Recover Strong With Plant-Powered Nutrition
Is anyone else sore after paddling training or have you been sore after taking a fitness class or lifting weights? I joined Performance Paddling to start my paddleboard season, training several days a week, including multiple double workouts. I am sore and tired, but happy because I know I am making progress. My body is positively adapting to the training. Muscle fibers break down and have to rebuild. Feeling sore and tired is the body’s natural reaction to inflammation.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is our immune system working to heal and repair damage from training, injury, or infection. Veins swell to increase blood flow allowing hormones, nutrients, and white blood cells do their job. There are two types of inflammation, acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term). Chronic inflammation is associated with illness, disease, and cancer.
Plant-Powered Performance Nutrition
Plant-powered performance nutrition is the solution to inflammation, both acute and chronic. Plant strong foods are vegetables and fruits like leafy greens and berries. These anti-inflammatory foods contain antioxidants and polyphenols or protective compounds that naturally reduce inflammation. Eating plant-based meals and snacks will also help you recover faster from your workouts.
Add more of these anti-inflammatory foods into your nutrition routine:
Leafy greens (i.e., broccoli sprouts, kale, Swiss chard)
Fruits (i.e., blackberries, blueberries, Goji berries)
Olive oil, olives, avocado
Legumes (i.e., lentils, beans)
Chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds
Cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and black pepper
Here’s an easy anti-inflammatory, Berry Blast Recovery Smoothie recipe:
Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 C blueberries
1 C strawberries
1 C water, almond milk, or coconut water
1 C ice
1 scoop vegan protein powder
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Put all the ingredients into a blender. Mix on a high setting. Serve and enjoy. Makes 4 servings
Make this recipe? Share it on social media and tag #powertoshred and @powertoshred. Reach out with any sport nutrition questions.