Food
synergy occurs when individual components within foods work together in the
body to maximize health and training benefits. “The total is greater than the sum of the parts”. To get
more nutritional bang from your pre-exercise snack, try pairing spinach and
blueberries.
Spinach can help you through a tough gym workout. Research shows that nitrates present in leafy greens help muscles work more
efficiently during exercise. AND
blueberries contain loads of antioxidants that have been proven to ease muscle
oxidative stress and inflammation in response to exercise. A perfect
match. So load up on these before
hitting the gym. Try this tasty
smoothie recipe before your next workout.
Blueberry and Spinach Smoothie
1 ½ cups coconut water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
½ cup plain low fat yogurt,
greek
1 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp unsalted almonds
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp almond extract
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
Place all ingredients into a
blender in the order listed, and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
1 serving : 307 calories, 15 g protein, 7 g fat, 51 g carbs,
10 g fiber, 405 mg sodium
Estelle L. Benoit, RD, LDN
Source: IDEA Fitness Journal