5 A Day…Eat your vegetables! They’re good for you. Even Will Smith told his dog in the movie I Am Legend that she ought to eat her vegetables, clearly conveying the importance of their consumption! But if that doesn’t have you convinced, maybe fact that more, newer research is pointing their importance will. Especially for X Gym members.
Exercise increases reactive oxygen-based molecules in our bodies, especially long or intense exercise. However, antioxidants can help combat those harmful processes in our bodies. You can find a multitude of antioxidants in almost any fruit or vegetable. Obviously, certain fruits have other problems (mainly too much sugar), so better to grab for extra vegetables than fruits. Vitamins C and E are also antioxidants.
The research has shown no correlation between extra antioxidants and athletic performance, simply the body’s recovery on a chemical level. There aren’t many negative affects from exercise, and the positives far out-weigh them. The negatives that do exist, though, can be countered by eating your veggies. Bon-a-pu-feast!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/9509820?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713775807&db=all
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16089272
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/2/637S
