Eat Vegetables for Muscle
Did you know that veggies can help build muscle too? Here’s a list of vegetables that can help you build muscle:
Beans/Legumes- All beans and legumes have protein, carbohydrates and fiber. The carbohydrates are slow releasing carbohydrates that supply long lasting energy for your daily routine and workouts. The fiber helps to clean your arteries and we all know protein is used to repair muscle damage and build new muscle. Examples of these are black beans, kidney beans (rajma), chick peas (chole), all types of dals.
Photo- Kidney Beans (nyllatx@flickr)
Nuts- Nuts like, peanuts, almonds and walnuts are loaded with protein, unsaturated fat, fiber and antioxidants and Vitamin E. Recent studies have shown that almonds can help lower bad cholesterol and reduce waist size. Nuts are also packed with protein for building muscle. Eat them raw, roasted, or chop some into your breakfast oatmeal/cereal
Potatoes- Yes, the much maligned scapegoat vegetable, blamed by many for their weight gain problems, can actually help you gain muscle. Its packed with carbohydrates, fiber, protein, minerals like Iron and Vitamins. Raw, or steamed, it has negligible fat content. Have some mashed potatoes (without the cream/butter) with your post workout meal, to add healthy carbohydrates. These will help to repair the damaged muscle and grow new muscle. In fact, potatoes help you lose weight.
Health Benefits of Almonds
Almonds or rather nuts in general get a bad name because they have high fat content, but there are plenty health benefits of almonds. We’ll tell you about these benefits.
There are two kinds of fat- saturated (Bad) and unsaturated (Good) fat. And almonds are high in unsaturated fats, the same type of healthy fats found in olive oil. Almonds are packed with mono-unsaturated fats. A recent study at the University of Toronto led to the discovery that eating about an ounce of almonds per day can decrease LDL cholesterol by as much as 20 percent over time. Incredibly, this decrease is comparable to results from medication.
Besides this, almonds pack a punch of protein. Protein takes longer to digest, so it keeps you satisfied for longer. Thus reducing those hunger pangs, while feeding those muscles of yours.
Almonds also contain calcium, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Potassium, Magnesium, and last but not the least, antioxidants.
In a recent study published in the International Journal of ORMD, adults who were put on a low calorie diet enriched with almonds lost more weight, lost more fat, reduced more waistline inches than those who did not have almond enriched diets. (Both diets had equal calorie values)
You can eat almonds raw, roasted, or chop them up toss them into dessert or yogurt. Try to eat them with the skin, since that contains nutrition too. Benefits of almonds are plenty, but they’re loaded with fat and thus calories, so control your portions. Have a handful for that 4 p.m. craving, with a fruit. They’ll keep you going for longer without feeling hungry, reducing your snacking on unhealthy food, thus reducing your risk of gaining weight from it.
Almonds have low GI (Glycemic Index) value, so when you include them in your diet, your overall blood sugar rises up less than without almonds.
We could go on about almonds, but the point is made. Go nuts!
Note, that the healthiest almonds are the regular crispy almonds. The roasted, salted or sugar coated almonds only reduce the health benefits of almonds.
