Anti-Inflammatory Foods – Best Thing for Muscle Recovery!
If you often get muscle soreness, better start stocking your fridge with anti-inflammatory foods rather than your medicine cabinet.
The last thing you need after a heavy and intense workout is muscle inflammation.
If you’re straining your body while working out, you experience muscle soreness. Excessive strenuous activities strain the muscles as they burn while working out.
Muscle inflammation is usually uncomfortable and painful. Also, it turns out to affect your everyday activities and physical workouts.
Therefore, it is important to tend to your body’s need of repairing muscle damage.
Notably, the body needs to replace glycogen from time to time to restore the fluids lost. Apart from the dehydration of muscles, it plays an important role in repairing them as well.
The easiest way to make sure your muscle recovery is adequate is by paying attention to your diet.
To your surprise, there are many foods that help with muscle soreness and recovery. Including such foods in your daily diet can help boost the muscle recovery process.
The following section discusses the ten most popular anti-inflammatory foods for muscle recovery. make sure to follow this section till the end for detailed information.
Top 10 Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Muscle Recovery
If the post-fitness muscle soreness is stopping you from achieving your fitness goals, you better start modifying your meals.
Those who are into sports or heavy workouts must have experienced Delayed onset Muscle soreness.
But the good thing is you can get rid of painful experiences with the proper addition of anti-inflammatory foods for muscle pain and recovery.
Here’s the list of anti-inflammatory foods for sore muscles and joints:
#1. Dairy Products
#2. Green Vegetables
#3. Eggs
#4. Coffee
#5. Beetroot Juice
#6. Black Bean
#7. Starchy vegetables and carbs
#8. Berries
#9. Watermelons
#10. Bananas
Let’s dig a little deeper to know how these anti-inflammatory foods work for natural muscle recovery.
#1. Dairy Products
We already know, protein is an important element for good muscle health. It calms off the soreness of muscles and helps them grow.
Almost all bodybuilders consume protein supplements for accelerated results.
Dairy or milk products are an amazing way to incorporate natural protein into a diet. Milk products such as cheese and yogurt are very popular as ‘after-workout’ food.
These milk products contain natural protein which helps in muscle growth and recovery, both. The high protein content in milk supports muscle reparation.
Furthermore, the carbs present in dairy products help to boost muscle growth as well. Hence, dairy food is an amazing way of growing and repairing muscles naturally.
It serves as an amazing anti-inflammatory food for muscle recovery.
According to a study, chocolate milk, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, and electrolytes as well which is ideal for post-workout recovery.
In fact, the result shows that it provides either similar or superior results as compared to placebo and other health drinks.
#2. Berries
Berries of different types are the best thing for muscle recovery. You can include a variety of berries- strawberries, tart cherries, blueberries, and raspberries.
All these kinds of berries are extremely efficient in reducing muscle soreness. Further, such berries are high in anti-inflammatory properties.
This is the reason why they are used widely to treat muscle inflammation and burning. There are many ways to include berries in your daily diet.
You can blend a good shake or a smoothie. Or, you can also eat them as a salad or a dressing for some other food.
These are the best and most potent anti-inflammatory foods for muscle recovery. It is most optimal to take these along with a post-workout meal.
#3. Watermelons
Watermelon is an extremely hydrating food that is loaded with nutrients and sugar. It is the best fruit to promote natural muscle recovery. It contains a rich amount of L-citrulline, an amino acid.
Additionally, it also promotes the production of NO (nitric oxide). Nitric oxide is a much-needed element for muscle health.
Watermelon improves blood circulation and helps in better muscle growth and also reduces soreness.
Moreover, it is a great anti-oxidant as well. This means that it promotes fast muscle recovery after intense workouts.
According to research, watermelon is an efficient remedy for muscle soreness and inflammation.
You can have it as a fruit or a dessert. Also, you can drink it as a post-workout energy drink.
#4. Green Veggies
Leafy and green vegetables are the best food for muscle pain relief. They promote easy and better recovery of damaged and sore muscles.
Most important, green vegetables reduce and fight intense pain due to muscle soreness.
Not a lot of people pay attention to this, but dark green vegetables are a table-turner when it comes to anti-inflammatory foods for muscle recovery.
Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are high in anti-inflammatory properties. They contain an effective mineral compound that controls blood sugar too.
Furthermore, green vegetables offer adequate hydration to your muscles and body. This is a much-needed benefit to combat post-strenuous workout soreness.
Including dark green vegetables in the diet can help boost muscle reparation and growth. Also, these veggies help you replenish your energy levels after heavy workouts.
#5. Whole Eggs
Eggs are an excellent source of bioavailable protein. They provide high amounts of protein and nutrients to your muscles.
Regularly eating them after strenuous workouts can be of great help. They assist in better and faster muscle recovery.
Further, the yolk of the egg provides nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to the body. these work specifically for muscle reparation.
Also, studies have shown that eggs contain vitamin a, fatty acids, and selenium. All these components help to synthesize the muscle protein and accelerate muscle recovery.
Although many people prefer to eat only egg whites, it is not always beneficial. Studies suggest eating a whole egg after workouts is even more beneficial.
#6. Coffee
A cup of coffee after or before workouts is the best way to prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
Coffee contains caffeine which blocks the pain receptor-triggering substance, adenosine.
Additionally, coffee is popular to increase muscle power after long workouts. Studies have shown, taking coffee 1 hour before workouts, reduces muscle soreness.
In the case of both men and women, coffee shows better results in men comparatively. The average and optimal dose for a 150-pound person is around 95mg.
Though the effectiveness of caffeine is still under research.
#7. Beetroot Juice
Beet juice is the best natural source of dietary nitrates. These are the substances that promote the transportation of oxygen to your muscles.
Further, dietary nitrates help to enhance the efficiency of mitochondria in the cells. This in turn provides energy to the cells.
Energizing the cells is what helps muscles recover faster. Therefore, taking beet juice regularly along with meals is beneficial for your muscles.
Moreover, many athletes take beet juice 24 hours before any strenuous activity. It helps to relieve their muscle soreness and accelerates muscle repair too.
#8. Starchy Vegetables and Carbs
Starchy vegetables are one of the best anti-inflammatory foods for muscle pain. They contain carbs, which are well-known for their replenishing quality.
After heavy and long workouts, carbs help to rehydrate and repair the body. surprisingly, carbs are a natural source of hydrating your muscle.
Thus, taking enough carbs in your daily diet can help repair and hydrate your muscles. This in turn helps to reduce muscle soreness and inflammation.
Moreover, tissue or muscle recovery is triggered by antioxidants in carbs. However, people with whole-grain and nut allergies should keep carbs at bay.
#9. Black Beans
Black beans are an amazing food to reduce muscle inflammation. Though it is not very popular among people but is effective enough.
Interestingly, one cup of black beans is high in carbs, proteins, and fibers. Also, they are high in antioxidants, which promote faster muscle repair.
Furthermore, you can include black beans in your diet as a side dish or salad. Brewing up some nice hot soup or topping it with tortillas are some mouth-watering options.
#10. Bananas
Bananas are super portable and an incredible source of carbohydrates, potassium, and magnesium.
Each of these nutrients is essential for post-workout muscle recovery.
According to a study, 20 cyclists were engaged in four 75-Kms time trials while ingesting 2 types of bananas with similar CHO but different phenolic content.
As per the reports, CHO ingestion from bananas or sugar beverages has a comparable influence in reducing metabolic perturbation and inflammation.
Bananas are a great quick source of energy and you can add them to your pre-workout meals to improve your performance.
These were the most popular and highly effective muscle-recovery foods. These foods are extremely common and provide excellent results in muscle repair.
They make sure you’re ready for the next heavy workout session without muscle inflammation.
This was about adding anti-inflammatory foods for muscle recovery.
But there is one more thing you must not skip if you want to prevent muscle soreness and pain.
Have you ever thought about…
What to Drink for Muscle Recovery?
As simple as it may sound, water is the most essential element that boosts your body’s internal healing.
There are plenty of protein supplements available for workouts and bodybuilding. But have you ever wondered what to drink for muscle recovery?
If not, ‘water’ is the most optimal answer.
Yes, drinking plenty of water reduces swelling and inflammation in the muscles.
Moreover, it greatly helps to reduce and calm down muscle soreness and cools them off. Water is the best natural cooling agent.
Sometimes, if you don’t drink enough water, your muscles get dehydrated and strained. This might increase the swelling and soreness in them.
Thus, lots of water is extremely needed to reduce inflammation and aid in muscle recovery. additionally better hydration also helps improve muscle protein synthesis.
Inflammation is a natural and vital part of healing. Through this response, your body tries to trigger to heal the tissues.
But one cannot deny that the process is painful and one wants quick recovery for further better performance.
As a result, anti-inflammatory foods for muscle recovery and relief are a must in your workout diet and nutrition.
Time to Rethink your Diet
Muscle inflammation is generally uncomfortable and painful. Hence, it becomes difficult to get ready for the next workout session as well.
Also, if not treated early, it might become a repetitive problem, which is bad for the body.
Therefore, treating and repairing damaged muscles naturally is quite important. To serve this purpose, we have proposed a natural solution in this article.
Many commonly available foods contain anti-inflammatory properties. Such foods help in calming down muscle soreness.
Including such anti-inflammatory foods helps a lot in muscle reparation naturally.
Moreover, daily intake of these food items helps your body to enhance muscle strength. They help in building muscle strength and avoiding inflammation.
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