I'm sure by now you've heard all about the amazing health benefits of antioxidant rich foods in your diet. Not only do these free-radical fighting antioxidants help you look and feel younger by slowing down the aging process, but they also help to prevent cancer, heart disease, and loads of other degenerative diseases. But that's not all. Antioxidants also help you to recover better from exercise...and that means more muscle and less fat on your body in the long run!
The function that antioxidants play in aiding your recovery from exercise is the inhibition of free radicals produced during exercise. Any time you workout, free radicals are produced in the body that damage muscle tissue. Having an adequate supply of antioxidants about an hour or so before your workout can greatly reduce the muscle damage caused by free radicals, hence, improving your muscular recovery from exercise.
Some of the most potent sources of whole food antioxidants are berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries), cherries, acai fruit, various teas (green tea, white tea, black tea, and red tea - a.k.a. rooibos tea), nuts, seeds, red and black beans, purple potatoes, grapes, red wine, cinnamon, and dark chocolate or cocoa. Don't be fooled by all of the intense marketing for expensive antioxidant supplement pills...remember whole foods are always better for you (and cheaper) than a pill.
My favorite pre-workout antioxidant-loaded snack is a piece of whole grain toast with almond butter, a small amount of blackberry jam, and topped with a pile of fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries. I wash it down with a glass of iced green tea or rooibos tea sweetened with just a small bit (about a teaspoon) of raw honey. This is literally a quintuple-whammy of potent anti-oxidants! The almond butter, blackberry, blueberries, raw honey, and the green or rooibos tea are all loaded with different varieties of muscle protecting, youth promoting antioxidants. I throw down this snack about an hour before my training. Give it a try for yourself, or be creative and come up with your own antioxidant-rich pre-workout snack based on your tastes.
Remember, your body is continually bombarded every day by free radicals (creating oxidative stress) from exercise, air pollution, smoke, sun exposure, junk food, exposure to chemicals, etc. To reap the full benefits of antioxidants, try to make sure that every meal and snack you eat has at least one or two sources of antioxidant rich foods. This will give you a continuous supply of antioxidants throughout every day to prevent damage from the free radicals you are constantly exposed to.
Antioxidants are just one piece to the puzzle of a healthy diet that will give you the lean, muscular, youthful, and disease-free body that everyone wants. To discover the secrets behind all of the other pieces to the diet puzzle that create a lean body (macronutrient profile, glycemic response, hormonal response, glycogen storage, muscle protein synthesis, the role of leptin, the insulin process, etc.), visit http://truthaboutabs.com
?2005 truthaboutabs.com
Michael Geary - NCSF CPT, AFAA CPT;
Author of "The Truth About Six Pack Abs" ?2004-2005
Visit http://truthaboutabs.com to discover innovative training and nutritional strategies for losing body fat and developing a rock hard body!
What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain... Read More
Dieting is a pain. I think basically everyone would agree... Read More
Do you know your ph? By getting ph strips at... Read More
When Helen Boardman was still a girlish 99, she fell... Read More
The above foods contain high antioxidant capacity. These foods were... Read More
Are Your Cells Talking To Each Other?Communication! It permeates our... Read More
Did you know the average American gains 5-7 pounds every... Read More
The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More
The key to better health is learning the difference between... Read More
The best weight training and cardio workouts will do very... Read More
For some people it is really hard to give up... Read More
Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years... Read More
Do you allow pleasure from food? Are your senses throughly... Read More
The confusion about eating healthy and dieting will now be... Read More
Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More
Today we're shifting our focus from wealth to health. First... Read More
In a study review conducted by David A. Geier, B.A.... Read More
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More
All carbohydrates are not the same. Generally it is assumed... Read More
White-spotted or yellow splotched teeth may reveal more than needed... Read More
I'd like to explain an important concept that most online... Read More
Each and every person living in the UK is... Read More
In a world where heart disorders and diseases are becoming... Read More
If you do not take time to stand back at... Read More
You really are what you eat. You are also very... Read More
trusted cleaning company Des Plaines ..Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than... Read More
You may have noticed an ever-expanding choice of oils at... Read More
Each and every person living in the UK is... Read More
Constipation is the passing of dry, hard faeces fewer than... Read More
Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More
The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More
I don't understand people sometimes. You know, there is a... Read More
Bye Bye HolidaysHoping everyone had a fun, fantastic, exciting and... Read More
AgingHow did aging appeared?If mechanism of Death was chosen by... Read More
While packages of the artificial sweetener Splenda claim, "made from... Read More
It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage... Read More
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More
Here's a conundrum: While experts agree that high cholesterol and... Read More
While there are many effective ways to get more energy... Read More
Can the colors on your plate tell you what health... Read More
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More
Sugar intake is a real concern for people who've had... Read More
Did you know the average American gains 5-7 pounds every... Read More
People who consume too much alcohol have good chance of... Read More
Zingiber officinale has been held in the highest regard by... Read More
OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone... Read More
Dieters who dejectedly complain they are figuratively "stuck" with their... Read More
(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body... Read More
How many magazines have you read where they tell you... Read More
Cholesterol. What images come to mind when you see this... Read More
Nutrition |