What to Eat Before and After Workout

It is often before the arrival of spring and summer, people will start thinking of getting in shape and caring more about healthy eating. And it is true that most of you will get out and move more, but some of us exercise daily throughout the year and we need to watch wheat we eat, especially before, during and after each workout session. And on this page, you will find some up-to-date tips to maximize the benefits you get from your workout. Many of you have this wrong assumption that it is not that important to eat before the exercise and that your workout may be better on an empty stomach. The truth is that just like a car will not function without any petrol, you can’t go on a hard and long activity without the energy, and the food is obviously the best source of fuel. And you actually need this throughout the day, from the three major macronutrients- carbohydrates, fats and proteins as each group fulfill a certain function and your body works properly.

Carbohydrates make the energy available very quickly, creates an energy reserve- glycogens in your body, will help you concentrate better during your workout and you can get them mainly from fruits, veggies, cereals (especially oatmeal), cracked wheat, couscous, rice and pasta (brown varieties preferred). Fats also provide an energy reserve and are available in dairy products- milk, yogurt, cheese etc., butter, margarine, olive oil, meat, eggs and more and will also help with the transport of fat-soluble vitamins K, E, D, A. As you know, the protein or amino acids make the most important group for those that work out, as they help with both the muscle development as well as the muscle repair and you will get them from dairy products, fish, chicken, turkey, red meat, eggs, tofu, legumes and more. They also help you feel full longer, prevent any potential energy drops, offers energy over a longer time and will contribute to a better immune system. Please note that the time between your meals and workout, the duration and type of food you eat will affect what you eat before or after the workout.

However, there are some general rules like not eating stuff with a lot of sugar like biscuits, cookies, candies or anything high in fat. And you need to pay attention to their easy digestibility and the ability to offer you energy longer- throughout your workout. Make no mistake, simple sugars provide you with a good amount of energy but this is often an energy over a very short time due to quick absorption in your body, also causing spikes followed by a quick decrease in energy, can make you stop the physical activity- hypoglycemia. It is important that you eat after your workout session, preferably within half an hour, as the body will need to fill up its energy reserves. It is within that 30 minute period after the physical activity that the body will be more likely to repair the damage on muscles and replenish the reserves. And this post-workout snack should include enough proteins to help with muscle repair, decent amount of carbs and liquids to help with rehydration: Smoothie, cheese and fruit, yogurt and muesli bar, chocolate milk, banana and milk, fruit juice and milk, dried fruits and almonds and more.

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Vitamin D and the Immune System

Vitamin D is involved in a variety of physiological processes, including the cardiovascular diseases, cancers, type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, bone metabolism and most importantly the immune system. It is part of the phospho-calcium mechanism and is considered to be a natural antibiotic as it triggers the production of antimicrobial agents in your genes as it affects more than 200 genes and this is how it actually helps fight against different infections, pneumonia, influenza, common cold, and even more serious diseases like colon cancer, as explained by different research papers around the world. When there is not enough of Vitamin D, your immune system will simply not function properly. The way vitamin D activates the immunity is that the T lymphocyte cells that are in charge of destroying viruses and bacteria try and find the vitamin D circulating in your system and put it on a receptor to start the defense mechanism. 

Just think about when the cold and flu happen most- summer or winter months? They are more common when your vitamin D levels are at their lowest, not during the summer when you’re getting plenty of vitamin D from the sun and this explains the common lack of vitamin D in the flu season, mostly in late autumn and early spring. If your vitamin D levels are higher than the population average, then you are a lot less likely to be infected by viruses and bacteria, according to many contemporary studies. And this is valid for more serious illnesses like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and bronchiolitis. In a group of people from the same or similar background that live the same way of life in the same region, you’ll see that those with the greatest lack of vitamin D tend to develop tuberculosis more. And any case that involves fighting microbes or harmful agents involves the use of vitamin D, like the wounds keeping vitamin D as a defense against infection.

Vitamin D deficiency is quite common even in summer months or among those that get plenty of sun and it is important to have enough vitamin D levels so your immune system can be activated and you can avoid upper respiratory infections, common colds, and flu better. Recommended daily intake of vitamin D for normal population is 200 IU per day, 800+ IU for the babies, 400IU for pregnant women, 400+ IU for the senior adults and you need to aim for 40ng / ml and more blood level of vitamin D and anything below 10 ng / ml is considered as deficiency and more than 100 ng / ml as toxic. If you live in Europe and North America, the sun will help you with vitamin D between April/May till September/October and between the months of October/November till March/April, you will need to take oral Vitamin D supplements. The tricky part of vitamin D is it is not readily available in foods other than cod liver oil, sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, eggs etc. and you will rely mostly on the sunshine. You do not even need to expose your whole body to the sun in summer months, opening the palms of your hands to the sun for 15-20 minutes per day will be adequate.

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Acidic and Alkaline Foods

All foods that we eat affect the acid and alkaline balance of our blood and any acidifying foods or those that produce acid will generate more acids than than alkali in your system. Animal proteins from red meat, fish, dairy products and eggs are the first we can point out as their structure leads to strong acids like uric, phosphoric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids and especially the processed / refined cereals will produce quite a bit of acid in your blood. Foods like veggies and fruits are alkalising or basifying foods that produce more alkalines or bases than acids. And then we have the neutral foods that don’t affect the acid-alkaline balance at all and these include the refined sugars and vegetable oils. We need to keep a good balance of these alkalising and acidifying foods or in case of acidic excess you will have more health problems with age. Chronic acidosis is responsible for kidney and bone diseases according to many experts.

The main factors that determine whether a food is acidifying or alkalising are the amount and quality of minerals in it, protein content and sulfur amino acid proportion in these proteins and the citrate and bicarbonate content. Sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium that are commonly found in plants are alkalising minerals; phosphorus in animal proteins, sulfur in cereal proteins and chlorine in table salt are acidifying minerals. To find out how alkalising or acidifying a food is, you may ingest the food and test the pH value of feces and urine after digestion but this is not a super convenient of measuring it. One of the specialists in a nutrition research institute in Dortmund, Germany- Thomas Remer came up with this index called PRAL, which stands for “Potential Renal Acid Load” and is measured in milli-equivalents to show the food acid load by analyzing the mineral and protein acids but ignoring the citrate and bicarbonate content, relying more on average sulfur amino acids content which is not a valid argument for some foods so it is more of a rough estimate and nothing is set in stone. But if you think you suffer from anything related to excessive organic acidity, try and eat as little acidic foods as possible so you keep the acid and alkaline balance in check by increasing the share of basifying foods.

The main acidfying foods are all dairy products including butter and yogurt, all animal proteins from all kinds of meats including fish and eggs, all refined sugars (not honey, coconut sugar, raw cocoa or 100% fruit jams), processed grains (white bread, white rice, white pasta), legumes like kidney beans and chickpeas (so choose lentils, beans, tofu, green beans and green peas and you’ll reduce the acidity), all animal fats, margarine, hydrogenated veggie oils (choose extra virgin olive oil), all sauces including mayonnaise, ketchup, mature fruits, citrus fruits and any fruit with acid taste, commercial fruit juice, some dried fruits, some nuts like peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans and walnuts, sunflower seeds and green olives, veggies like tomatoes, cooked spinach, rhubarb, vinegar, pickles, mustard, black tea, coffee, tap water and acidifying factors include smoking, drugs, night work- lack of sleep, renal failure, liver failure, cold and sedentary lifestyle. Try and exercise or go for a walk for 30-40 minutes a day, get some fresh air, use breathing techniques, drink 1.5 liters of mineral water, and minimise your consumption of acidifying foods.

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How to Restore & Improve Gut Bacteria

You need to maintain a good intestinal flora balance for your digestive system, immune system and your general well-being and certain elements called prebiotics and probiotics are what you need to pay attention to.

Intestinal flora represents all of the microorganisms that are present in your tummy and intestines and as you may already know that countless bacteria are important for the proper functioning of your body, starting from your digestive system. You may be intolerant to certain types of foods, you may not even be aware and other factors like having taken antibiotics or suffering from life and work stress and will all potentially disturb your gut flora balance.

These bacteria are there for protecting you from a variety of disorders and infections and any kind of imbalance will probably affect your entire immune system, resulting in a variety of health problems. So there are good bacteria and bad bacteria in your system and you need to have a balance of good and bad to fix this and maintain your balance and stability you will need to consume probiotics, which are live microorganisms that are very different to antibiotics that destroy all bacteria, without discriminating good or bad.

These live microelements called probiotics, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli are great for the balance and stability in your intestinal flora, which in turn helps strengthen your immune system while helping with better digestion. Prebiotics (such as fructans) are certain dietary fibers found in certain fruits and veggies and by being a part of different stages of digestion, stimulating the good bacteria growth from your tummy into the colon- they help enhance the probiotics growth.

Both the soluble and insoluble dietary fibers are highly recommended  for helping develop the good bacteria and hence help maintain the balance between bad and good that was lost due to stress, antibiotics or intolerance to certain foods. Fructan or prebiotic rich foods include Jerusalem artichoke, white onions, garlic, leek, chicory root, asparagus spears, cooked beans and raspberries, wholegrains- especially rye and barley, banana, nectarine, pear.

And then you have the yogurt (low fat Greek yoghurt is the best but any plain yoghurt that includes live cultures), cultured cottage cheese (that includes L. acidophilus and B. bifidum), sauerkraut (homemade is best but store bought is also OK if kept in fridge and contains live cultures), miso (fermented cooked soybeans), kimchi (a popular Korean dish- fermented and pickled cabbage mixed with ginger, onion, radish etc.), buttermilk (because of live cultures added for fermenting milk sugars), kombucha drink and kefir drink (fermented milk with yeast culture and kefir grains- bacteria).

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Reasons to Eat Way More Nuts and Seeds

You should eat all kinds of nuts and seeds- hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, flaxseeds regularly on a daily basis as they are low in glycemic index, rich in good fats, dietary fiber and protein.

In different university studies consuming more of them is proven to help prevent chronic diseases and reduce mortality risk, which partly explains why they are a part of the healthy Mediterranean diet. So if you have a handful of nuts and seeds every day, you will be less likely to suffer from diseases like diabetes, respiratory illnesses, different cancers, cardiovascular conditions and neurodegenerative diseases.

Nuts and oilseeds are generally good sources of protein and on average you can expect up to 25g per 100g, similar to pulses, just a little less than fish and meats but they don’t contain the three essential amino acids, cystine, lysine and methionine and you can get these missing amino acids through meats, eggs or legumes.

Maximum amount of protein is found in peanuts, which is like 30 percent of the total content and almonds offer more than 25 percent. Nuts and seeds are great sources of fiber, both soluble and insoluble but more so the latter which facilitates the transit in intestines, making you regular to toilet, have a satiating effect and decrease colon cancer risk especially in women.

Flaxseeds contain almost 28 percent fiber and the maximum amount in nuts is found in unbleached almonds which has about 12.6 percent, followed by pistachios which contain 10.6 percent on average. They offer the good fats that you want for the healthy functioning of your body.

Oilseeds are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids by nature and they also include polyunsaturated fatty acids but with the exception of chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnut they contain more Omega 6 than Omega 3 but this shouldn’t stop you from eating them as they are great for heart health.

You will find minerals like zinc, selenium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamins E, B1, dietary fiber. Almonds are good for potassium; almonds, Brazil nuts and cashew nuts for magnesium; Brazil nuts for selenium (anticancer effects); hazelnuts, almonds (more than dairy products) and Brazil nuts for calcium; cashew nuts, hazelnuts and macadamias for iron; pecan and cashew for boron to improve brain function.

Phystosterols in almonds have a similar structure to that of cholesterol, so they compete with the cholesterol ingested and decrease their absorption through intestines, which indirectly means reduced risk of heart disease and these compounds also include anticancer and antioxidant effects. Walnuts are a great source of antioxidants and dietary fiber and offer a great balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3.

People that suffer from high cholesterol will see their cholesterol go down significantly if they eat 10-15 nuts per day, of course if they also follow a healthy diet. Up to 70 percent of fat found in nuts should not make you fear weight gain and according to a couple of studies opposite is true, if you eat 4-5 walnuts a day along with a regular healthy diet although your calorie in take will go up you will be putting on less weight than you normally would.

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