Eating right helps us in numerous ways. Good nutrition gives us more energy, prevents disease and makes us feel better.
There’s an old saying that, we are what we eat, the food you eat actually makes up the cells in your body so choose food that will help your body to become stronger and more energetic.
Create a habit of buying food that will build your health, not destroy it. Take the time to find out what your body needs, whether it’s trying different cooking techniques, exploring your local farmers market or going meatless once a week.
Eating healthy and nutritious food shouldn’t be a “diet” but a lifestyle, and should feel as natural as breathing. So just like finding a workout specific to your needs find a dietary lifestyle that works for you and invest in your life!
8 Power Foods
1. Pineapple and Papaya
Both of these tropical fruits are loaded with bromelain and papain, enzymes that not only help break down proteins for digestion but also have anti-inflammatory properties to speed up your post-workout recovery.
2. Salmon
The fatty acids in fish oil, like salmon, need to become incorporated into muscle and heart cells to have an effect, and that takes weeks of consumption-so either take fish oil pills each day, or try to eat fish rich in fatty acids multiple times a week to see similar results. Try keep your intake of farm raised fish to once-a-month.
3. PB&J or Pasta With Meat Sauce
The perfect post-weight training repast has about 400 calories, with 20 to 30 grams of protein (to build new muscle) and 50 to 65 grams of carbohydrates (to repair old muscle). Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a small bowl of pasta with meat sauce fits that formula. Just don’t each too much or the unused carbohydrates you used for fuel will turn into sugar.
4. Pork Tenderloin
Lean meats are a great low-calorie source of protein, and scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, found that eating more protein may reduce the fat around your midsection. People who ate 20 more grams of protein every day than the group average had 6 percent lower waist-to-hip ratios. If you are a vegetarian or vegan just skip it all together.
5. 8 Ounces of Chocolate Milk
The best sports drink may come from a cow. British researchers found that milk does a better job than water or sports drinks at rehydrating the body after exercise. Why? To begin with, milk has more electrolytes and potassium. The addition of chocolate gives milk the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat for speedy muscle recovery.
6. Coffee
University of Georgia scientists revealed that taking a caffeine supplement (equal to two cups of coffee) after exercise reduces muscle soreness more than pain relievers can. Caffeine blocks a chemical that activates pain receptors.
7. Green Tea
Studies have shown that participants who consumed three cups of green tea every day for a week had fewer markers of the cell damage caused by resistance to exercise. So drinking a few cups every day may help your muscles recover faster after an intense workout.
8. Cold Water
Drinking cold water before and during exercise can help improve your endurance. Drinking cold water may be the most direct way to reduce core body temperature, so it takes you longer to heat up and slow down.
