You know the FLEX stand on supplements--they work well, but only after your diet is squared away. After all, a supplement does just that: It supplements your diet. The foods you eat can also be thought of as supplements. In fact, many pro bodybuilders think of all food as a nutritional supplement. They don't eat foods because they taste good, but because they fulfill a metabolic bodybuilding need. Consider the following foods for their natural anabolic benefits. Add them to your bodybuilding staples to get the most from every meal. Most of these foods won't typically provide a more concentrated source of ingredients than a comparable nutritional supplement, but their benefit lies in their form--natural, unadulterated and within a matrix of other ingredients that may enhance their bioavailability. Consider these 14 foods as supplements to your nutrition program and standard-issue supplements.
1 HERRING
Chances are that if you're not of Scandinavian descent, you've been missing one of the best muscle-building foods on the planet: herring. Whether it's smoked, pickled or kippered, herring packs more creatine than any other creature on the planet. Creatine is among the most important bodybuilding nutrients because it enhances muscle volume and, ultimately, strength. In addition, creatine helps drive nutrients into muscles to assist recovery and growth.
DOSE: Eat six ounces of herring an hour or two before a workout to provide your body with more than 40 grams (g) of high-quality protein, 12 g of healthy fats, more than 3 g of muscle-growth-stimulating leucine and about 2 g of creatine. Add at least another 2 g of creatine in supplement form to really blow your muscles up.
2 GRAPEFRUIT
Stock up on grapefruit when you're trying to bring out your abs. This citrus fruit helps you shed fat. A recent 12-week study discovered that when just half a grapefruit or an eight-ounce glass of grapefruit juice was consumed three times a day, but no other dietary changes were made, subjects lost an average of four pounds with many losing more than 10 pounds. One reason for this may be the blood glucose- and insulin-lowering effects of grapefruit, which was also observed in the study subjects. This may be due to the soluble fiber pectin in grapefruit. Pectin helps slow the rate at which carbs (glucose) enter the bloodstream, which helps keep insulin levels down.
Another possibility for grapefruit's effectiveness on fat loss has to do with the compound naringenin. This flavonol slows the normal detoxification and metabolism of various drugs. It also slows the breakdown of caffeine, which is helpful in fat loss because it prolongs caffeine's thermogenic effect and the amount of fat burned. If you're taking prescription medications such as antihistamines, antianxiety drugs, calcium channel blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs or immunosuppressants, consult your physician before consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice.
DOSE: One grapefruit (two or three times a day) delivers about 130 milligrams (mg) naringinen, only 90 calories, more than 2 g of fiber with over half of that as pectin, 20 g of carbs, 2 g of protein and 90 mg of vitamin C per dose. Due to its possible insulin-lowering effect, do not eat grapefruit or drink the juice for at least two hours after your workout.
3 YOGURT
Yogurt is processed by adding bacterial cultures to milk, which transforms lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid, giving yogurt its tart flavor and thick texture. Live cultures help perpetuate an anabolic state by maintaining gastrointestinal (GI) health through reestablishing gut microflora (which are commonly compromised by intensive training, dieting, and from some foods and supplements). Absorption of nutrients such as protein is improved and immune function is aided.
Yogurt is also a good source of calcium, which is now recognized to help with fat loss because it suppresses a powerful fat-producing hormone. And, of course, yogurt is a good source of milk protein. Look for yogurt that lists live cultures, such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilis, on the label. Beware of yogurt that contains added sugar.
DOSE: Yogurt makes a good snack any time of day, except immediately before or after a workout. One cup of plain low-fat yogurt contains 156 calories, 13 g of protein, 17 g of carbs, 4 g of fat, almost 500 mg of calcium, about a gram of each of the branched-chain amino acids and more than 1 g of glutamine. Look for the National Yogurt Association's Live and Active Cultures seal to be assured that the brand you choose contained at ieast 100 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture.
4 GREEN TEA
Green tea has numerous benefits including fat loss, joint recovery and liver health, as well as helping to prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease and even, according to one recent study, HIV infection. The active ingredient responsible for most of these benefits is a flavonoid called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG has antioxidant properties that provide most of its health benefits, and it boosts metabolism by preventing the breakdown of norepinephrine (NE). It may also interfere with fat digestion. In the joints, EGCG appears to inhibit the enzyme that breaks down cartilage.
DOSE: An eight-ounce cup of green tea provides about 200 mg of EGCG; drinking two or three cups a day may keep your metabolism humming, your joints running smoothly and the rest of your body in tip-top shape.
5 COFFEE
Coffee was once deemed unhealthy, but recent research has shown that it offers many benefits to bodybuilders. Besides fostering alertness, coffee has a thermogenic effect on bodyfat. Caffeine is a great addition to boost the effectiveness of other thermogenic ingredients. Another way to enhance the fat-liberating effect of caffeine is to consume it about an hour before exercise. Having coffee before you lift is also beneficial because, according to recent research, it is more effective than aspirin for blunting muscle soreness. That means you can train harder and heavier without your muscles complaining and trying to slow you down.
What you may not know about coffee is that it imparts health benefits. Recent research suggests that moderate coffee drinking (about three cups per day) decreases the risk of type II diabetes, liver disease and even gallstones.
DOSE: Drink one or more regular eight-ounce cups of brewed coffee, for 100-200 mg of caffeine each. (Instant coffee usually has a little less than 100 mg. Larger-sized cups from some coffee-shop chains may contain more than 500 mg.)
6 BROCCOLI
Broccoli contains high amounts of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and its closely related derivative diindolylmethane, naturally occurring phytochemicals that reduce the strength of estrogens by converting them to weaker varieties in the liver. This diminishes estrogen's effects on fat gain and water retention, and it may strengthen testosterone's anabolic effects. Recent research suggests that it also neutralizes the harmful effects of high dihydrotestosterone, ultimately helping to keep "good" testosterone levels up and excess water and fat retention down.
DOSE: Shoot for one cup or more of raw or steamed broccoli per day. That amount will deliver more than 100 mg of I3C; 1,200-4,000 micrograms of sulforaphane (a potent cancer fighter); more than 80 mg of vitamin C; and over 40 mg of calcium.
7 SPINACH
Spinach is high in glutamine, an amino acid that enhances muscle growth, immune function and GI health. Since spinach is about 90% water, you'll need to eat a large salad (you're better off eating it raw to preserve the glutamine). Spinach also contains octacosanol. This compound has numerous health benefits (such as for the cardiovascular system), but the property most relevant to bodybuilders is its ability to increase muscle strength. You won't get a whole lot of it from one salad, but you will get it in its natural form. Consider taking an octacosanol supplement along with your spinach salad to really help with your strength.
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