Fruits and vegetables are often overlooked by bodybuilders even though they are protein and carbohydrate rich foods, and therefore foods suitable for bodybuilding. These types of food provide many nutrients that are essential for the body and prevent the risks of various pathologies. In a diet therefore, it is necessary to add fruits and vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables, what are they?
Vegetables are plants of which certain parts are edible. They are classified into several families. Flowering vegetables include artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower. Leafy vegetables include lettuce, chicory, spinach and cabbage.
Cucumbers, aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes are called fruit vegetables, while onions, garlic and shallots are bulb vegetables. There are also tuber vegetables, which include potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. There are also beans, peas, maize, broad beans and lentils, thus called seed vegetables. For root vegetables, there are still carrots, radishes, beets and celeriac. Finally, the stalk vegetables, containing celery, asparagus and fennel.
But fruits are the result of the modification of a flower after it has been abstracted. The seeds they contain thus enable the plant to procreate. Like vegetables, fruits can also be classified into several families. Plums, peaches, cherries and apricots are stone fruits while pears,apples, quinces and grapes are seed fruits.
There are also red fruits and berries. These are simply blackcurrants, currants and blueberries. Citrus fruits include oranges, lemons, grapefruits and clementines.
Other families of fruits still persist. These are walnuts, almonds, chestnuts and hazelnuts, also known as nuts. Finally, exotic fruits include papayas, mangoes, pineapples and lychees.
Why do we eat fruit and vegetables?
Whether for bodybuilders or others, eating fruit and vegetables can reduce chronic diseases. They protect against heart disease. Thanks to their antioxidant properties, fruit and vegetables reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. All in all, they improve your health.
Again, these benefits are valid for sportsmen and women as well as for bodybuilders. However, in the case of bodybuilders, it is important to monitor their health. Health monitoring is essential, especially when the heart system is under strain.
And since fruits and vegetables contain antioxidant properties, they will help bodybuilders reduce the dangers of muscle damage and injury. Eating fruit and vegetables prevents all these risks and helps to heal them in case of difficulties.
Which fruits and vegetables to choose?
In reality, there is no such thing as a better fruit or vegetable. The best thing is to vary the colours and families to stay healthy. A menu with 2 or 3 different colours and a menu with 2 or 3 different families are essential every week.
The best solution is to choose fresh fruit and vegetables. They can be eaten at supper or at lunch. It is also a good idea to include fruit as a dessert at breakfast. A daily snack is still feasible when it comes to eating fruit and vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables are great for bodybuilders
Most of the time, bodybuilders prefer protein-rich foods like chicken and fish. They neglect fruits that are enriched with sugars and calories. The same applies to vegetables. They eat pasta and rice instead. However, fruit and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals, which are essential for the body. These vitamins and minerals are important for sweating.
Thanks to their intake, food is metabolised in an efficient way. In addition, they repair and replace muscle cells.
Fruit is a food containing calories, natural sugars and other nutrients. The sugars provided by fruit are better than industrial sugars. In addition, the skin of fruit provides essential fibre for the body's functioning. Fruit is not like any candy that has bad sugars in it.
What are the consequences of a diet low in fruit and vegetables?
It is obvious that eating little or no fruit and vegetables causes health problems. Constipation and bloating are the first negative consequences. A lack of fruit and vegetables also leads to fatigue and a weak immune system. Subsequent colds are also possible harms.
According to research by the World Health Organisation or WHO, eating little fruit and vegetables is a risk factor for mortality. Apart from that, a lack of fruit and vegetables increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
What about frozen and canned fruit and vegetables?
Frozen and canned fruit and vegetables are worse sources of nutrients than fresh produce. But for canned fruit and vegetables, their nutritional value will be reduced. In fact, during cooking, some of the vitamins will be ruined and some of the minerals will be lost in the syrup or water in the cans.
Despite this nutrient loss, it is better to eat canned fruit and vegetables than not to eat them at all. Simply soak them well before eating them. This method eliminates added salts and sugars.
How to eat fruit and vegetables?
To eat fruit and vegetables well, it is best to vary them on the plate. Vegetables can be eaten as a starter in the form of raw vegetables. Apart from eating them freshly after each meal, they can also be made into soups. It is even possible to prepare a fruit salad by mixing a few varieties of fruit. Adding yoghurt and chocolate will make it tasty.
