Eating Spinach for Internal Health

Spinach is a food that every household should have on their dinner menu. Popular spinach salads, cooked spinach, and spinach recipes do more than simply taste great as they also encourage greater health. They also have health benefits for those who want to work on their insides as much as their outsides. Incorporating a little spinach into your diet will do wonders for your general health.

According to Medical News Today spinach offers benefits for improving blood glucose levels, reducing cancer risks, improving blood pressure, preventing asthma and strengthening bones. The benefits of spinach move far beyond its tastes and encourage greater blood control and lower the risk of developing cardiovascular issues.

Developing health eating habits is about knowledge, habit, and practice. It is not enough to know about healthy eating without implementing the practice and habituating that practice to formalize a habit. As we become familiar with what foods are healthy and which ones are not we begin to naturally seek out and purchase certain types of foods.

For many people cooking healthy food is something that can be difficult do because of time and money constraints. It is just easier for people to buy a microwavable box of their favorite food or stop by their local restaurant; worse to even buy fast food. So creating a habit around eating healthy food is as important as buying that food.

An advantage of spinach is that it is also a source of protein which means those who are trying to build their muscles can find a source of protein in something leafy. It isn't a huge amount but most of the calories within spinach are made of this protein so in augmentation with other sources there is a benefit. It is better to consume protein in a low calorie meal than a protein bar.

Spinach is only part of a healthy diet. Exercise, variety, fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy all contribute to health. The process of living healthy requires you to spend time thinking about the alternatives for your diet. Spinach is a good augmentation for salad and can be used to develop some low fat dies. Boil it and use it as a side dish on a regular basis.

5 Fruits & Vegetables that Support Your Fitness

What we eat is as important as our fitness routine for ensuring we are growing and improving as planned. Food is the most basic foundation of fitness that fosters muscles growth and pliability. Fruits and vegetables have been known to encourage better overall health but not everyone has heard of eating them for muscle growth. Getting the proper dose of fruit and vegetables will give a few steps forward on your goals.

A study conducted on college students found that those who ate appropriate amounts of fruit and vegetables had better BMI and lower weight than those who don’t (Gilmore, et. al. 2008). Ensuring you obtain the right vitamins, anti-oxidants, and calorie amount appears to support your fitness goals. Loosing fat and gaining muscles is part of a solid fitness plan and fruit and vegetables provide the catalyst for doing just that.

The five fruits and vegetables you should not do without are:

Oranges: Vitamin C to thwart disease, magnesium to lower blood pressure, and anti-oxidants (1).

Bananas: High carbohydrate food that restocks glycogen levels that cause muscle breakdown (2).

Apples: Burn fat and support skeletal strength (3).

Blueberries: Antioxidant that helps recovery after workouts (4).

Carrots: Low fat that provides fiber (5).

An article entitled 5 Tips to Build Muscle Strength in the Harvard Health Letter further emphasizes how eating right and building muscle protects against future injury (2014). The food we eat has a large impact on our ability to maintain a healthy body and meet our fitness objectives. When engaging in multiple physical sports and activities it is important to ensure that the required strength is gained to compete effectively.  

Fitness requires the ability to create small tears in the muscle and allowing those tears to heal. Nutrients are used to repair those tears and build muscle. Without eating right the muscles cannot build properly and tears don’t repair effectively leading to fatigue and possible future injury. It is even possible to cannibalize current muscle growth. Incorporate fruits and vegetables into your program so that you are using your time most effectively.  

Gilmore, et. al. (2008). Selected health behaviors that influence college freshman weight change. Journal of American College Health, 56 (4). 

No Author (2014). 5 tips to build muscle strength. Harvard Health Letter, 39 (5).