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!
According to the National Institute of Health, Magnesium is needed... Read More
Studies support the benefits of eating a diet rich in... Read More
The old clich? that you are what you eat is... Read More
Evidence for the importance of fruit and vegetable intake to... Read More
Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in... Read More
Just what is the "New Biology of Health?" And who's... Read More
Flaxseeds may be the smallest seeds you will find in... Read More
Many low carb dieters fall victim to "carb creep," which... Read More
Information on potassiumWhen you read about potassium and senate document... Read More
Nails are a protective horn at the end of our... Read More
Hormonal changes during pregnancy, and quite normal fat gain often... Read More
It is amazing to be able to say I am... Read More
What if you could actually slow your rate of aging,... Read More
On average 30% of foods in our daily diet are... Read More
Initially discovered as a new element in 1811 by Barnard... Read More
The key to better health is learning the difference between... Read More
We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More
The secret of success is knowing how to deal with... Read More
Inflammation is not a disease.Inflammation is best described as a... Read More
Water is the single most important element for human existence,... Read More
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make... Read More
So, what is new about this that you already don't... Read More
Water is the most abundant substance in the human body.... Read More
AgingHow did aging appeared?If mechanism of Death was chosen by... Read More
Heart Disease remains the number one cause of death in... Read More
high-end home cleaning Bannockburn ..Your face turns flush and your skin starts to itch.... Read More
You say you don't know what glyconutrients are? You are... Read More
Because I believe diet and exercise are so important, I'm... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
When you take your food next time, take care of... Read More
The Mediterranean Diet is now recognized as one of the... Read More
One way to combat the boredom many people complain accompanies... Read More
People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don't believe... Read More
These are questions we have to ask ourselves? because after... Read More
It seems as if the health of America is failing.... Read More
Diet nutrition physiqueToday, learning about diet nutrition physique isn't all... Read More
Mango is my favorite fruit next to pineapples. They're sweet,... Read More
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More
Here's something you probably don't know. The fruit and vegetables... Read More
Acid Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common disease which... Read More
Originally, all foods were "organic" ? grown and prepared without... Read More
Fibromyalgia is a chronic and potentially life-altering disorder with symptoms... Read More
Because of consumer demand, the food industry focus is on... Read More
Do you know the risks to daily intakes of Starbucks... Read More
OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone... Read More
I'm sure by now you've heard all about the amazing... Read More
Do you know anyone who can't consume milk or milk-based... Read More
Initially discovered as a new element in 1811 by Barnard... Read More
A beautiful smile and healthy mouth actually can come from... Read More
High Fructose Corn SyrupBefore we get to high fructose corn... Read More
Nutrition |