Potent Plants for Athletic Performance

-

Potent Plants for Athletic Performance

When it comes to health, food and exercise are king. It’s no surprise, too, that the food we eat has a direct effect on our physical performance. For those looking to eke out extra performance, there’s a $149.5 billion dollar supplement industry that would love to sell you some products – but who’s to say they’ll even work? Or that they’re even safe?

But what if I told you there are foods that have been scientifically proven to be beneficial to athletes? And beyond these athletic benefits, they come packaged with a variety of healthy compounds. Here are three foods we can eat as part of a healthy diet that will help you meet your fitness goals:

Beetroot Juice

It is understood that pharmacological sodium nitrate supplementation can reduce the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of eight men aged 19-38 wanted to see if there were similar effects with inorganic nitrate in the form of beetroot juice (Bailey et al, 2009). They were split into two groups – one consuming 500mL/day of beetroot juice and another receiving the placebo. They then went through a series of exercise tests over the course of six days. Here’s what they found:

·         An 8 mm Hg reduction in blood pressure in the beetroot juice group.

·         The time it took to reach task failure was increased by 16%.

Blueberries

Blueberries are delicious and nutritious snack, but they’re also good for recovery! A 2011 study by McAnulty et al looked at the effects of blueberries prior to and after a 2.5 hour run. Here’s what they found:

·         Increases to natural killer cell count (part of immune function that destroys diseased cells)

·         Reduction in oxidative stress (which lead to muscle soreness!)

·         Increases to anti-inflammatory cytokines (further reduce inflammation in the body)

Tart Cheery Juice

A 2010 study by Howatson et al was interested in investigating the effect that tart cherry juice had on recovery following a Marathon run. 20 participants were broken into a cherry juice or placebo group for 5 days before, the day of, and 2 days after their marathon run. These are the results of the cherry juice group:

·         Increases to antioxidant activity (reducing muscle soreness)

·         Reduced inflammation (reducing overall inflammation)

·         Aided in the recovery of muscle function

 

-TM

Bailey, S. J., Winyard, P., Vanhatalo, A., Blackwell, J. R., Dimenna, F. J., Wilkerson, D. P., Tarr, J., Benjamin, N., & Jones, A. M. (2009). Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 107(4), 1144–1155. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00722.2009

McAnulty, L. S., Nieman, D. C., Dumke, C. L., Shooter, L. A., Henson, D. A., Utter, A. C., Milne, G., & McAnulty, S. R. (2011). Effect of blueberry ingestion on natural killer cell counts, oxidative stress, and inflammation prior to and after 2.5 h of running. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 36(6), 976–984. https://doi.org/10.1139/h11-120

https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/09/16/2517816/0/en/Dietary-Supplements-Market-Size-to-Hit-240-90-Billion-by-2028-at-a-8-50-CAGR-Comprehensive-Research-Report-by-Facts-Factors.html

McAnulty, L. S., Nieman, D. C., Dumke, C. L., Shooter, L. A., Henson, D. A., Utter, A. C., Milne, G., & McAnulty, S. R. (2011). Effect of blueberry ingestion on natural killer cell counts, oxidative stress, and inflammation prior to and after 2.5 h of running. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 36(6), 976–984. https://doi.org/10.1139/h11-120

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are All Sugars Created Equal?

-
Image
Are All Sugars Created Equal?  I think one of the most confusing nutrition topics for people is sugar. With so many conflicting stories out there, it’s difficult to separate the facts from the fiction. Not to mention, the types of sugars are endless. How do we know what’s best for our bodies? White or brown sugar? Cane or raw? Should we just go with Stevia instead? Is it even okay to consume artificial sweeteners? Should we avoid foods with high amounts of natural sugar in them? Each answer only seems to lead to another question!  Let’s start off with distinguishing the purpose of sugar in the first place. Do our bodies even need it? The short answer is yes! Sugars are carbohydrates (what we commonly call “carbs”), one of the three main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel to function and survive. One of the major ways to categorize sugar is by separating the “natural” sugars from the “added” sugars. Natural sugars are, well, naturally found in foods. They give us the energy th
Read more

Do you struggle with pre and post exercise nutrition?

-
Image
What should i eat before and after a workout? First things first…carbohydrates, proteins and fats are important for the body before  and after exercise. Exercising muscle preferentially uses carbohydrates from stored glycogen, but fats are also an important fuel source for energy production during exercise. Fats and carbohydrates are the two major fuel sources during exercise. Fats must be translocated and broken down from their storage form before they are used. Typically there is enough carbohydrate stored as muscle glycogen for exercise but as muscle glycogen stores decline, the skeletal muscle will then use some amino acids (basic components of all protein). More specifically, the amino acid leucine is used for energy.              It is important to consume an adequate amount of carbohydrates exercise to delay fatigue and minimize gastrointestinal distress. It is also important to consume enough fluids to prevent hypohydration. Now, lets talk about pre-exercise me
Read more