Is there anything green leafy vegetables can't do for you?
We already knew that eating plenty of vegetables reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Vegetables can also help you to maintain a healthy weight and they protect against inflammation.
But research now shows that vegetables are also fantastic for building strong, lean muscle mass.
According to a study published last February in Cell Metabolism -- and summarized in Science Daily -green leafy vegetables can help the mitochondria in body cells, including muscle cells, work more efficiently. What are mitochondria? Sometimes mitochondria are called the "power plants" of the cells. They are the organelles that produce energy so that cells can operate properly. They also convert molecules of food nutrients into energy that the entire body can use.
When you eat plenty of spinach, parsley, kale, or other green leafy vegetables, you provide your body with nitrates that make your mitochondria work better and cause you to need less oxygen during your workouts. In other words, you can work out more comfortably, without feeling as though you are gasping for breath.
You'll also have more energy as you go about the rest of your day, but I suspect you'll notice that energy the most during your workout!
You can't reproduce the effect of eating a big green salad by taking a supplement (in case you were thinking of it!). Nitrates in food need to be processed by bacteria in your mouth in order for the body to make efficient use of them. In fact, the bacteria in your mouth play such an important role in processing nutrients that scientists are now speculating that powerful antibacterial mouthwashes could block the effects of green leafy vegetables.
Green leafy vegetables are also high in glutamine, an amino acid that is often taken by body builders as a supplement. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and protein helps the body to build muscle mass. Believe it or not, green leafy vegetables are fairly good sources of protein, though you'll want other protein sources in your diet as well. While glutamine can be supplemented, you will get other benefits, such as the effect of the nitrates on your mitochondria, not to mention the fiber in your vegetables, if you get your glutamine from dietary sources, such as parsley, spinach, and asparagus.
However, if you really don't care for salad, there are alternatives. One is to juice your greens in a smoothie.
Try this simple recipe:
Fill a blender halfway with spinach, and then add three bananas and two cups of water (and as much ice as you'd like). Puree and you'll have a sweet green smoothie, that won't taste like spinach no matter how green it looks. You could also add some red beets, which are also high in nitrates.
Vegetables are helpful for muscle-building at any age, but they are especially important for older adults. A 2008 study showed that an increase in the blood plasma content of carotenoids (the substances that produce vibrant colors in vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, and tomatoes) is connected with higher hip, knee, and grip strength in older adults.
The same year, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition noted that older adults who had increased levels of potassium in their urine also had higher percentages of lean muscle mass. Potassium, a mineral which is important in muscle contraction and relaxation, can be found in chard, spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, eggplant, and tomatoes. In general, the greener and leafier the vegetable, the better or, in the case of a nongreen vegetable, the more vibrant the vegetable's color is, the better.
Certain vegetables will also protect your muscles from damage incurred as the result of exercising to the point of exhaustion. Overdoing exercise can cause a decrease in the antioxidant capacity of muscle tissue. But according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, eating cruciferous vegetables was associated with an increase in the antioxidant capacity of muscle tissue after acute exhaustive exercise. In other words, eating your vegetables regularly will mean that your muscle tissue will recover faster after an intense workout.
To think that these are not the only benefits of eating vegetables! As you must know (unless you've been living with your head under a rock), vegetables (and fruits for that matter) are also powerhouses of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This is a subject for another day, but green leafy vegetables are actually better, more bioavailable sources of calcium than milk and, therefore, can play a critical role in protecting your bones, as well as your muscles. Again, I have to ask -- is there anything green leafy vegetables can't do?
Written by Brett Warren, a biochemical research scientist based in Boston, Massachusetts. He puts his expertise to work on a daily basis by developing sports supplements for Force Factor. Brett loves weightlifting and working out at the gym almost as much as he loves his job. In addition to his work with Force Factor, Brett spends lots of time with his family hiking, biking, and enjoying the outdoors.
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