Top Super Fruits & Vegetables as Natural Food Supplements for Gym Goers

An article by SPARTAFIT intern Amber Liu

Top Super Fruits & Vegetables as Natural Food Supplement for Gym Goers

Generally speaking, sports nutrition is important for all athletes so that they could get adequate and necessary nutrition to fuel themselves with great energy and to perform well in the sports field (Spectrum Health, 2015). Therefore, everyone who is doing sports and exercise should pay special attention to their diet and enhance their performances. The athletes always focus on the proper ratio of macronutrients. Such as carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the sporting diet. However, the micronutrient— the vitamins and minerals are taking parts of embracing people’s peak performance and facilitating bodily functions. (Fortunato, 2014). According to an article from the Joe Cross about the fruit and vegetables for improved exercise performance. It indicated that the micronutrient contents are found in fruits and vegetables that would contribute great effects on health and exercise performance maintaining, energy production, and tissue recovery during the periods of exercise training.

Here are the top 5 fruit and vegetables which have great benefits on sports performance and health maintaining. Make sure they all will be on your grocery list and eat them as possible as you can! These fruits and vegetables can help to supplement vitamins you need to enhance your performance.

Fruit supplement:

Blackcurrants:

The high anthocyanin content in the blackcurrant has a great impact on sport performance and recovery with their strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. An article from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, it illustrated that Sujon New Zealand Blackcurrant powder has the beneficial effects on the cardiovascular responses in rest and during exercise which may have implication for exercise performance (Willems, Myers, Gault & Cook, 2015).

Oranges:

Oranges have the significant effects on reducing exercise-induced oxidative stress. As well as supporting a healthy immune system with a dose of Vitamin C. It was indicated by a video from Stack called Build a Better Plate With Sports Dietitian Leslie Bonci.

Bananas

Banana is not only a good pre-training food with a large number of carbohydrates but also a good source of potassium supplement which helps to regulate muscle contraction and prevent muscle cramping (Dalgleish, J. 2016).

Vegetable supplement:

Beetroot:

According to an article called The Beet Goes On from Chicago Health in 2017. The author Welland demonstrated that the dietary nitrate in the beetroot could be supplemented to and converted to the nitric oxide in the body. Which could help with relaxing blood vessels, increasing blood flow, and promote oxygen intake by muscle. Additionally, from a study about the whole beetroot consumption for improving running performance in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, it was proved this idea by a study with eleven recreationally fit men and women in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial. (Murphy, Eliot, Heuertz & Weiss, 2011).

Broccoli:

The BANT Registered Nutritionist Jo Scott-Dalgleish explained that the Anti-oxidant vitamins C and E, the bone-building vitamin K and iron content within in the broccoli could help with energy production and widening body function. Hence, taking vegetable with a variety of vitamins and minerals as broccoli is necessary for workout and exercise training.

Reference list:

 

Dalgleish, J.S. (2016). Top 10 Fruit & Veg Choices for Endurance Sport. Endurance Sport Nutritionist.

 

Fortunato, K. (2014). 3 Fruits and 3 Vegetables Athletes Must Eat. Stack.

 

Georgiou, C. (2013). Fruit and Vegetables for improved exercise performance. Joe Cross.

 

The importance of Sports Nutrition (2015). Spectrum Health.

Retrieved from:

https://www.spectrumhealth.ie/blog/the-importance-of-sports-nutrition

 

Murphy. M., Eliot, K., Heuertz, R. M., & Weiss. E. (2011). Whole Beetroot Consumption Acutely Improves Running Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2011.12.002

 

Weland,D. (2017). The Beet Goes On. Chicago Health.

Retrieved from: https://chicagohealthonline.com/beetroot-juice-benefits/

 

Willems, M.E., Myers, C.D., Gault, M. L. & Cook, M. D. (2015). Beneficial Physiological Effects with Blackcurrant Intake in Endurance Athletes. International Journal Of Sport Nutrition And Exercise Metabolism. 2015 Aug; Vol. 25 (4), pp. 367-74.

 

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