Muscle Juice Recipes
There are specific vitamins and mineral that are needed for recovery and repair of muscles tissues following exercise. Making home made muscle juice recipes is one of the most bio-available methods for supplying yourself with these nutrients. Juicing takes out a lot of the digestive work so that the nutrients get to your muscles and energy producing mechanisms faster.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential part of forming collagen, a connective tissue in muscles and skin. Vitamin C is needed as a co-factor for the metabolism of the amino acids proline and lysine into a form that can be used to make collagen.
Several studies have shown that vitamin C (being a powerful antioxidant) can also improve the rate of muscle repair after exercise by reducing exercise induced inflammation.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E has similar antioxidant properties like vitamin C. It helps to reduce inflammation after exercise and reduces joint and muscle pain. Vitamin E, however, works within fat based cells, while vitamin C works with in water based cells. Taken together they amplify each others antioxidant properties and are a great duo for post exercise muscle repair.
B vitamins
As a group the B vitamins are needed for the chemical reactions that release energy from food and also for maintaining a healthy nervous system. Some specific B vitamins are also useful for muscle repair.
B3 (niacinamide) has an anti-inflammatory effects.
B6 and folic acid promote the synthesis of pro-inflammatory agents called cytokines.
B5 (pantothenic acid) helps with wound healing and collagen synthesis.
Zinc
Zinc is involved with 100′s of metabolic process in the body, and is found in almost every single cell in the body (providing your not deficient). A recent study has found that a low intake of zinc has a negative effect on athletic performance. Participants who had a low dietary intake had impaired metabolic response of their muscles during exercise, and also impaired cardio respiratory function. Not great for working out!
Muscle Juice Recipes
The following fruit juicer recipes contain all of the nutrients discussed here. You can also add your favorite protein powder to the juices, but don’t put the protein powder through the juicer! Put the juice and the protein powder together in a shaker and mix well. Whey protein isolate powder or whey protein concentrate powder are among the best choices for a post workout protein source.
Muscle Juice Recipe #1 – Antioxidant Berry Bonanza
1 cup of blackberries
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of raspberries
10 strawberries
Wash berries thoroughly and top the strawberries before juicing . Blackberries and raspberries are a great source of vitamin C and E and also a great source of zinc.
Muscle Juice Recipe #2 – B Vitamin Blast
1/4 of a small watermelon
2 kiwi fruits
Juice only the flesh of the watermelon and peel the kiwi fruits. Both these fruits are a great source of B vitamins as well as being great sources of vitamin C. Kiwi fruit is also high in vitamin E.
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