Bodybuilders can't live on chicken breasts alone. Raid the produce section if you want to gain mass and lose fat
By Matthew G. Kadey, MS, RD | Photos by Charles Imstepf Studios
Are you a bodybuilder who scoffs at the thought of giving up your beloved protein for some boring carrots? Big mistake! You need your veggies if you want to reach your full bodybuilding potential. Lauded by health experts, doctors and your mom (remember "You're not getting any dessert until you eat all your broccoli"?), vegetables don't have a sexy rep, but their therapeutic and healing properties are essential to keeping you as healthy as possible for maximum gym efforts. And a bodybuilder in optimal health will make gains faster than one who isn't. So ignore vegetables at your muscle-gaining peril. Here's the dirt on why, along with what's best to keep in the crisper.
VEGGING OUT
From fighting disease to revealing your washboard abs, there are so many reasons to spend more time in the produce aisle that we could fill an entire issue. These are the most important reasons to say, "More, please," when it comes to vegetables.
>> Mighty Phytos
Unlike fiber and vitamins, what you don't see in those vegetable nutrition charts are the powerhouse antioxidant chemicals called phytochemicals. A vegetable will produce them to protect itself during growth, but many phytochemicals, such as lycopene in tomatoes and carotenoids in carrots, can also protect us against many ailments. There's even a group of phytochemicals called indoles (found in cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli) that stimulate enzymes to make estrogen less effective — a definite advantage if you yearn for more mass. Acting as antioxidants, phytochemicals also aid in postworkout muscle repair.
>> Bulking Up
Vegetables are a great source of something often neglected in bodybuilding nutrition — fiber. As a source of bulk, veggies can slow digestion, which helps regulate blood-sugar levels. Spikes in blood sugar (which often come from eating high-carbohydrate, low-fiber foods like white bread) promote fat storage, and sudden drops can cause energy "crashes," making it less likely that you'll push serious weight at the gym. Add vegetables to your lunchtime stir-fry and you could say adios to those ups and downs. You'll also tend to eat less because low-calorie, higher-fiber veggies take up room in the stomach and release chemicals that tell the brain to shut down the appetite. And don't overlook the fact that by improving digestion, vegetable fiber can support the absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids — all of which your muscles need for further growth.
>> Burn, Baby, Burn
Vegetables are a "free food" with a very low calorie-density, so you can eat almost unlimited amounts while still burning fat. This lean indulgence is all because of a biochemical quirk that only veggies (except the starchier ones like corn and beets) enjoy — the body uses almost as many calories to digest vegetables as they contain in the first place. The leftover calories don
t even have a fighting chance of being stored in a fat cell.
VEGETABLES 101
Filling your grocery cart with more vegetables is only half the battle — you also need to know what to do with them once you get home. This can sometimes be more challenging than developing arms like Ronnie's, so let us help.
>> Selection
"Seek out vegetables that are at their peak ripeness," says Cathy Thomas, a food editor for the Orange County Register, a newspaper in Southern California. Ripeness varies, but as a rule, avoid leafy greens that are wilting and firmer produce such as peppers and zucchini that have soft spots and discoloration. "Peak produce has more nutrient content than overripe or underripe versions," Thomas advises. Farmers' markets will have the best selection of perfectly ripe vegetables.
>> Storage
Because flavors and textures are at their peak right after picking, the best advice is to shop often and store fresh vegetables for only 2–3 days. "Different veggies prefer different storage situations," says Thomas. "Some, such as salad greens, prefer the fridge, while others, such as artichokes and tomatoes, respond more favorably to the counter." Check out Thomas' book, Melissa's Great Book of Produce (Wiley, 2006) for proper storage techniques for every imaginable vegetable.
>> Cooking
When it comes to moving vegetables beyond their raw state, your goal should be to preserve as much of their nutrients as possible. Contact with boiling water can cause water-soluble nutrients such as B vitamins and Vitamin C to leach out into the water. Steaming is best for preserving nutrients since there's no direct water contact and the temperature is more moderate. The microwave and the high heat of a frying pan can damage some nutrients, but tomatoes, corn and carrots are actually more nutritious when slightly cooked.
>> Fresh vs. Frozen
If you can be sure that the fresh vegetables are indeed fresh, that would be the most nutritious choice. The longer a "fresh" vegetable travels across the country or sits in the store, however, the less nutritious
it becomes. That's why frozen-food processors "flash-freeze" their vegetables as soon as they're picked, thus preserving most of their vitamins. This makes those bags of frozen mixed vegetables a nutritious option when you're in a rush. To preserve nutrients, steam, don't boil, your frozen delights.
Matthew Kadey is a registered dietitian and freelance writer who owns Fuel For Life
Related Reading:
Fruit Fiber
Determining Which Fiber is Best
The Cutting Cycle
