Legumes
are a group of plants which produce beans, peas, peanuts and lentils. Usually
we find them mixed in with salads and soups, but they can make nutritious
additions to most dishes, and they contain a wealth of healthy attributes. They
are an excellent source of a range of nutrients and in this blog we’ll look at
the top 8 legumes, what they’re good for and why you should be adding them to
your diet.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Saturday 23 February 2013
Thursday 14 February 2013
Maintaining Creatine Supplementation with Natural Nutrition
Want better gains? |
Athletes
are regularly using supplements to increase the gains they achieve at the gym
and on the sports field. We have already written about meat choices for muscle
and post exercise recovery, but these won’t cover everything you want in your
workouts. For this athletes use a range of supplements with varying degrees of
scientific support. Today we will look at creatine supplementation which is one
of the most widely used performance ergogenic aids.
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Which is Better, Horse Meat or Beef?
Which is best? |
Monday 11 February 2013
How to Make Nutritious, Healthy Pancakes
So it
is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day tomorrow and that affords us the opportunity
to eat pancakes with anything on for dinner. The tradition comes from clearing
your cupboards ready for lent, but now we just use the day as an excuse to flip
pancakes and indulge ourselves. People often see Pancake Day as a day out of
their diet, but this does not have to be the case. Here we will look at the
premium pancake for a number of training and health goals. See if there are any
that you will benefit from...
Sunday 10 February 2013
4 Good Food Gone Bad: Some 'Good' Foods Can Be Bad For You
If you’re
an avid follower of health foods, regularly finding yourself on nutrition
websites, then you might find you are constantly told that some foods are ‘good’
and others are ‘bad’. These articles can make you question whether something is
good or bad for you. What you should be asking yourself is ‘is this food good
for me?’ The difference is that many foods have positive and negative aspects.
I’m always asked about good and bad food, but even a spoon of butter can be
right for your diet if you’re deficient in those nutrients. That said, we
consider some foods very good for us, when in fact they are hiding nutrients
that you might not be aware of. In this blog, we will look at 4 foods which
have generally got a good reputation, but are hiding excesses that you might
not need. We’ll also suggest alternatives which can help!
Friday 8 February 2013
5 Reasons Should You Eat Baked Potato!
Is potato good for you? |
Somebody
told me recently that a baked potato was 'the worst thing you can
eat'. When I asked them why this was the case, they told me that it
was full of starch and just added calories that you didn't need. It
is quite amazing how peoples opinions of nutrition can be changed by
fad diets and health points systems. The fact that the potato before
any cooking is packed with excellent nutritious benefits was lost on
this person who viewed the potato, and starch, as generally bad for
you.
I
have always been a firm believer in a balanced diet and lifestyle,
and as such, have always promoted a healthy amount of starchy
carbohydrates in order to have the energy for exercise. Remember,
eating well is only part of a healthy lifestyle, part two is
exercise, and without good quality energy sources, you're going to
find that you have less get up and go, and all the extra calories you
eat will be stored as fat. So lets have a look at the baked potato,
and 5 reasons why it is better than people might think...
Wednesday 6 February 2013
SUPERFRUITS: FRUITBOWL INFORGRAPHIC
Click the infographic to see the more about superfruits and what they are good for.
For more about superfruits for immunity, click here.
To find out more about superfruits for athletic performance, click here.
If you want to know more about superfruits for weight loss, click here.
Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/foodnutriblog
Happy Eating!
Sunday 3 February 2013
Meat for Muscle - What Protein Choice is Best for Hypertrophy?
So you’re
hitting the gym hard, lifting the weights and packing in proteins like there is
no tomorrow. Do you find that you aren’t getting the gains that you wanted? It
might be that your protein intake is lacking in quality, and as such, you don’t
get all the gains you would expect from the workout you have done. This can be
extremely frustrating as it means that all your hard work might not be making
it to your muscles. Today we will look at the meats that boost performance and
muscle gain, and the contents of meat that are important to performance.
What Should my
Meat Contain?
Which meat? |
·
Protein
(particularly leucine) – you need protein for amino acids and leucine increases
protein metabolism.
·
Saturated
Fat – usually something to reduce in your diet, healthy amounts of saturated
fat will increase testosterone, the hormone used to build muscle.
·
Unsaturated
fat – unsaturated fat is essential for antioxidant and hormone transfer, so make
sure you get some of this
·
Zinc
–Required for good protein synthesis while also combining with saturated fat
for testosterone boosting.
·
Selenium
– this is a natural antioxidant and will protect your new muscle cells.
That
said each type of meat will help you in different ways. Let’s have a look at a
few of the best options…
Best for
Protein and Leucine – Venison and Tuna
Venison has great protein levels |
Best for
Saturated Fat – Beef and Salmon
Beef has good fat levels. |
Best for
Unsaturated Fat – Salmon and Mackerel
Salmon contains good fat. |
Best for Zinc –
Ostrich and Beef
Full of Zinc |
Best for
Selenium – Mackerel, Tuna and Ostrich
Tuna steak is packed with good stuff. |
So what’s the
Best Meat?
As you
can see, different meats have different levels of benefit. As you can only eat
a certain amount of protein, a maximum of about 2g of protein per kg of body
weight per day, your choice in important. FO-OD suggests that there are three
standout meats; beef, ostrich and tuna. These all contain good levels of
protein and leucine, making them a general good basis for your protein
synthesis and muscle size. Ostrich and tuna are quite lean, so you will need to
ensure you get your fats in other parts of your diet, but they are very high in
selenium. Ostrich and beef are full of zinc, but have less leucine than the
tuna. You can increase your zinc with some seeds in your diet, like pine nuts,
or watermelon seeds. We would say that ostrich is probably the most complete
meat choice, but is often hard to get hold of, so beef or tuna might be more
affordable, but any of these three will see you getting the best gains than ever.
Just make sure you overall diet is healthy and you’ll be ripped in no time!
If you
want more information about post exercise recovery and increasing muscle gains,
click here.
If you
want to know about the best types of hydration for the gym, click here.
Follow
us on Twitter on www.twitter.com/foodnutriblog
Happy
Eating!
4 Types of Nuts that are Great for your Diet
When most people think about nuts, we think about the salted
peanut, available at the pub in a small packet. This often means that we
associate nuts with poor health, mainly because the only times we find
ourselves eating peanuts is when it’s Christmas, or when we have beer. Sadly,
it means many of us have judged all nuts as unhealthy snacks, and all because of
the nut imposter that is the peanut, for its name is deceptive. The peanut is
actually a legume. So what about actual nuts? In this blog we’ll look at some
nuts that can do wonders for your body and your health…
1. Almonds
Great For –
Antioxidants Not
So Good – Fairly high in fat
Almonds are great antioxidants |
Almonds are often used in cooking, but can make an excellent
general snack, They have a sweet taste, while not having a vast amount of
sweetness in them. Almonds contain 24.5g of fat in a 50g serving. This is not
uncommonly high for nuts, and it’s not all bad. Only 2g of the total fat is
saturated, and a lot of it is omega 6 fatty acids, great for growth and
development. The rest is unsaturated fat, which is essential for the use of
antioxidants, and is not the type of fat that clogs arteries. Almonds big
pluses include 11% of your RDA iron, and 25% of your RDA of copper. These are
both essential minerals for blood creation. Almonds also pack 65% of your RDA
of vitamin E, an essential antioxidant which will help convert free radicals
created during exercise.
2. Cashews
Great For – Mineral Content Not So Good – Not too filling
Cashews are one of the more readily available nuts and have
a distinctive taste. They don’t contain as much fat as almonds, with 22g per
50g of nuts, but 4g of that is saturated, so they are slightly higher in that respect.
That said, they contain complete protein, with 9g per 50g of nuts, and this is
accompanied by excellent levels of minerals. Fifty grams of cashews will give
you 55% of your daily copper, 40% of your daily manganese, which is great for
energy production, 30% of your RDA phosphorus essential for cell function and
energy creation and 36% of your RDA magnesium, which is great for muscle
function. Overall, the cashew might be slightly higher in fat, but only 50g can
boost your mineral levels, acting like a natural multi-mineral.
3. Chestnuts
Great For – Low fat Not So Good – Limited protein
and mineral content
Chestnuts are commonly sourced as a winter food,
particularly around thanksgiving and Christmas. They might be an excellent
addition to turkey meals, but the chestnut is also a healthy option for
snacking and adding to dishes throughout the year. Chestnuts contain almost no
fat, which is brilliant for weight loss. In addition, all the calories in
chestnuts comes in the form of carbohydrates, mostly starch, which adds to slow
release energy. Chestnuts are also an
excellent source of vitamin C, with 50g of nuts giving you 34% of your RDA.
Vitamin C is excellent for boosting your immune system, and will support your body’s
defences. Chestnuts have also got good levels of B vitamins and potassium, so
they improve energy metabolism and hydration levels.
4. Brazil nuts
Great For –
Antioxidants and Mood Not So Good –
Saturated Fat
Ok, so brazil nuts are a bit on the cheeky side. In 50g of
nuts you will find 7.5g of saturated fat. It is a little high, about 35% of
your RDA, but if you are watching your saturated fat levels in other meals, you
can afford to add some here. As a result, brazil nuts are higher in calories
than other nuts we have looked at. That said, they also have huge levels of
omega 6 fatty acids, as well as vast amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, copper, thiamine,
manganese and zinc (which will boost your sperm count gentlemen!). These nuts
also contain 15% of your RDA of vitamin E, an essential antioxidant, as well as
the brazil nuts trump card, selenium. Selenium is essential for thyroid
function and antioxidant properties. Recent studies have also found that
selenium boosts mood and reduces depression. So if you have a dark chocolate
covered brazil nut (chocolate release endorphins, which are happy hormones) you
are onto an amazing mood boosting nut!
Nut so good?
Some nuts are high in fats, like most nuts, but are lacking
in the boosting properties of their healthier alternatives, and as such, should
be avoided more often than not. The following nuts make the FO-OD ‘nut so good’ list of nuts to avoid…
·
Macadamia nuts – High in saturated fats, but low
in omega 6 fatty acids, and also lacking in vitamins and minerals
·
Pecans – High in fat and not too filling. Other
nuts have much better levels of vitamins and minerals without the high fat
levels.
·
Walnuts – High fat levels, including saturated
fat, and low levels of antioxidants. You might find evidence that they have
good levels of omega 3 fatty acids, which they do, but not as much as oily
fish, which contain more protein and less fat.
Conclusions
Nuts are a healthy option for snacking and are now widely
available. It is important to stay away from salted nuts, as the extra sodium
is never really needed. Some nuts are certainly better than others and it is
important to consider your diet and nutrition needs before choosing which nuts
to eat. Always limit your serving to a maximum 50g, as this means you get good
nutrition without the large amount of fat that can come from a nut source.
Happy Eating!
Thursday 31 January 2013
4 Great Fruits for Weight Loss
Fruit
and weight loss have always been paired, as they are generally seen
as a healthy option. We seem to associate anything we find on the
fruit aisle as a healthy option, and great on a diet. For the most
part, this is not a vast misconception. Most fruits have good
calorific values, are mostly lacking in any fat or cholesterol. Yet
many fruits are not excellent for people who are looking to cut
calories and this is often caused by the concept of 'natural' sugars.
There is an idea within healthy eating that fruit sugars are better
for you and that they have better effects on the body. This causes
many dieters to take in a lot of fruit, thinking the sugar in them is
good for them. The fact is that any carbohydrate, that includes
glucose (sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar) all contain 4 calories per
gram. The key therefore to weight loss and fruit is to find the
fruits which limit the sugar content, and have good levels of
vitamins and minerals. This will make them filling, but not
calorific. This blog will look at which 4 fruits are best to eat to
boost weight loss.
1. Grapefruit
Pink great-fruit? |
Grapefruit
is a common fruit in fruit salads across the country and it also
happens to be a champion weight loss fruit. A hundred grams of
grapefruit contains only 32 calories, a tiny amount of your daily
calorie needs. Pink grapefruit has no fat, salt or cholesterol, and
contains 8g of carbohydrates, with 6g of this coming from sugar. This
means that grapefruit tastes good, while not giving you needless
calories. As a body booster, it also contains excellent amount of
vitamin C, an antioxidant that's great for your general health and
immune system, as well as good amounts of vitamin A, another
antioxidant which supports the formation of teeth and bones. To top
it off, grapefruit is also particularly filling, meaning that you
wont find yourself back in the fridge too quickly after you have your
100g of grapefruit.
2. Watermelon
Better for you than you think... |
Watermelon
gives away it's low calorie properties in its name. Watermelon is 92%
water, meaning that it is really low in calories. In fact a 100g
slice of watermelon will only add 30 calories to your diet, so it's
almost like not eating at all! The calories come from the
carbohydrates, with 8g in total, and 6g from sugar. This sugar is
mostly fructose, the fruit sugar we mentioned earlier. This
demonstrates that fruit still adds calories and cannot be ignored. To
help your body out, watermelon contains extra vitamin C and A again,
and of course, no salt, cholesterol or fat. Watermelon also happens
to be filling, so you won't need a lot of it, and to really help out,
it has a very low glycaemic load, so the sugar you do eat won't send
your blood sugar through the roof (if you're a parent take note, the
sugars in watermelon will not go straight to your kids heads!).
3. Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is filled with good stuff! |
Cantaloupe
is a type of melon that is more common in the USA than it is in the
UK. If you visit your local supermarket though you are sure to find
some, and by finding some, you find an excellent source of diet
boosting food. Cantaloupes only have 34 calories per 100g, so you can
almost gorge on it without adding too many calories. The sugar
content is 8g per 100g, making cantaloupe a sweeter tasting fruit
than watermelon and grapefruit, and yet you only give away 2 extra
calories on the grapefruit. Cantaloupe is stuffed full of
beta-carotene which is an important antioxidant, and is amazing for
your body, as well as good levels of vitamin C. It also contains a
good amount of potassium, important for muscle function. It's
important that you wash cantaloupe properly, as it can have
salmonella growing on its skin, so clean it thoroughly and don't keep
it over 3 days.
4. Strawberries
Not just for the summer... |
Strawberries
are a very British food, synonymous with tennis, English summers and
cream. But if you take away the cream, rainy summer days and rackets,
you're left with a fruit that is high in taste, but low in calories.
In 100g of strawberries you will find only 32 calories, with no fat,
cholesterol or salt. The sugars that are contained in strawberries
total only 5g, and you also get 2g of fibre in 100g of strawberry, so
it aids your digestive transit. Strawberries, much like other fruits
packs in a lot of vitamin C, but strawberries also have 19% if your
daily manganese, an essential nutrient for energy production.
Strawberries are a filling choice and have a good balance of vitamins
and minerals, making them an excellent choice for the health
conscious.
Are There Bad Fruits?
Fruits
are never going to be as high in calories as the foods which are high
in fat, as fat has higher calorific values than sugar. That means
that if you choose fruit, you cannot go too wrong, but below are a
number of fruits which (in 100g) have significantly more calories
than our weight loss fruits above, and might be better to avoid when
you want a low calorie snack...
- Prunes – 339 calories
- Raisins – 229 calories
- Plantains – 122 calories
- Passion Fruit – 97 calories
- Bananas – 89 calories
- Pomegranates – 83 calories
Now
this doesn't mean that the fruits above are bad for you, just that
they contain more calories, and as such are beneficial for many
reasons, but are not too useful as a snack when you are looking to
reduce calories. Try the low calorie fruits as your food of choice
when you feel like you need to eat between meals, as they are
filling, nutritious and low in additional calories.
You
can find out more about fruits on our other blogs, including 4 fruits for athletic performance and 4 fruits for immune system boosting.
Follow
us on twitter www.twitter.com/foodnutriblog
Happy
Eating!
Monday 28 January 2013
4 Fruits that Enhance Athletic Performance
Fruit
isn’t something that you regularly see as a performance enhancing
food, but the content of some fruits can be beneficial in aiding your
gym performance. Whether you are trying to add bulk, improve your
cardiovascular fitness or enhance your power and strength, fruit has
the vitamins and minerals, as well as the sugars that you need to get
the best gains from your routine. But that’s not all fruit, and
just like the fruits we looked at in the immune support blog, there
are better fruits to improve athletic performance. We will look at
some of those today…
Athletic
performance is obviously a broad topic to discuss in relation to
food, as the body requires many nutrients for performance. That said,
it can be useful to know what fruits can offer you the support that
your macronutrients are supplying for your diet.
1. Passion
Fruit
Passionate about performance? |
Passion
fruit might sound more like something you take on a date picnic, but
actually, it has an interesting mix of nutrients that support a
workout. Firstly passion fruit contains good levels of carbohydrate,
with 23g per 100g, and 11g of that being sugar. That's not all bad,
as it is essential that you have small amounts of sugar for your
workout. In addition to its sugar benefits, passion fruit also has 8%
of your RDA of iron, essential for blood formation and the creation
of ATP, your body's energy chemical compound. It also packs in 7% of
your RDA of magnesium, which is essential for muscle contraction and
9% of your daily potassium, which is important for fluid balance.
2. Blackcurrants
More than just juice... |
Blackcurrants
are usually found in fruit juice form, as they pack in plenty of
flavour, and are regularly used in cordials. They can aid your
workout with there vitamin and mineral balance, and they also support
your immune system. They are stuffed full of vitamin C and a number
of other antioxidants in high numbers so they help with your health.
That aside, they also pack a punch in the gym. 8% of your daily iron,
and 9% of your daily potassium makes them a very useful support,
especially in a smoothie, in which you can add other fruits to
improve the balance of nutrients. As an added bonus you also get 5%
of your RDA calcium, which will help you to make more forceful muscle
contractions.
3. Guava
Guava is a class gym hero |
Guava
is a relatively new fruit to the British supermarket, and if you're
not sure what it is, you are not alone. It is a fruit found in
tropical countries, and looks like a small watermelon. It contains
good levels of sugar, at 8g per 100g of fruit. This means it isn't
too heavy for those looking to burn calories in the gym. It also has
11% of your copper and 11% of your potassium, so it boosts your
muscles and energy levels. It also boasts 302% of your RDA of vitamin
C, which helps the absorption of iron, without oxidising it, so its
good for your health and your creation of red blood cells.
4. Raisins
The superfood you're missing! |
Now,
raisins aren't usually considered to be a real fruit, because of the
process of making the, and the way they come in a box, but the raisin
is a superhero of a fruit. First of all, a 100g serving gives you 59g
of sugar. That makes these little fruits like natural jelly beans,
just packed with energy. But that isn't all the humble raisin has for
you. It contains 21% of your RDA of potassium, so your fluid balance
and muscle contractions will be prepared for your session. Raisins
also have 10% of your RDA of phosphorus, which regulates calcium
(important for muscle contraction) and helps to make ATP, which in
combination with the 10% RDA of your iron means you'll be energy
rich! Throw in 15% of your RDA of copper, which aids the iron in the
creation of haemoglobin, and you'll find the raisin boosts your
performance.
Conclusions
There
you have it, four fruits which really can help you push yourself
harder in the gym. Eaten properly as part of a balanced diet, and
ensuring you get the right level of recovery (see our blog about post
exercise recovery here) you can use these fruits to aid your
performance.
Follow
us on twitter here.
Sunday 27 January 2013
4 Fruits that Support your Immune System
Fruits
have been, for a long time, touted as an essential part of a healthy diet. It
is difficult to go wrong with fruit in your diet, but some fruits are better
than others, dependent on your goals and requirements. We often think of fruits
as being full of natural sugars, vitamins and minerals, but if you want the
best gains for your health for your diet, you should try to target your fruit
type to ensure you get the best benefits. There are so many fruits available to
you at the supermarket now that it has become possible to make nutritious fruit
choices and get the maximum benefit. Over the next few blog entries, we’ll
discuss the different fruits and what they are good for…
Four of the Best Fruits for Immune
Support
A
range of fruits support immune function, as vitamin C is a key nutrient to
improve immune function. In addition to vitamin C, vitamin E, A as well as
selenium and manganese are important. These are a few fruits which can help you
with an immune boost.
1. Kiwi Fruit
This
furry little fruit is packed with vitamin C, which improve immune function.
Each 100g of kiwi contains 155% of your RDA of vitamin C. This sounds like a
lot, but you will simply excrete additional vitamin C, and as such, the kiwi is
an excellent choice. A kiwi also contains 5% of your RDA manganese, which is an
important antioxidant (find out more about antioxidants here), and 7% of your
daily vitamin E. This is essential as an antioxidant, as well as good from
protection from cancers and heart disease. The humble kiwi is also packing 50%
of your RDA of vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting.
2. Mango
A
mango is a sweet tasting fruit with soft flesh. 100g of mango will give you 21%
of your daily vitamin A, an essential vitamin for thyroid activity and fighting
infections. It’s also filled with 60% of your RDA of vitamin C, and 6% of your
RDA of vitamin E. So its packing with antioxidants, which support immune
function. Be careful with mango if you’re pregnant, as the high levels of
vitamin A can cause issues for your babies healthy development.
3. Papaya
The
papaya fruit is a relatively new fruit to the bowl in most UK homes, as it has
become more popular recently. 100g of papaya if enough to give you 101% of your
RDA of vitamin C, and 19% of your vitamin A, so a bowl full of papaya is great
for fighting off a disease, as well as being tastier than a Lemsip! Papaya also
contains 5% of your RDA of magnesium, which supports immune function and
support nerve system health.
4. Blackberries
Blackberries
are often forgotten, but they can be an excellent source of immune support and
antioxidants. They contain 35% of your RDA of vitamin C in 100g of blackberries,
as well as 7% of your vitamin E requirements, and 24% of your vitamin K needs.
As well as all these, 100g contains 32% of your RDA of manganese, so
blackberries are packed with antioxidants. Try keeping some blackberries with
you at your desk as a snack, as they’re also great for weight loss (find out more about the benefits of berries here).
For part two, 4 fruits for athletic performance, click here.
Follow
us on twitter on www.twitter.com/foodnutriblog
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Superfood Breakfast - Salmon and Avocado Muffins
Breakfast is often described at the most important meal of
the day; you just cannot miss it if you want to be healthy. Most people have
two concerns in the morning before work, one is the alarm, and the other is
catching up to work after you get up late! Often people leave little time for
breakfast, or grab a coffee and a croissant on the way into the office. We all
think that we need breakfast, but what makes an excellent breakfast? And how
can an excellent breakfast also be quick to make and portable? In this article
we will look at one option that allows for excellent nutrition, fast
preparation and on the go eating.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
Perfect Post Exercise Recovery Using Natural Foods
A good workout feels great! |
What’s Going on After Exercise
Post exercise, your body is in a catabolic state. This means
that it is breaking down fuels and tissues to create energy and create force
for contraction. As such, your body is already in a state that needs repair.
After exercise, you need the right nutrition |
·
Your heart rate and breathing rate remain
elevated as you replace oxygen and removed carbon dioxide.
·
Your liver begins the breakdown of lactic acid
and your internal environment gradually returns to normal.
·
Your blood is thicker than normal as you deal
with the increased heat created by cells by sweating, reducing water and salt levels
in the blood.
·
This reduction in salt leads to cramping.
Recovering Fluids
Getting the right fluid is essential |
The Effects of Fluid Recovery
·
Normal blood viscosity
·
Reduced heart rate
·
Reduced breathing rate
·
Reduced chances of cramp
The Perfect Drink
The best drink will have about 13g of sugar in glucose form
per 100ml. It should also contain a pinch of salt per 100ml. You can make this
yourself easily, adding sugar, water (mixed with cordial for flavour) and salt.
Recovering Fuels
After exercise, you need to consider that you have used a
large amount of carbohydrates to perform. It is therefore essential to recover
these. A failure to eat carbohydrates in the two hours after exercise can lead
to
·
Poor recovery
·
Reduced muscle glycogen
·
General feelings of lethargy
Quinoa is a perfect fuel recover food. |
Repairing and Growing Muscle
The final phase of nutrition recovery comes in the form of
repair of muscles. The small tears in muscles, if left untreated, can become
DOMS in the two days after exercise has finished. DOMS is the aching sore
feeling in muscles after exercise. To combat this you need effective protein
synthesis. To do this, you need two aspects of nutrition. Firstly, you need to
make your body anabolic, which means your body is building fibres. This can be
done naturally be increasing your insulin levels. Insulin is released in
response to high blood sugar levels, and reduces the amount of sugar in blood.
If you drink a high sugar drink, you will spike your insulin levels. Do this
immediately after exercise and you will instantly begin recovery of muscles.
What is the right protein? |
The following meats are good options:
·
Salmon (100g) – 22g protein with 1796mg leucine
·
Beef Steak (100g) – 30g protein with 2360mg
leucine
·
Tinned Tuna (100g) – 26g protein with 2073mg
leucine
·
Chicken breast (100g) – 31g protein with 2328mg
leucine
·
Pork Loin (100g) – 28g protein with 2196mg
leucine
Tinned tuna is already easily minced, and therefore easier
to digest. For more on meats, check our blog about meat for muscle. Each of these options contains the right
balance of proteins for excellent recovery, so the choice is yours. You can
only take in about 0.8g-1.3g of protein per day per kilo of bodyweight, so you
should look for about half a gram of protein per kilo bodyweight in your meat
choice after exercise. For a 70kg person, this would mean 105g of chicken in
your post exercise meal.
Conclusions
Natural exercise recovery for athletes is an attainable and
beneficial strategy, as long as you are aware of the methodology and types of
food. If you hit the gym, or play some sport, and want excellent recovery,
start with a sugary drink with salts, follow that with the right amount of your
protein source and a healthy helping of quinoa. This will pack in the right
macronutrients for recovery, as well as strong amount of supporting vitamins
and minerals which improve energy metabolism and facilitate protein synthesis
and cell recovery. Follow the rules and after your workout, you’ll feel and
look great!
For more nutritional advice, comment below or look at the other blogs on http://fo-od.co.uk
Follow us on twitter http://www.twitter.com/foodnutriblog
Happy Eating!
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