Hey guys, Dr. Axe here, founder of DrAxe.com and doctor of functional medicine. What I want to share with you today are foods that can help increase your athletic performance. Also these foods can help you burn fat, get lean, really get in the best shape of your life. And so, the top five foods you should be consuming are going to help hydration, recovery, muscle building, and overall increase your energy levels.
And the first food you should add in to increase athletic performance is coconut, especially coconut oil. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides and your body can actually not just burn sugar for energy but coconut, your body can burn fat for energy. And that’s why triathletes today, marathon runners, they’re starting to consume more coconut oil. So start using coconut oil in your cooking and coconut milk in your smoothies. The second superfood that can increase athletic performance are chia seeds. Chia seeds were known by Aztec warriors as warrior’s food or runner’s food. And in fact, the Aztec warriors carried a little pouch on their side, and they would do a tablespoon of chia.
They said one tablespoon of chia seeds was worth a day’s energy. And there’s also great studies out of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning on this. Add one tablespoon of chia seeds to a morning smoothie or you can also do some chia with some honey and kind of eat as a snack between workouts. The third superfood you should consume that’s going to help increase athletic performance and recovery is getting a good quality protein, especially a whey or collagen protein.
Protein is so important for building muscle and burning fat and it is vital for recovery. Most athletes surprisingly do not get enough protein. So adding a good quality, natural, organic type of whey protein, not one that has all those artificial sweeteners in it, a good natural protein powder is crucial as well. As well as getting plenty of good quality protein from things like grass-fed beef, organic chicken and turkey. The next superfood you need to be getting in to increase athletic performance are more antioxidant-rich berries.
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, getting more berries in your diet, they contain the highest levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants absolutely help with cellular regeneration, healing muscular tissue, and recovery after exercise. The fifth superfood you’ve got to be getting to increase athletic performance is coconut water. Coconut water is packed with potassium and electrolytes. It’s actually known as nature’s Gatorade. So if you want to recover faster, if you want to increase athletic performance, add in some of nature’s Gatorade by drinking more coconut water, also known as coconut juice. Hey, those are the five foods that can help increase your athletic performance..
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