Spinach is one of my favorite vegetables to eat while I am in training and looking to add lean muscle and lose body fat. It makes for such a versatile and delicious snack and can really enhance your fitness and overall health.
So why should you consume spinach everyday and how can it help your workouts and fitness? Let me explain…
Recent research has found that spinach contains a valuable strength-building substance simply known as nitrates. The researchers experimented on mice and found that the mice that were given nitrates had stronger and larger muscles than the control subject mice, which were not given nitrates. As it turns out, 80 percent of our dietary nitrates come from leafy greens (such as spinach!). Eating spinach at least once a day gives you the extra assurance that your body is maximizing its strength via its nitrate intake! This will add a big boost to your strength training workouts. Not only that, but according to a recent article on medicaldaily.com, “The researchers discovered the mechanism by which nitrates help tone muscles. The study showed that nitrates act on two proteins that are known to be associated with calcium regulation in humans. When the level of these proteins increases, more calcium is released in the body. This, in turn, increases muscle contraction.”
Popeye apparently had it right all of these years. Spinach does in fact help you build stronger muscles and will help you in your workouts. The more weight that your muscles are able to lift and the more force you are able to exert, the greater chance you will build more lean muscle and burn fat. So, eating spinach daily is a delicious and nutritious way to give your body a big workout boost. Make sure that you incorporate spinach leaves into your diet at a minimum of one time a day. I have been eating spinach for the last two years and have felt my energy levels increase and have built more lean muscle. The good things is that spinach is so versatile and it can be eaten in so many delicious ways. In the mornings I will throw some spinach leaves into my fruit and protein smoothie to add some crucial muscle building vitamins and antioxidants to my breakfast. For lunch, you can add spinach leaves to your sandwich. You could also eat a spinach salad. For dinner you could make some sauteed spinach with olive oil to make a delicious side item to your grilled chicken or fish. Maybe you have a juicer or blender? The fact is that there are so many easy and delicious ways to incorporate spinach into your daily nutrition routine – it goes great with any kind of fruit or vegetable combination you can think of.
Spinach truly is a power veggie so eat up and join Popeye in the spinach muscle club!