Peppers and Onions vs. Asparagus for Bodybuilders

For bodybuilders trying to liven up their meal plans during a cutting phase (where you are trying to enhance muscular definition and leanness), you want flavor without unwanted calories (unless you are a hard gainer, where you are trying to pack on calories all the time). Broccoli is a favorite, but I almost never hear any weight training gurus talk about three veggies in particular:  green peppers, onions, and asparagus.

Why Veggies Are Important To Bodybuilders

Before we jump into those three, a brief reminder is in order:  whole foods are critical to a healthy diet.  Sure, there are great supplements out there for protein and general vitamins.  And there are even “greens” supplements which supposedly replace some portion of your veggie intake.  But you get a lot of benefit from eating the whole, fresh veggies.

First off, the nutrient power in many fruits and vegetables degrades after being exposed to the air.  Second, they taste better fresh.  Third, you get secondary benefits from eating the whole food (like fiber) that you don’t get so much from veggie replacements.  And unless you are a robot, you need variety in your diet.  (Mike Geary devotes 44 pages to diet in The Truth About 6-Pack Abs, and a big chunk of that concerns eating whole, unprocessed foods.)

Also, just to be clear, vegetables are carbs.  I’m constantly amazed when people claim surprise to learn that the nutritional content of veggies is mostly carbs.  Most veggies are good carbs (not starches) but they are carbs nonetheless.  If you are trying to reduce carbs, then you want to pick veggies lower in natural sugars.

Peppers and Onions – Easy and Yummy

Peppers and onions are used in many dishes throughout the world – and for good reason.  They add color and flavor, making meals more appetizing.  Let’s talk first about raw onions.

Onions

Raw onions contain quercetin, shown to promote the burning of bodyfat in animal studies. Quercetin is also an antioxidant.  (Aside – antioxidants fight free radicals; excessive free radicals can impair your immune system and reduce muscle growth.)

Some people worry about the relatively high calories and sugars in onions (compared to other veggies that is; on the whole, onions are still pretty low cal).  But the truth is, they are so strong tasting that most likely you aren’t going to have enough in a day to really make much of an impact on your caloric intake for the day.  And your breath will likely stink, giving you some social pressure to refrain from having them with every meal!  For the full nutrition value, see the Nutrition Data site.

Onions can be good after a workout to assist in loading muscles your post-workout protein and carbs. I favor red onions myself.  Eat them raw, like in a salad or on a lean burger if possible.  If you cook them, the longer you cook the less benefit you’ll get.  And be careful of what you cook them in!  I use a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil, some black pepper and garlic powder sprinkled on top.

Peppers

Green peppers are similar in some respects to onions, but peppers have about half the carbs and half the calories (and less than half the taste!).  Similar antioxidant properties. If you’re older, you might be interested to hear that the vitamin content in peppers has been linked to reduced incidence of cataracts.  Prepare peppers the way you prepare onions.  Check out the nutrition data.  Note that red bell peppers have more overall vitamins.

Eat Your Asparagus

I have no idea why asparagus isn’t at the top of every bodybuilder’s list!  I love asparagus.  But for some of you, it might take some getting used to.  Yet the benefits of liking this “twig” as one of my friends calls them, are worth the time to acquire the taste.

Asparagus is

• low calorie
• low carb
• high protein (for a veggie)
• full of vitamins

One cup has only 27 calories, 5g total carbs (3 of which are fiber!), zero fat, and packs in 3g of protein!  And unlike some veggies, it actually fills you up (the techies say it has high “satiety”).  It does have a downside – your urine will smell funny.  Small price to pay though.

Plus, it contains a unique antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione – get this – helps produce a quasi-hormone messenger called prostaglandins, which, in turn, influences growth.

To prepare, I rinse them, and break off the bottom ends of the stalk (that part doesn’t contain the nutrients, and is really rough to chew).  Then, while they are wet, I throw them in a bowl and microwave them for about 1 minute – just so that they are warm and a little easier to chew.  It’s really fast and easy.  If you aren’t already including asparagus into your bodybuilding diet, you should.

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Related posts:

1. Eating To Gain Muscle Or Lose Fat – It’s Almost The Same
2. Eat Like This To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time – conclusion
3. On The Road – Day 6

Tags: bodybuilding food