What happens inside your body after you eat beets may be more interesting than their bright red color suggests. Within hours, the natural nitrates in beets can begin a chain of changes that helps your body produce nitric oxide. This compound relaxes blood vessels, allowing blood to move more easily through the circulatory system. For some people, that can produce a temporary reduction in blood pressure. Beets also provide fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin C, manganese, and antioxidant betalains that support normal body functions.

Their effects are not magical, and eating beets does not guarantee dramatic health improvements, but research has made them especially interesting for cardiovascular health and physical performance.

There is another surprising effect that often catches people off guard: after eating beets, urine or stool can turn pink, red, or reddish-purple. This harmless phenomenon is called beeturia and can look alarming if you have never experienced it before. But the most fascinating part of the story is not the color change—it is what those natural nitrates may be doing to blood flow throughout the body. And that is where the story of beets becomes much more interesting.