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!
There are numerous diets out there that guarantee that they... Read More
Every person on earth has experienced pain at one time... Read More
I turned into my parents' driveway in Maryland and parked... Read More
Evidence suggesting that alcohol is "cardio-protective" first appeared in the... Read More
What Ever Happened to the Basic FourThe USDA was originally... Read More
Nutrition is extremely important for any young person, especially an... Read More
Although you may have heard about soy and all of... Read More
Many of us, probably even you, want this thing called... Read More
Glucosamine is readily produced in the human body and is... Read More
As a low carb dieter, your diet is undoubtedly high... Read More
Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More
What is the Atkins diet and how can it help... Read More
Coke, more commonly known as cocaine is a highly addictive... Read More
Much controversy and argument surrounds the idea that food may... Read More
Understanding ocular nutrition and eye health can be one of... Read More
I am going to share with you possibly the most... Read More
It is always amazing to me when I find a... Read More
We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More
For those of us that understand nutrition and it's importance... Read More
Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have... Read More
Making simple changes to your food diet can help remedy... Read More
Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the... Read More
What is health? Everyone wants this thing called health, and... Read More
OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone... Read More
Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we... Read More
luxury cleaning services Lake Forest ..Secretly we all want just a few things in life,... Read More
Arthritis - if you suffer from this illness, I don't... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make... Read More
Water is a vitally important component of any valuable and... Read More
Eating right to suit your blood type" is a subject... Read More
Eating orange mean absorbing vitamin C to our body, is... Read More
When you take your food next time, take care of... Read More
What is health? Everyone wants this thing called health, and... Read More
With the array of different diets and diet foods available... Read More
The dangers of processed foods and diets Why is that... Read More
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed.... Read More
The field of nutrition is awash with charts, tables, diagrams,... Read More
Many people avoid avocados thinking them to be fattening, but... Read More
Your fiber intake is a critical factor in weight loss... Read More
How Can... Read More
Acid Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common disease which... Read More
So, what is new about this that you already don't... Read More
It is amazing to be able to say I am... Read More
When was the last time you consumed soda? Most likely,... Read More
Essential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you... Read More
Fiber is the part of the plant that is resistant... Read More
The factors that affect the nutritional requirements of an individual... Read More
The reason I remember the first time I was served... Read More
Do you want more energy? How about more of the... Read More
Nutrition |