The Most Effective and Least Effective Diet for Athletic Enhancement and Longevity
If your athletic progress, bodybuilding or weight loss attempts seem to be stunted despite intense and/or lengthy training sessions, then your diet is likely the missing link. No amount of exercise or time spent in the gym will get you into peek physical condition if you are fueling your body with the wrong foods. In fact, the wrong diet will not only stunt athletic progress, it will also accelerate the aging process and vastly increase your risk for chronic disease. Read-on if you want to learn the worst and best diet for boosting stamina, increasing muscle mass, reducing body fat, and enhancing your health and longevity.
The Worst Diet for Health and Athletic Performance
The high protein, high animal-product diet is extremely ineffective at enhancing athleticism and the health risks associated with it are nothing short of frightening. Advocates of the high protein diet state that you can lose weight, gain muscle and enhance athletic performance by simply eating more protein and cutting out carbs and sugar. What’s most worrisome about this, is that protein quantity becomes the primary focus, and quality is a mere afterthought. In fact, many followers of this diet see it as a free pass to eat unlimited amounts of bacon, eggs, ham, sausage and other processed meats; butter and fried foods … and to do so guilt-free.
Followers of this diet often believe that they are eating healthy, but in reality, they are fast-tracking the aging process, and if they remain on it for too long, chronic disease is virtually inevitable. In fact, a study published in the 2004 edition of Cell Metabolism journal, found that heavy consumers of animal protein have a 75 increased risk for premature death from all causes; and a 400 increased risk for death caused by cancer and diabetes!
The High-Protein, High-Animal Product Diet Causes:
- Constipation
- Arterial plaque
- Clogged arteries
- Oxygen deprivation
- Estrogen dominance
- Acne
- Reduced sperm count
- Free radical damage to your cells and DNA
- Increased blood viscosity (thickness)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High cholesterol
- Systemic inflammation (which is the root cause of most, if not all chronic diseases)
It Increases the Risk For:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Digestive disorders
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Sexual dysfunction
- Cataracts
- Gallstones
- Dementia
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Allergies
- Cellulite
- Kidney disease
- Heart disease
- Atherosclerosis
- Life-threatening blood clots
- Stroke
- Cancer
The Ideal Diet for Health, Longevity and Athletic Enhancement
A wholefoods, plant-based diet will not only slow down the aging process and reduce your risk for chronic disease, it will also enhance endurance and athletic performance. This may come as a surprise because there is a myth that you need animal protein in order to increase muscle mass and stamina; however, the increased inflammation and cardiovascular damage caused by animal products actually hinders athletic capabilities. Also worth noting, animal proteins are not absorbed as well as plant-based proteins, and you can thrive on a much lower protein diet, when the protein is derived from plant products alone.
Foods to Emphasize
Shop the outer aisles of your grocery store, and emphasize whole, organic, unprocessed foods. Make vegetables and fruits the central focus; and consume wholegrains, beans, legumes; nuts, seeds, avocadoes, olives and other fatty plant foods in moderation. If you do eat animal products, make sure to limit your portion size to 2-4 grams, and choose minimally processed, organic free-range products. Finally, don’t fry your meat, and be careful not to overcook it, because burnt meat is carcinogenic (cancer-causing)
Foods to Avoid
Vastly reduce your intake of all animal products (meat dairy and eggs), and completely avoid processed meats such as bacon, ham and pastrami. Also, reduce or eliminate sugar, refined flour products, unfermented soy products, vegetable oils, and all processed, packaged foods.
Supplemental Protein
If you are a professional athlete or your daily life leads to a high-energy expenditure, you may benefit from a quality protein powder. Avoid the cheaper powders that are made from whey and pea protein however; the whey is inflammatory and allergenic, and the pea protein is not easily absorbed. Slim Blend Pro is a 5-in-1 meal replacement powder with 12 grams of highly absorbable plant-based protein per serving. It also contains fiber, essential fatty acids, probiotics, and a wide-range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to promote detoxification, increase energy, reduce body fat, and enhance energy and performance:
https://unitynaturals.com/product/slim-blend-pro-2/
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