Living a healthy lifestyle is not a sometimes thing, it’s an all the time thing. A good nutrition plan doesn’t mean that baked chicken breast and steamed broccoli are the only foods on the menu. My goal isn’t just staying lean, I also want to maintain my health as well as feel good physically, mentally and emotionally. As a former Men’s Physique competitor, who maintains his contest physique, I choose my foods carefully.
The following foods are staples in my nutrition plan. These nine foods will boost your health and wellness year round whether or not you’re a physique competitor or most concerned with living a healthy lifestyle.
Spinach
Remember how well spinach worked for Popeye The Sailor? It will work for you too. 1 cup of spinach has only 40 calories yet more than 20 different measurable nutrients. These nutrients include, vitamin K and A, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, calcium and protein. Spinach also contains more than a dozen individual flavonoid compounds, which work together as cancer fighting antioxidants. Spinach even contains a carotenoid that makes prostate cancers destroy themselves, reports The Journal of Nutrition. Spinach just might be the most nutrient dense food on earth.
Avocado
This delicious fruit is loaded with healthy fats as well as essential B vitamins. According to Dr. James F. Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing”, vitamin B6 is one of the most important nutrients for overall physical health. This vitamin supports the nervous system, helps the body manufacture red blood cells and aids in the synthesis of proteins and fats.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a known stimulant, it helps to boost your metabolic rate as well as increase mental alertness. However, NPC Figure competitor Nadine Manfredi says, “caffeine’s major benefit may lie in the reduction of lactic acid build up as muscle glycogen is depleted.” A University of Illinois study found that 300 mg of caffeine taken prior to a workout reduced the amount of burning felt by subjects in the study.
Almonds
Filled with healthy fats, almonds provide many health benefits. They’re a good source of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which help strengthen bones and teeth. The monounsaturated fat promotes healthy cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health. Harvard Medical School states that cholesterol benefits are even greater when you combine nuts with other healthy foods.
Asparagus
Loaded with nutrients, asparagus is a great source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Asparagus is also a good source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals.
Berries
Low in sugar, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are rich in antioxidants. Eating just under a cup of mixed berries daily for eight weeks was associated with increased levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and lowered blood pressure, two positives when it comes to heart health, according to a study of 72 middle-age people published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Included in the mix were strawberries, red raspberries and bilberries.
Tomatoes
Not only are tomatoes loaded with vitamin C as well as other vitamins and minerals but they also have the highest levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that studies have shown help reduce the risk of cancer. University of Montreal researchers found that lycopene, provided mainly by tomatoes, was linked to a 31 percent reduction in pancreatic cancer. Additionally, lycopene, unlike nutrients in most fresh fruits and vegetables, has even greater bioavailability after cooking and processing.
Green Tea
Of the three main tea variations; green, black and oolong, green tea, composed of unfermented tea leaves, has the highest level of antioxidants. It also contains caffeine as well as other alkaloids such as theobromine and theophylline, which contribute to its use as both a mental and a metabolic stimulant. In addition, green tea’s antioxidant properties have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Whole Grain Oatmeal
Nothing starts my day off better than a bowl of warm oatmeal. Rich in fiber, just ½ a cup provides 27 grams of complex carbohydrates, 0 fat and 0 sugar, the perfect energy source. In addition, The American Heart Association concludes “dietary fiber from whole grains, as part of a healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.”
For a comprehensive fitness guide including a complete nutrition plan please check out my book: Get Fit, Lean and Keep Your Day Job.
Yours in Fitness,
JD
The following foods are staples in my nutrition plan. These nine foods will boost your health and wellness year round whether or not you’re a physique competitor or most concerned with living a healthy lifestyle.
Spinach
Remember how well spinach worked for Popeye The Sailor? It will work for you too. 1 cup of spinach has only 40 calories yet more than 20 different measurable nutrients. These nutrients include, vitamin K and A, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, calcium and protein. Spinach also contains more than a dozen individual flavonoid compounds, which work together as cancer fighting antioxidants. Spinach even contains a carotenoid that makes prostate cancers destroy themselves, reports The Journal of Nutrition. Spinach just might be the most nutrient dense food on earth.
Avocado
This delicious fruit is loaded with healthy fats as well as essential B vitamins. According to Dr. James F. Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing”, vitamin B6 is one of the most important nutrients for overall physical health. This vitamin supports the nervous system, helps the body manufacture red blood cells and aids in the synthesis of proteins and fats.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a known stimulant, it helps to boost your metabolic rate as well as increase mental alertness. However, NPC Figure competitor Nadine Manfredi says, “caffeine’s major benefit may lie in the reduction of lactic acid build up as muscle glycogen is depleted.” A University of Illinois study found that 300 mg of caffeine taken prior to a workout reduced the amount of burning felt by subjects in the study.
Almonds
Filled with healthy fats, almonds provide many health benefits. They’re a good source of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which help strengthen bones and teeth. The monounsaturated fat promotes healthy cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health. Harvard Medical School states that cholesterol benefits are even greater when you combine nuts with other healthy foods.
Asparagus
Loaded with nutrients, asparagus is a great source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Asparagus is also a good source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals.
Berries
Low in sugar, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are rich in antioxidants. Eating just under a cup of mixed berries daily for eight weeks was associated with increased levels of “good” HDL cholesterol and lowered blood pressure, two positives when it comes to heart health, according to a study of 72 middle-age people published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Included in the mix were strawberries, red raspberries and bilberries.
Tomatoes
Not only are tomatoes loaded with vitamin C as well as other vitamins and minerals but they also have the highest levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that studies have shown help reduce the risk of cancer. University of Montreal researchers found that lycopene, provided mainly by tomatoes, was linked to a 31 percent reduction in pancreatic cancer. Additionally, lycopene, unlike nutrients in most fresh fruits and vegetables, has even greater bioavailability after cooking and processing.
Green Tea
Of the three main tea variations; green, black and oolong, green tea, composed of unfermented tea leaves, has the highest level of antioxidants. It also contains caffeine as well as other alkaloids such as theobromine and theophylline, which contribute to its use as both a mental and a metabolic stimulant. In addition, green tea’s antioxidant properties have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Whole Grain Oatmeal
Nothing starts my day off better than a bowl of warm oatmeal. Rich in fiber, just ½ a cup provides 27 grams of complex carbohydrates, 0 fat and 0 sugar, the perfect energy source. In addition, The American Heart Association concludes “dietary fiber from whole grains, as part of a healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.”
For a comprehensive fitness guide including a complete nutrition plan please check out my book: Get Fit, Lean and Keep Your Day Job.
Yours in Fitness,
JD
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