Go Beyond Chicken, Broccoli and Sweet Potato: Elevate Your Nutrition With These Three Nutrition Hack

Chicken Breast

Go Beyond Chicken, Broccoli and Sweet Potato: Elevate Your Nutrition With These Three Nutrition Hacks

There are certain foods that are synonymous with the standard 'bodybuilding diet'. We eat because we know the science works, we eat because we need to fuel our body, and we eat for the gains. Its time to elevate your nutrition game, these three foods should be in every lifters diet.

The ‘Add In’: Sauerkraut

A.K.A fermented cabbage or “sour cabbage”

Although sauerkraut and fermented foods seem to be all the rage at the moment, they are no new comer to the nutrition scene. With its German roots, sauerkraut has been used since WWI as a way to transport vegetables before refrigeration and to prevent scurvy due to its vitamin C content. The lactic acid fermentation created from this preserving method provides beneficial bacteria, B vitamins and vitamin K2.

Your digestion and beneficial gut bacteria are negatively impacted by: stress, tap water, artificial sweeteners, steroid and antibiotic use, caffeine, nicotine, and stimulant use (I could go on and on…) Can you see how this is important for us gym rats?!

At your local grocery or health food store you will find many types of kraut, be sure to buy the real stuff. Brined kraut or cabbage in vinegar does not have the beneficial bacteria and nutrients that the sea salt packed variety contains. Find your sauerkraut should be in the refrigerated section and choose organic.

NUTRITION PRO TIP: High protein diets, along with nutrition and lifestyle habits that impair digestion mean that it is necessary to add fermented food boost digestion. Start small with fermented foods, add a small amount with each protein meal. Here are the macros for ½ cup:

13 calories

7g carbs

You are not what you eat, you are what you absorb, don’t let all those protein gains go to waste!

Something Sweet: Cherries

If you are in the fitness game, you know how important consistent training and nutrition is. Two lifestyle factors that are often neglected are stress and sleep. Mantras like “No days off!” and pre workout powders are taking away from our rest and recovery. Blending up some frozen cherries into a shake or sipping on tart cherry juice along with your post workout carbs will aid in recovery and reduce muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative stress. Cherries contain a good amount of melatonin, the same supplement taken for sleep. This is a huge nutrition hack to promote more restful sleep and better recovery. The macro’s aren’t bad for this little superfood; 1 cup of cherries is:

87 calories

18g carbohydrates.

NUTRITION PRO TIP: Blend frozen cherries with your favourite chocolate protein powder and JUST enough water or coconut milk to combine. Enjoy a macro friendly chocolate cherry soft serve ice cream this summer.

Resources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/08/02/health-benefits-cherries.aspx

Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010 Dec;20(6):843-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x.

The Switch Up: Pumpkin Seeds

Every fitness fanatic (and bikini girl especially) will hate me for this one but listen up! Your peanut butter likely contains a mold growing aflatoxin that is linked to cancer. Yes Fit Fam, check out this article from the National Cancer Institute (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins)

I love nut butters, they are delicious and the best rice cake topping, hands down so try this swap instead:

Pumpkin seeds are a great source of tryptophan. Remembering that we grow and detoxify when we sleep, we know how important our R n’ R is (see cherries above) Tryptophan has been studied to be as effected as pharmaceutical grade sleeping pills when combined with carbohydrates! This is huge for the fitness community and another reason to eat your rice cakes and PB (pumpkin butter)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16053244

BONUS NUTRITION PRO TIP: Our soil conditions SUCK! Half of the North American population is consuming less than 50% of their required amounts. Magnesium is required for over 300 chemical reactions in the body, it affects exercise performance and metabolism. Just two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds deliver almost one third of what we need per day.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22364157