What does your body need to be in shape?
No, not in shape, as in, looking good. I mean in shape, as in, being healthy, fit, and mentally focused.
Well, exercise, for one thing. Right?
How about healthy food? How important is a healthy diet, really? Could it determine your weight? Check.
Could it determine your mood? Check.
Could it determine your ability to ward off illness and disease? Check.
Could it determine how old you look? Check.
Could it determine what you crave, how much stamina you have, and how fast your physical and mental reflexes are? Check, check, check, and check.
So, what are the best foods for endurance athletes? What is the best way to get in shape and stay there? This one’s easy. It’s called a vegan diet.
Feed your muscles what they yearn for.
The human body was not built to digest and process certain things. Processed foods are one of those things. While not all, most processed foods revolve around meats or animal byproducts.
These animal byproducts add unnecessary fats and other things your body can (and should) do without.
Processed meats have been deemed a definite cause of cancer by an international body that has conducted years and years of research. Red meat all on its own is classified as a “probable” source of cancer. Bacon has been classified as a Class 1 Carcinogen along side tobacco, arsenic, and pesticides. This alone tells you that meat, processed meat, and animal byproducts are not good for you. Plain and simple.
In fact, it could possibly give you cancer. I know it’s not a pleasant thought, but it’s a fact nonetheless. A fact that most people would much rather just ignore. Because to address it would mean to change the way you eat and live. Once you accept this fact, you can’t go back to the way things were.
In any respect, your muscles yearn for pure vitamins and minerals. By avoiding fats, processed foods and meats of any kind (including animal byproducts such as cheese, milk and others), and eating only whole foods, you will be directly feeding your muscles what they crave – what they need.
Stay focused longer and more driven.
While we’re on the subject, foods that contain animal byproducts, let alone meats, are difficult for the body to fully digest and convert their caloric units into energy.
In fact, the energy it takes your body to derive the energy from meats is so low, a simple salad would actually provide you with more usable energy.
Yep, you heard that right.
A burger that has 2,000 calories would cause your digestive system to work so hard to process that food in order to convert the calories into usable energy, the actual energy loss is massive. That’s why you are tired after eating foods like that instead of feeling energetic. Kind of counterproductive, right?
A salad on the other hand may only contain about 500 calories. But, your body will put forth minimal effort to process the salad and convert that 500 calories into usable energy. So, you spent less energy processing and converting, and derived the full 500 calories. Therefore, you end up with more usable energy.
This energy is used not just by your body, but your mind, as well.
This pure and complete energy source now gives your brain an abundance of energy, resulting in more focus. With this additional focus and strength and energy, your drive will never be stronger.
In closing
By giving your body what it needs, you will avoid toxins that cause inflammation, illness and disease, your muscles will grow stronger, you will have more energy, drive, and focus.
You will be truly in shape.
