"Rainbow" Diet - the color of a product can say a lot about its health benefits
Historically, men were divided into hunters and gatherers. In our time, hunting has moved from a vital necessity to the section of bloody pleasures, and we encounter plants in natural conditions only in the suburban areas. But it seems that people who have bound themselves by the bonds of bodybuilding will have to remember both the first and the second...
Of course, every self-respecting "jock" would prefer; to be seen as a hunter, a brutal male, eating meat for the sake of nutritious protein. But despite the crucial role that protein plays in building muscle, it is by no means all that a bodybuilder requires.
Bodybuilding nutritionists keep telling us to consume at least 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. In their opinion only in this case an athlete has a right to hope for adequate recovery, considerable progress in strength and noticeable muscle growth. However bodybuilding does not come down to banal consumption of chicken breasts, tuna or protein shakes.
As we know, muscle growth occurs in response to a certain type and amount of stress to which the muscles are subjected in the course of training. Powerful "pumping" causes significant damage to the structure of muscles. With good nutrition and rest, microfractures are hyper compensated and the muscle increases in volume. While therein lies the main secret of bodybuilding science, by preventing certain types of muscle damage or reducing their degree, it is possible to increase the effectiveness of training.
One effective means of achieving an anti-catabolic effect are antioxidants, substances that protect muscle cells from the free radicals responsible for destroying muscle compounds.
At the end of a workout, free radicals "multiply" in the body like rabbits, and this scourge must and can be fought.
Antioxidants like vitamin C are abundant in fruits and vegetables. So you have to become an herbivore. Even the most meat-eating bodybuilder in the world won't make it if he neglects greens. Fact: Sports nutritionists recommend consuming at least eight fruits/vegetables a day!
Realizing that the bodybuilder's stomach is limited in size and physically cannot hold everything that the scientists advise, we came up with a new, super effective method of eating antioxidants. It's called the Rainbow Diet... and for good reason. The principle is to eat at least one vegetable or fruit of a certain color of the rainbow per day. That way, you'll enrich your body with a full spectrum of antioxidants. The color-coded mix of fruits and vegetables guarantees the most extensive and balanced array of available antioxidants, which strengthens the stress-proof shell of the entire body. This method is unparalleled. By sticking to it, you will increase the effect of any culturistic diet by an order of magnitude. The "rainbow" technique can even be fun. Think of the wide range of colors, flavors, and other phytochemicals you'll have to try out when shaping a "green" dessert.
Consuming antioxidants requires far less effort than you might think. There are two rules of color and variety.
Color in fruits and vegetables
Give preference to color-rich fruits and vegetables, such as fresh oranges and spinach. Try to avoid pale and frozen greens like half-finished salads, pears and celery. Dark fruits and vegetables contain the most antioxidants. The deeper the color, the higher their levels. The opposite is also true. Carrots, for example, have the most beta-carotene, which gives them their characteristic orange color.
In other words, eat what pleases the eye: yams instead of potatoes, purple grapes instead of green (because chlorophyll, the inherent green color, is contained in all plant foods), replace yellow apples with red, raspberries with blackberries. Ketchup is preferable to other spices, lettuce should be made of cauliflower, and if you drink wine, make sure it is red.
You really shouldn't be a "racist". Not always the color of the skin of a fruit/vegetable corresponds to its content. It is necessary to choose products that are 100% consistent with the same color range. Natural gifts with a monotonous shade of skin and edible part are best. Examples are carrots, beets, and mangoes. They are healthier than apples and pears. Thicker fruits/vegetables (i.e., the skin itself) have the most antioxidants. Greens like spinach and broccoli are just as overflowing with this component (thank the invisible to the eye antioxidant lutein).
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN GUIDE.
To get an idea of which fruits and vegetables from your homestead contain the most antioxidants, study this chart. It shows the most "charged" foods in each color group.
RED:
- Tomatoes (tomato paste, ketchup)
- STrawberries
- RED peppers or paprika
- Red Onions
- Cranberries
- Raspberry
ORANGE
- Oranges
- Mango
- BATATH
YELLOW
- Lemon
- Yellow pepper
GREEN
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Kiwi
- GREEN Pepper
BLUE/BLUE/PURPLE
- Blueberries
- Zucchinis
- Dark grapes
- Blackberry
VARIETY
Choosing the best "dessert" and protecting muscle fibers from destruction go hand in hand. It is best to take a mix of antioxidants in small portions throughout the day. It is important to understand that variety is not a set of single-type products, differing only in color. For example, citrus fruits (orange, lemon and tangerine) may look very diverse in appearance, but still have the same spectrum of antioxidants. A smart approach to building a basket of fruits and vegetables can increase overall muscle protection without increasing your diet.
EXTRA: PILLS.
Any nutritionist will tell you that you should try to get most of your healthy macro and micronutrients from regular foods. Scientists suggest that a balanced mix of fruits and vegetables is sufficient for most athletes, but as a rule, bodybuilders easily exceed their normal antioxidant needs. Even a "rainbow" diet cannot fill all the nutritional gaps. At this point the magic pill - nutritional supplements - comes to the rescue. There are also micronutrients that can not be obtained in optimal amounts from the daily diet, no matter how thoughtful it was. For example, vitamin E, which has a daily rate of 400 to 800 IU (international units). Ordinary foods cannot provide these numbers. Another example is vitamin C. In our recommended "rainbow" diet its volume will be from 250 to 500 mg, while the daily rate of a bodybuilder is 1-1.5 g. In addition, you need to take 200 mg of selenium and multi-vitamins and minerals containing zinc every day. You will have to get these elements from special sports nutrition.
In short, do not be afraid of colorful desserts, eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables, do not forget about vitamins, and then your body will not be deficient in nutrition.
EXAMPLE OF A "RAINBOW" DIET
It doesn't take miracles to make a leap in weight gain. Maybe you just don't have enough variety in your diet. Experiment with our starting diet plan, which is based on 9 mixes of colorful fruits and vegetables. Take half a cup of berries or vegetables per serving; a large potato or yam "pulls'' for two meals. Blackberries, blueberries, etc. are better to buy in frozen form: so they are more durable in storage, cheaper and more convenient to eat. In addition, in the freezer berries lose a minimum of antioxidants and therefore are not much inferior to fellow countrymen from the garden.
FOOD:
- The usual meal: oatmeal or an omelet of whites with 1-2 yolks.
- "Rainbow" supplement: frozen berries (1/2 cup blueberries, strawberries or raspberries).
Second breakfast:
- Regular meal: chicken breast or meat.
- "Rainbow" supplement : large yams with a cup of broccoli(raw, steamed or from the microwave)
First meal:
- Regular meal : meal replacement, or protein shake
- "Rainbow" supplement: orange (one)
Second meal:
- Regular meal: salmon, rice and skim milk.
- "Rainbow" supplement: boiled beets and carrots (½ cup each)
Dinner
- Regular meal: meal replacement or protein shake
- "Rainbow" supplement: nothing.
GREET BY THE CLOTHES.
Usually the color of a particular fruit/vegetable tells you what antioxidant is prevalent in it, Here are some facts to know:
- Beta-carotene gives carrots their natural orange color.
- Lycopene, an antioxidant that resides in the pulp of the red tomato.
- Anthocyanin - abundant in blueberries, which is why they got their name.
They say one should be greeted by the clothes one wears. For bodybuilders planning their diets, it would be good to listen to the folk wisdom. The color of a product gives important information about the presence of a particular ayto-oxidate. A simple example: red pepper is one of the rare reserves of trace elements such as capsanthin and capsorubin; green and yellow varieties of bell peppers cannot boast of such content. But this is the exception rather than the rule. To be 100% sure of your choice, opt for different types of fruits and vegetables, as today's marketplaces make it possible.
