Top 10 Foods for Bodybuilders

The Top 10 Super Foods for Bodybuilders

Bee pollen. Kelp. Mangosteen. Rutabaga. Wheatgrass. If you’ve been keeping up to date on the latest and greatest superfood health crazes, you may have heard of these trendy choices. If not, don’t beat yourself up. They’re expensive, sometimes unsavory, and just plain weird. That’s why we’ve come up with our own list of tasty, healthy superfoods that will aid your bodybuilding goals.

Here are the top 10 (palatable) superfoods for bodybuilders.

1. WATER: This one was easy and almost too obvious, which is why it was also necessary. Not enough of us drink plain water. We mix it with our protein shakes, our pre-workout powders, and our flavored crystals, but we just don’t drink enough good old H2O. The benefits of water far exceed the scope of this article, but to name a few, it helps clear your skin, energize your muscles (muscles are made up of about 70 percent water), and flush your kidneys (and bowels) of stuff that’s built up in there.

2. GREEN TEA: We’re not just jumping on the bandwagon with this one; if we were, we’d be about three millennia too late. This liquid superfood truly deserves its longevity and fame. It helps control the number of calories consumed. Plus, the EGCG (the most abundant catechin in tea) helps burn calories and is a potent antioxidant. EGCG also improves insulin utilization in the body, stabilizing blood sugar levels so there are no spikes or crashes

3. RED WINE: This is where we get fun, in moderation. Two key compounds in red wine make it a superfood on our list: resveratrol and antioxidants. Resveratrol is an antioxidant that is especially important for heart health. It can prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce the “bad” cholesterol, reduce the risk of inflammation, and prevent blood clots—all of which can lower your risk of heart disease.

4. SALMON: Salmon is really high up on the list of foods rich in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA. Omega-3 fatty acids are critical to numerous physiological functions, including cognitive function (30 percent of grey matter in the brain is DHA), cardiovascular function (by reducing inflammation, keeping blood from clotting, and relaxing/dilating the arteries). Salmon is also a great source of vitamin D (which decreases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes).

5. AVOCADO: This tiny but terrific super healthy superfood really packs a dynamic punch. Just one of its myriad benefits is that it’s a great source of lutein, a carotenoid that helps protect against eye disease. A carotenoid is a kind of antioxidant that the body can turn into Vitamin A. Avocados also contain the related carotenoids zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene, as well as tocopherol (vitamin E). But avocados aren’t just a rich source of carotenoids by themselves; they also help you get more of these nutrients from other foods. Carotenoids are lipophilic (soluble in fat, not water), so eating carotenoid-packed foods such as fruits and vegetables along with monounsaturated-fat-rich avocados helps your body absorb the carotenoids.

6. GRAPEFRUIT: What this superfood is probably best known for and why you’ve seen it used in many diets (most famously, “the grapefruit diet”) is the chemical properties that reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss. It’s also high in enzymes that burn fat. In one study, people lost weight by adding grapefruit to their diet, without changing anything else on their plan!

7. OLIVE OIL: If we had to just talk about one of the many benefits of adding olive oil to your diet, it would be its anticancer properties. The beneficial substance found in olive oil known as oleocanthal mimics the effect of ibuprofen in that it reduces inflammation, which can in turn reduce the risk of breast cancer. Squalene and lignan, other components found in olive oil, are also currently being researched for their anticancer properties.

8. SPINACH: It was Popeye’s favorite food, and it should be yours too! Spinach is versatile to eat and cook with, and its health benefits are also exceptionally multifaceted. This dark leafy green is known to be helpful for healthy skin and hair growth and bone health, and it provides protein and iron, and is super high in magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium, just to name a few vitamins and minerals.
9. BANANAS: Everyone knows that bananas are high in potassium, but there’s so much more to them that you may not know, which is why they’re a superfood. Their lesser known value is as a mood enhancer; bananas can potentially help overcome depression because of their levels of tryptophan, an amino acid which is converted into serotonin, “the happy mood inducer.” They can also help improve mood because they help regulate blood sugar, which promotes relaxation.

10. QUINOA: Though it’s often referred to as a grain, quinoa is actually a seed from a vegetable. It’s gluten-free, low-glycemic, and low-calorie relative to its volume. It’s also higher in protein than a lot of seeds and grains, and high in riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2). The B vitamins as a whole are known to increase energy levels; boost the functioning of the immune system; maintain healthy hair, skin, and nails; and boost metabolism and athletic performance.