The importance offood in muscle maintenance and development should not be underestimated. To optimize the results of your sports sessions, it is essential to follow a balanced diet and avoid certain foods that can harm the repair of the muscle tissue.
Choose foods rich in protein and healthy fats
Our diet directly influences our physical potential and, by extension, our muscle health. As part of a balanced diet, it is essential to favor foods rich in proteins, quality carbohydrates and healthy fats. This was recently recalled by dietitian Jordan Hill, during an interview for the media Eat This, Not That! : “Adequate protein intake triggers muscle protein synthesis, a process essential for repairing and building muscle fiberss.“
Unfortunately, many foods contain excessive amounts of fat, carbohydrates and lipids, far beyond our body’s needs. Some of them are both high in calories and low in nutrition, leading us to consume them in excess. Additionally, a regular diet based on these foods can trigger inflammation harmful to muscle recovery and growth, while disrupting insulin sensitivity, an essential factor for nutrient absorption by the muscle cells.
What happens in the body during exercise?
We speak of a metabolic window to refer to the period after sport. “During this period, the body better absorbs what we give it, mainly carbohydrates and proteins.” Dr. Gilles Mondoloni, specialist in sports medicine, previously explained to us what happens to our body at the end of a sporting activity: “After exercise, glycogen, which constitutes the sugar reserves mainly stored in the liver, is heavily used.“
From 20 minutes and up to two hours after exerciseyour body, which senses the end of activity thanks to various sensors, then begins a period of great metabolic change: “ It will release insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, which will allow the ingested sugar to enter the muscles and the liver to replenish it,” specifies the expert. During this period, it is particularly not recommended to eat food industrial or ultra-processed.
Discover in our slideshow which are the 9 foods to ban to keep your muscles healthy.
