Building Muscle with Fruit
My understanding is that we don’t need as much protein as we were lead to believe. Even if we are working to grow muscle, our protein requirements are small.
Let’s consider a human baby. For the first few years of their life, new-born babies are growing at a faster rate than any other human ever does in their entire life. We aren’t just talking about muscle growth, but also bones, connective tissue, fluids, and organs.
When we look at a healthy baby’s diet we can see the only thing they consume is their mother’s milk. That milk contains 5% to 7% protein. Why would we need 30% to 40% of our calories from protein as adults? Have we been brainwashed by culture, media advertisements, a deplorable educational system, and corrupt governments with vested economic interests?
Imagine the bodies of frugivores and herbivores such as gorillas, bears, horses, and elephants. Where do they get their protein from? Their diets are based on raw fruits and vegetables.
To understand how fruit can help us grow muscle, we first need to accept that fruit is a complete food containing carbs, fats, and protein, as well as many vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. On average, fruits have a protein content between 3% and 7%.
Antioxidants protect the muscles from oxidative damage. Potassium is used to build muscle, and it helps maintain electrolyte balance. Cantaloupe, bananas, oranges, kiwis, prunes, and dried apricots are packed with these nutrients. They are also loaded with carbs that help fuel our workouts. (1)
Watermelons are another useful addition to an athlete’s body. They are a perfect source of citrulline, an amino acid involved in producing nitric oxide. Bodybuilders rave about nitric oxide since it improves blood flow to muscles, allowing for a greater delivery of recovery nutrients and anabolic compounds. (2) I had impressive results training for a whole week on nothing but watermelons and know of fruit based athletes who use melons regularly to supplement their training. More experiments like this may soon prove the advantages of training on a fruit based diet.
Previews Section:
Fruit Benefit Athletic Performance
Next Section:
Experiments with Fruit Based Diets
Thank you for reading!
Please donate to help us publish this book.
PayPal: trevesbruno@gmail.com
Venmo: @Bruno-Treves
Sources:
(1) http://www.livestrong.com/article/100000-fruit-increases-muscle-growth
(2) http://www.muscleandperformance.com/article/6-muscle-friendly-fruits-5966