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!
I don't understand people sometimes. You know, there is a... Read More
Instead of Butter: Use top quality, cold pressed, extra virgin... Read More
Acid reflux disease, or GERD, is a common compliant of... Read More
We sometimes hear about ways that we can take care... Read More
For a natural and tasty way to improve your health... Read More
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's... Read More
In large part, you're in control of your health, not... Read More
Could it be possible that our beloved chocolate may actually... Read More
Cholesterol is present in our bodies by one of two... Read More
The natural antioxidants in Oat Bran can significantly reduce blood... Read More
Finding simple ways to reduce my waistline is always a... Read More
One of the biggest mistakes many new bodybuilders make is... Read More
A lot of people I've talked with about health supplements... Read More
Each and every person living in the UK is... Read More
The old clich? that you are what you eat is... Read More
In the last twenty years, a huge and growing body... Read More
What is health? Everyone wants this thing called health, and... Read More
Is the thrill gone? Has the thrill gone out of... Read More
Every day we are bombarded with information about food products... Read More
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More
Our diet is an essential factor for the formation of... Read More
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in... Read More
Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life... Read More
Question from Jack:A question from Jack, one of the subscribers... Read More
Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits... Read More
cleaning help near Bannockburn ..I would like to raise a question: Is Rejuvenation possible... Read More
How many magazines have you read where they tell you... Read More
Did you know the average American gains 5-7 pounds every... Read More
Acid reflux disease, or GERD, is a common compliant of... Read More
Unfortunately, it has been proved beyond doubt that a large... Read More
Cholesterol. What images come to mind when you see this... Read More
Chances are you may have had a food product that... Read More
For those of us that understand nutrition and it's importance... Read More
It would be fair to assume that almost everyone on... Read More
Our diet is an essential factor for the formation of... Read More
For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at... Read More
What is the best protein powder to buy? I get... Read More
My name is Mildred Shears. I'm retired and I live... Read More
Are there any benefits to be obtained from drinking water... Read More
Like the Sun, Moon, and Earth, there are three kinds... Read More
Random thoughts taken from valuable sources, what many nutrition experts... Read More
East Meets WestAsian cultures have realized the medical benefits of... Read More
Before we get to honey we have a question from... Read More
Finally, dieters and healthy eaters everywhere have reason to rejoice,... Read More
According to the National Institute of Health, Magnesium is needed... Read More
The word cholesterol has become synonymous with poor health. Indeed,... Read More
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and... Read More
When we think about the benefits of being ensuring a... Read More
Factory FarmingThe big names in American agriculture would like you... Read More
The Omega Zone Diet and specialists' opinion"Omega RX Zone -... Read More
Nutrition |