Zephyr López Cervilla make sure your vegetables are pesticide free. Washing them off with water can also help too

[@BritonAD]

every 100g. I think one beet weighs the same as several bags of Arugula?

[@TimBolenski]

I will pass on all the kidney stones many of these would cause. But there is always bacon bacon bacon!

[@amessina6691]

Dwight Schrute doesn't concur with your findings.

[@M13x13M]

Most of these veggies rate as Toxic Super foods according to Sally Norton.

[@sukkeri]

beet juice is much easier and more practical. it will guarantee high dose in practise.

[@ericulric223]

Must buy Arugula tomorrow.

[@jerryross7135]

Don't overdo it with Oxylates I know i mispelled that 🙂

[@Abc-qs8ir]

No such thing as organic arugula powder yet? Any studies done on organic spinach powders yet? ☺️

[@iscapetv5508]

They would never, it’s too healthy.

[@Ryansarcade9]

Love the gameshow style setup of these older videos!

[@raw-viking]

For the sensible person it’s not just about amount per 100 grams. It’s about amount per reasonable portion. I’d easily eat a few hundred grams of beets or their juice… but arugula or even worse, basil?? No thank you.

[@CJ_102]

Let's be real tho... a glass of beet juice is around 300g, so 840mg nitrates. An entire bag of leaves is likely less than 100g. We're simply not cattle that can chew all day long to eat their body weight in leaves.

[@merlindxb4333]

So wrong, you US city dwellers near supermarket must stop supporting the home team, the very best Top vegetable is Moringa leaf or young seed pod, dandelion leaves, coconut milk & flesh, and if you have a good look around

[@PuertadelSolViracocha]

Would red spinach make the list at all?

[@AstraVex]

I like arugula, but too much and the bitterness makes me gag! xD

[@AConnorDN38416]

So if arugula has an even higher concentration of nitrates than beet juice, shouldn't arugula top beet juice for athletic performance too?

[@skuz8631]

I'm making arugala juice now. I'm gonna do 6 cups for 580g of nitrates. The maxium dose of nitrates for exercise performance is 12.8g x kg bodyweight. It's gonna taste horrible but so worth it. Plus I take 10g of L-Citrulline & 1g of Agmatine Sulfate which is a another pathway for a shit load of nitrates. The pumps in the gym are going to be out of this world.

[@godemperormeow8591]

@@skuz8631 how was it?

[@jodrew1845]

I really love arugula so this is a win, win in my book.

[@mikelmarion]

How do they taste?

[@jessicasalcedo5815]

What about wheatgrass? I don’t see it being mentioned ANYWHERE. Probably bc it doesn’t help aid in that category?

[@Cymricus]

I found a study about testing nitrates in croatia spring and fall for several types of green leafy vegetables. It concluded the same about arugula. about 4.5k mg per kg (or 450mg per 100g as seen in the table) but it shows about 1.1k mg per kg in kale, which is about 1/4, so arugula is 4x the amount in kale according to that study, not 18x. i don’t like arugula and eat kale salads so i was keen on finding out. would like to know where dr greger got this info. I’m gonna tweet him lol

[@coolilshat]

I found an arugula extract on rucolahealth.com for those of us not keen on the taste

[@godemperormeow8591]

I don’t think kale has any nitrates. I’ve been eating kale for a whole year and don’t feel anything close to what to what 75g of pistachios can do for you.

[@kanthvickram4490]

It is 480 mg per 100 g..seen in the table (not 450 mg)

[@whitewidow69]

I have been eating argula daily for the past 3 years, my bp is on average 105/68 - 110/72.

[@bennyvermeulen7255]

Really? That’s interesting.

[@MrToontuber]

Mind the oxolates..

[@jamesalles139]

how do we avoid oxylates?

[@Mechanical_Star]

So arugula is better for the athletes?

[@BenificiallMusic]

Thanks Arugula/ Rhubarb / Cilantro 🎉

[@-pavski-7230]

Can someone explain why nitrates are good for you if there in vegetables but deadly poison and cancerous if in ham ?

[@Josh-Jones]

Because nitrates are added as a preservative to meats. They occur naturally in the vegetables. I know this doesn't exactly answer your question but hopefully it gets you closer.

[@Mandolin1944]

@@Josh-Jones They are still nitrates LOL -- same anion exactly -- the source does not matter. Life is a trade off. Nitrates have both beneficial and harmful effects -- you have to decide which aspect you are more concerned about having better erections or lowering your risk of bladder cancer.

[@JohnDoe-dy2ft]

Can we cook those foods and still retain benefit from the no boosting nitrates ? Beet soup is ok ? Arugula soup ?

[@metal_ernest]

You can watch some of Greger's other videos on the best cooking methods; beets retain their nutrition very well despite cooking (as do carrots, onions, celery). Greens, not so much.

[@kimberlytippen4436]

Prefferable raw.

[@petromic1947]

Thanks for the awesome presentation. Can I get a copy of the “vegetable rate by Nitrate chart. Thanks

[@VayaconDios018]

Where is carrot

[@brandonlasvegas]

🙏😎

[@davemcaferty6347]

Amaranth leaf extract is higher then all of them

[@neldog510]

Kale is better.

[@snake1625b]

What about beet root powder on days your short on time

[@jean-marcpourrier310]

Sir what are the best leafy greens, or vegetables or combination for protecting knees cartilage and the whole knee it self.

[@thomahammer9581]

Questionm is it the beets themselves or the beet greens?

[@dineilhaynes1210]

Country form super greens can boost nittric oxide ?

[@frankv3483]

Nitric Oxide is the reason.

[@AndrewPawley11]

I love this channel!

[@zeeweirdeye]

does cooking reduce the amt of nitrates?

[@DennyGsFunnies]

No. But boiling greens will leach out some oxalates.

[@DennyGsFunnies]

Lol. Didn't notice how old your comment was.

[@hiddysonday435]

See above. Beetroot.

[@rashie]

👍👍

[@Ryansarcade9]

Good to know

[@kazukinakamura1110]

All the foods I can’t eat. Thank you!

[@daveforgot127]

Lol then learn

[@armiento]

does this mean i should eat arugula salad before my runs with fenugreeks seeeds

[@soofitnsexy]

+TonyArmz IsunderurbedRUNN no it means you eat it before you fuck your man or woman etc

[@margaretnasso2885]

I love arugula

[@aval774]

Greens win the day!

[@annesummers09]

WOW! I'll just eat my bacon and ham! Both have nitrites and nitrates. But then, we're told nitrites in bacon are bad!? Well experts...which is it??? WTF? Hard to keep the lies straight I guess.

[@Mavish11]

The nitrites and nitrates in bacon and ham are not what I would consider healthy because when introduced into meat, they are converted to nitrosamines. I recommend you Don't get you're nitrates from bacon,ham, and cured meats in general.

[@Mavish11]

Nutritional science can be a pretty hard thing to understand for the layman.

[@annesummers09]

@dot Plain meat is the ONLY thing we should be eating1 LOL

[@supermario1006]

aaaa

[@gghsusa]

ffff

[@werewasyo]

eeee

[@frankfrank4079]

Let vegans eat nitrate! I`ll stick with my meat.

[@whtahtefcuk]

Help me understand... would you consider a blended veggie a whole food? Let's say a few veggies in a nutra bullet blended fully... does our body see it as a whole food like chewing (Ain't nobody got time for that)? Thanks!

[@aegisfate117]

Hey Wayne look up 'Dr. Greger Green Smoothie' he made some videos about it. Blending keeps the fiber, juicing destroys it.

[@BoGaines]

"whole" food isn't referring to it being intact if that is what you are asking. The blender does nothing much more than our teeth do. "whole" food would mean: Nothing bad added, nothing good taken away. So blending your fruits and veggies is good, where juicing isn't as good because fiber and nutrients are lost in the process.

[@edenbound1574]

Greger recommends consuming blended foods slowly like you would a soup. So use a small spoon or sip it. Saliva interaction is essential for nutrient absorption; the longer food is in the mouth, the better.

[@LishAlish]

💚 Arugula 🥬