interesting....
If you're a serious bodybuilder who wants to gain and maintain size, you should consume a variety of fruits and vegetables. While we often push protein because it's the most critical macronutrient category for bodybuilders, regardless of the type of diet, we also emphasize the value of mixed meals based around whole high-protein foods.
Fruits and veggies are typically promoted because of their content of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, as well as their direct and indirect influence on metabolism and overall health. The benefits are many and potentially quite significant, especially in the long run. Fiber has significant "gut building" (as in the lining of the intestines, not your waistline) effects that, among other things, help process and utilize protein more efficiently. One very important but little-publicized reason for bodybuilders to hit fruits and veggies hard is the potential anticatabolic effect of these foods--their ability to help maintain muscle and bone.
FRUITS AND VEGGIES CAN BE ANTICATABOLIC To regulate the potential catabolic effects of an unbalanced high-protein diet, you can consume fruits and veggies. They contain organic compounds (e.g., citrate in citrus fruits, malate in apples), the metabolism of which yields acid-neutralizing bicarbonate ions. The addition of fruits and vegetables, especially those high in potassium, to a high-protein diet reduces the output of acidic urine, ammonium and net acid excretion, as well as decreases the amount of calcium lost through urine. Bone loss may be halted and bone building may actually occur, not to mention improved capacities for skeletal muscle contraction, relaxation and growth.
If you're a serious bodybuilder who wants to gain and maintain size, you should consume a variety of fruits and vegetables. While we often push protein because it's the most critical macronutrient category for bodybuilders, regardless of the type of diet, we also emphasize the value of mixed meals based around whole high-protein foods.
Fruits and veggies are typically promoted because of their content of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, as well as their direct and indirect influence on metabolism and overall health. The benefits are many and potentially quite significant, especially in the long run. Fiber has significant "gut building" (as in the lining of the intestines, not your waistline) effects that, among other things, help process and utilize protein more efficiently. One very important but little-publicized reason for bodybuilders to hit fruits and veggies hard is the potential anticatabolic effect of these foods--their ability to help maintain muscle and bone.
FRUITS AND VEGGIES CAN BE ANTICATABOLIC To regulate the potential catabolic effects of an unbalanced high-protein diet, you can consume fruits and veggies. They contain organic compounds (e.g., citrate in citrus fruits, malate in apples), the metabolism of which yields acid-neutralizing bicarbonate ions. The addition of fruits and vegetables, especially those high in potassium, to a high-protein diet reduces the output of acidic urine, ammonium and net acid excretion, as well as decreases the amount of calcium lost through urine. Bone loss may be halted and bone building may actually occur, not to mention improved capacities for skeletal muscle contraction, relaxation and growth.