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!
Some people say to themselves, junk food is not that... Read More
Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than... Read More
Nuts are readily available and provide a highly nutritious food.... Read More
Having spent most of my life living off of junk... Read More
For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat could be... Read More
Did you know that much of our dry skin comes... Read More
Some fats are good for you. Your body can't function... Read More
What if there was a combination of foods that were... Read More
I am going to share with you possibly the most... Read More
According to the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis... Read More
Are Your Cells Talking To Each Other?Communication! It permeates our... Read More
Water is a vitally important component of any valuable and... Read More
Can You Lose Weight Through Eating?You get fat when you... Read More
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make... Read More
The debate regarding Fluoride continues to rage, is it good... Read More
Meal replacements have been part of the diet landscape for... Read More
Spring is in the air and ? summer is around... Read More
Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have... Read More
Eating out when you are on a restricted diet always... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
Food nutrition factsFinding food nutrition facts and dietary nutrition used... Read More
If you have high cholesterol, the American Heart Association's low-cholesterol,... Read More
Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone... Read More
Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a... Read More
Evidence suggesting that alcohol is "cardio-protective" first appeared in the... Read More
Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, was thought of as... Read More
Unhealthy eating is a harmful problem in America, and contrary... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
Aging occurs when the body's cells die at faster rates... Read More
I am sure you have heard you have to build... Read More
I'm willing to bet you probably haven't heard the word... Read More
In a new study published by the American Heart Association,... Read More
Coke, more commonly known as cocaine is a highly addictive... Read More
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and... Read More
During the past thirty years there has been a steadily... Read More
Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the... Read More
Here's something you probably don't know. The fruit and vegetables... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
Despite the fact that accurate nutrition information can be accessed... Read More
Unfortunately, the words "diet" and "cheating" go hand in hand.... Read More
Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More
Fruit Advantage Tart Cherry capsules are a nutritious, all-natural alternative... Read More
To many people, this may seem a simplistic answer to... Read More
Soy, and most soy-based products, are nutritional powerhouses. Soybeans are... Read More
I confess: I'm completely addicted to Pringles. My determination weakens... Read More
Eating right to suit your blood type" is a subject... Read More
Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to... Read More
Nutrition |