Sport

During intense training, the body loses large number fluid as a result of active sweating, reducing blood volume, which is important for obtaining oxygen to muscles and organs, and the supply of electrolytes necessary for muscle contraction.

Rehydration plays a huge role in the body's recovery after exercise. And here a natural question arises: need to drink after training, so as not to harm the body.

In our article we will look at which drinks should not be consumed after a workout and why.

What not to drink after training

1. Sports drinks

Sports energy drinks- this is nothing more than a mixture of salt, sugar, water and dye. Very often, you can find other ingredients in the drink that are credited with energy and fat-burning properties. Most often it is guarana, caffeine, yohimbine, etc. Manufacturers claim that drinking the energy drink will give you a boost of energy and replenish all fluid losses. In a sense this is true. Sugar, as a 100% carbohydrate, is indeed a source of energy for the body, but its effect is unstable and ultimately only harms health. After a quick spike, your energy levels drop and your body does its best to balance out the toxic effects of sugar.

The beneficial effects of other additives may also raise doubts: the effects of guarana on the body have not yet been fully studied, and, for example, caffeine is a diuretic, i.e. a drink containing it will not saturate the cells with moisture, but, on the contrary, will work towards dehydration. Additionally, sports drinks contain a lot of refined salt. This is done to replenish what the body has lost through sweat. However, salt added to sports drinks is not best way restore sodium levels. In large quantities, it can only cause damage to the body, in particular damage the arteries.

2. Alcohol

Another drink that should not be consumed after training is alcohol. The main problem is that it slows down the recovery process by inhibiting the functions of the hormones that are normally involved. Alcohol reduces production male hormone testosterone and protein synthesis, which prevents growth muscle mass. But the production of estrogen, which is responsible for body fat, on the contrary, it increases. Exercise stimulates the production of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase, which helps break down fat. But just 40 g of strong alcohol almost completely inhibits the production of this enzyme. Add to this the increased appetite that alcohol causes, and you will understand that drinking alcohol not only ruins your workouts, but also causes significant harm.

3. Carbonated drinks

Sweet carbonated drinks, as well as sports drinks, contain large amounts of sugar. We have already written above about the harm sugar causes to the body. Sugary carbonated drinks are also bad for the heart. Sometimes phosphoric acid may be used in carbonated waters. It can usually be found in cheap sodas. If you don’t want to wash calcium out of your body, increase bone fragility and worsen your health, give up this drink.

Many people like to drink sparkling mineral water; it seems tastier than regular water. It all depends on the physical activity and the reaction of your body. Due to the carbon dioxide content, carbonated water can cause belching, flatulence or bloating. Also, due to the presence of gas, it takes up more space in the stomach compared to regular water. You can drink soda after exercise if your body tolerates these types of drinks normally. If you are unaccustomed to consuming a new type of liquid, it is necessary in small quantities, monitoring the reaction of the digestive system.

4. Packaged juice

The dangers of packaged juice can be compared to carbonated sweet drinks. A glass of reconstituted orange juice contains as much as 5 tsp. Sahara. With regular consumption of such a product, the risk of developing diabetes increases several times. In addition, packaged juices do not contain the vitamins and healthy fibers found in fruits. Nutritional value The fruit is lost when you juice it, and you end up consuming pure sugar in the form of fructose. Many manufacturers do not skimp on adding various stabilizers and aromatic components to the juice in order to embellish the taste of the concentrate from which the drink is made.

5. Coffee

There is a lot of talk about the benefits of coffee: this drink increases energy levels, gives vigor, and restores strength. Coffee accelerates the removal of lactic acid from muscle tissue. It is this acid that causes nagging muscle pain after training. Caffeine can partially relieve this effect. This is the positive side of coffee. But, in addition to the benefits, drinking caffeine after a workout can also cause harm. Caffeine interferes with the reloading of glycogen into the muscles and liver and the take-up of protein for muscle repair. In addition, caffeine has an stimulating effect on the cardiovascular and nervous system. After training, the whole body is in good shape. Therefore, additional stimulation of the body with caffeine increases the load on the entire body as a whole. This can be dangerous, especially if you have problems with the cardiovascular system.

Scientists conducted four studies in which they compared the speed of muscle recovery after prolonged physical activity when consuming various drinks. After evaluating the data, the researchers found that after consuming cocoa, the athletes' muscles recovered faster than when consuming other liquids.

According to the study authors, cocoa contains the amount of protein necessary for muscle recovery, as well as carbohydrates, which replenish the energy reserves of muscle tissue. In addition, drinking milk allows you to replenish the supply of water and various ions (potassium, calcium and magnesium), which are secreted by the sweat glands during physical activity.

Previously, Australian scientists found that drinking sweet coffee is also good for muscle recovery. Caffeine helps muscles metabolize glucose and significantly increases the rate at which muscle glycogen is restored after strenuous exercise. In addition, the results of other studies also indicate the benefits of milk for athletes.

Nutritional value and chemical composition"Cocoa powder."

The table shows the nutritional content (calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals) per 100 g of edible portion.
Calories Cocoa powder
Calories (Calories): 289 (kcal)

Nutritional value
Calories: 289 (kcal)
Proteins: 24.3 (g)
Fat: 15 (g)
Carbohydrates: 10.2 (g)
Dietary fiber: 35.3 (g)
Organic acids: 3.9 (g)
Water: 5 (g)
Mono- and disaccharides: 2 (g)
Starch: 8.2 (g)
Ash: 6.3 (g)
Saturated fatty acids: 9 (g)

What vitamins are in Cocoa powder
Vitamin PP: 1.8 (mg)
Beta-carotene: 0.02 (mg)
Vitamin A (RE): 3 (mcg)
Vitamin B1 (thiamine): 0.1 (mg)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 0.2 (mg)
Vitamin B3 (pantothenic): 1.5 (mg)
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): 0.3 (mg)
Vitamin B9 (folate): 45 (mcg)
Vitamin E (TE): 0.3 (mg)
Vitamin PP (Niacin equivalent): 6.8 (mg)

Macronutrients
Calcium: 128 (mg)
Magnesium: 425 (mg)
Sodium: 13 (mg)
Potassium: 1509 (mg)
Phosphorus: 655 (mg)
Chlorine: 28 (mg)
Sulfur: 80 (mg)

Microelements
Iron: 22 (mg)
Zinc: 7.1 (mg)
Copper: 4550 (µg)
Manganese: 4.625 (mg)
Fluoride: 245 (mcg)
Molybdenum: 56 (µg)

There is too much wonderful food in the world that is difficult to give up in favor of a healthy diet. For many, goodies are the most important thing in life, including chocolate.

Some people periodically adhere to proper nutrition and temporarily lose weight, but eventually return to their original weight due to sugar cravings.

It's hard to believe, but dark chocolate, unlike other confectionery products, may even help you lose weight. But how is this possible?

The Power of Epicatechin

Dark chocolate contains a magical ingredient called epicatechin. This natural chemical compound belongs to the group of flavonoids and is found in high concentrations in cocoa beans. Flavonoids improve health and performance. The darker the chocolate and the less processed it is, the more flavonoids it contains.

As for milk chocolate, it consists mostly of sugar, so it does not have the beneficial properties inherent in dark chocolate.

Recently, experts have been actively studying the effects of epicatechin on health. Research has found that it is a powerful antioxidant and may reduce the risk of stroke, cancer and certain metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

A Harvard Medical School researcher has discovered that the Kuna Indians living in Panama are virtually immune to disease. cardiovascular system thanks to regular consumption of cocoa-based drinks.

In addition to being found in dark chocolate, flavonoids are also available as a dietary supplement.

Let's talk in more detail about the benefits of flavonoids for the body.

Increased blood flow and nitric oxide synthesis

Long-term endurance training is not everyone's cup of tea. However, we all need to be active to keep our bodies in good shape. If you like to exercise, you can treat yourself to chocolate!

Epicatechin stimulates vasodilation, or widening of blood vessels. As a result, blood circulation is activated, blood pressure is reduced and athletic performance is improved. Thus, by including dark chocolate in your diet, you will get the maximum benefits from your workouts.

In addition, flavonoids increase the level of nitric oxide in the blood, suppressing the activity of enzymes that destroy them.

Nitric oxide is useful to an athlete because it stimulates the formation of satellite cells that repair damaged muscle fibers after intense training.

The importance of this process increases as the body ages, because as the body ages, the body produces fewer and fewer satellite cells, causing muscle tears to take longer to heal.

Dark chocolate has one more property that will surely interest adults with a sweet tooth: flavonoids act on the body like Viagra!

Strengthening muscles and accelerating weight gain

Muscle growth is regulated by a peptide called myostatin. It limits the growth of muscle tissue to prevent hypertrophy (overdevelopment of the organ). By suppressing the action of myostanin, it is possible to significantly accelerate muscle mass gain, but artificial drugs with a similar effect do not yet exist.

Athletes often use anabolic steroids in pursuit of rapid muscle growth, but their abuse can result in serious hormonal disorders.

Myostatin has an antagonist - follistanin. It interrupts the signals that myostanin sends nervous system. These two regulatory proteins interact to achieve homeostasis (internal balance). As a result, muscles grow, but more slowly than athletes want.

According to a recent study, flavonoids stimulate the synthesis of follistatin, as a result of which the counteraction of myostatin is weakened. naturally, without the use of anabolic steroids.

Regulating Blood Glucose Levels

Insulin is one of the key hormones when it comes to gaining muscle mass or burning fat. It displaces glucose from the bloodstream and triggers protein synthesis in muscle cells.

Constantly elevated levels of insulin in the blood provoke insulin resistance, and the hormone loses its regulatory properties. This can lead to a number of serious diseases such as diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.

Epicatechin increases insulin sensitivity and helps the hormone lower blood glucose levels. In turn, proper functioning of insulin provides the athlete with rapid recovery and weight gain.

Increased stamina

This property of flavonoids requires additional confirmation, as it was revealed during animal experiments. In particular, an experiment conducted by scientists from The Journal of Physiology showed that a daily dose of epicatechin significantly increased the endurance of rats.

The animals coped with more intense physical activity and remained active longer. In addition, the rats showed increased endurance even without exercise while they continued to be given the flavonoid supplement.

Many people believe that sweet, tasty food cannot be healthy.

You shouldn’t divide food into “bad” and “good”, but rather look at the pleasure and nutrients you get from food. Today we will talk about the beneficial properties of dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate not only has a great taste, it is also useful for losing weight and building muscle mass.

Dark chocolate owes its magical properties mainly to epicatechin, one of the natural substances - flavonoids contained in cocoa beans. The darker the chocolate and the less processed it is, the higher the concentration of flavonoids.

That's why beneficial properties dark chocolate do not apply to milk chocolate and varieties with a cocoa mass fraction of less than 70%. In addition, chocolate must be produced without alkali treatment, since alkalization reduces the concentration of flavonoids by 60%.

Good dark chocolate

The healing properties of epicatechin are a highly relevant topic of recent research. For starters, it is a powerful antioxidant.

Some studies show it also reduces the risk of stroke, cancer and some metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Thus, dark chocolate is equally beneficial for both men who want to gain muscle mass and women who, as a rule, want to lose weight.

Scientists from Harvard University Medical School have found that the indigenous population South America Those who consume a very large amount of a drink made from natural cocoa beans are much less likely to suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system.

What are the benefits of dark chocolate for women?

Let's start from afar and talk about the hormones of happiness - endorphins. How does chocolate make us feel? Pleasure? It has been proven that eating chocolate lifts your mood, calms you down, and alleviates feelings of loneliness. When receiving this delicacy, our body produces endorphins.

A large amount of serotonin is released if you periodically treat yourself to dark chocolate. Serotonin relieves stress, has a positive effect on sleep and appetite, and creates a feeling of pleasure. Just remember, there is no direct proportional relationship between the amount of chocolate eaten and the strength of the pleasure received. The “formula” rather boils down to the following: a healthy, self-satisfied, benevolent and joyful person attracts good luck to himself.

Dark chocolate for appetite suppression

Epicatechin stimulates the production of ghrelin, a hormone that suppresses appetite by transmitting satiety signals to the brain. This helps you avoid overeating.

Chocolate for regulating blood sugar

Insulin, as you know, is responsible for removing glucose from the bloodstream and triggering protein synthesis in muscle cells. Excessive concentrations of insulin lead to insulin resistance, which prevents the removal of glucose from the bloodstream.

This condition can lead to a number of serious diseases, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Epicatechin, found in large quantities in dark chocolate, accelerates the elimination of glucose and increases insulin sensitivity, stabilizing blood glucose levels.

Dark chocolate promotes testosterone production

Firstly, consuming dark chocolate has a positive effect on the production of the main male hormone - testosterone. Epicatechin stimulates the pituitary gland, which signals an increase in the secretion of two hormones: gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). As a result, testosterone production increases, which increases muscle strength and volume, as well as sexual function. Increasing testosterone production will benefit those who train intensely with weights the most.

Dark chocolate as a vasodilator

Another interesting feature of healthy dark chocolate for the elderly - flavonoids from natural cocoa beans increase blood flow, similar to the popular pharmaceutical drug Viagra. In other words, cocoa acts as a natural vasodilator and helps maintain sexual activity longer.

Long-term endurance training is obviously not for everyone, but if you like to exercise, you'll love it - epicatechin stimulates the dilation of blood vessels. The result is increased blood flow and circulation, lowered blood pressure and improved athletic performance.

Increased muscle growth

Flavonoids also increase nitric oxide levels by inhibiting the enzymes that break it down. Nitric oxide is very beneficial because it stimulates the growth of satellite cells, which repair damaged muscle tissue after high-intensity training. The significance of this property only increases with age, since in older people the production of satellite cells decreases, which automatically slows down the recovery of muscle tissue after damage.

Myostatin is a protein that inhibits muscle growth and differentiation, it stops hypertrophy. Suppression of myostatin leads to a significant acceleration of muscle growth. And myostatin has an antagonist: follistatin, a regulatory protein that suppresses myostatin signals. Both proteins influence each other until homeostasis (balance in the body) is achieved. The result is significant, but not excessive, muscle growth that natural athletes strive for. Recent studies on epicatechin have shown that consumption of flavonoids stimulates the production of follistatin. Myostatin levels decrease naturally and muscle growth accelerates without side effects typical when taking anabolic steroids.

Strengthening muscle endurance

This point is being tested because the experiments were only carried out on animals. An experiment on rats described in The Journal of Physiology showed that a daily dose of epicatechin significantly increased their endurance. They were able to complete more exercises over a longer period of time.

Increased stamina in rodents as a result of administration food additives persisted even after the cessation of daily exercise. Although such an experiment has not yet been conducted in humans, the results of the study look promising for the human body. This effect can be very useful for athletes in decline.

How much dark chocolate should (and can) you eat?
To obtain a general health effect, the daily dose of dark chocolate can be about 30 grams (but remember that 100 g of dark chocolate contains 550 kcal). Remember that it must contain at least 70-85% cocoa.

If you are losing weight, you can reduce this dosage and vice versa: to increase muscle mass and strength, the dosage should be increased to 40-50 grams of dark chocolate per day.

By the way, epicatechin can be taken not only in the form of dark chocolate, but also as a sports supplement, 100-300 mg daily.

Conclusion

Although the prospects for dark chocolate and epicatechin look bright, research into these substances is still ongoing. If you want to consume dark chocolate to accelerate muscle growth, then the rest of your diet should support this goal. You can't eat haphazardly, not watch your calories and protein, and expect dark chocolate to do all the work for you.

Some of us periodically switch to healthy eating to reduce the percentage of body fat, but eventually return to the original level due to cravings for sweets. Do you know the benefits of dark chocolate? Not only does it taste great, it is beneficial for both weight loss and muscle building. The website MasMaster.ru translated an article from the American publication Muscle & Strength about the physiological effect that dark chocolate produces on our body.

Dark chocolate owes its magical properties mainly to epicatechin, one of the natural substances - flavonoids contained in cocoa beans. Flavonoids are substances that can improve our health. The darker the chocolate and the less processed it is, the higher the concentration of flavonoids. Therefore, the beneficial properties of dark chocolate do not apply to milk chocolate and varieties with a cocoa mass fraction of less than 70%, which also contain too much sugar.

The healing properties of epicatechin are a highly relevant topic of recent research. For starters, it is a powerful antioxidant. Some studies show it reduces the risk of stroke, cancer and some metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Thus, dark chocolate is equally beneficial for both men who want to gain muscle mass and women who, as a rule, want to lose weight. Scientists from Harvard University Medical School have found that the indigenous population of South America, who consume very large quantities of a drink made from natural cocoa beans, are much less likely to suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Dark chocolate and cocoa are the richest sources of flavonoids and epicatechin. The only thing to consider is that healthy chocolate must contain at least 70% cocoa, and preferably 80-85%, in order to neutralize the negative effect of sugar on metabolism. In addition, chocolate must be produced without alkali treatment, since alkalization reduces the concentration of flavonoids by 60%, reducing the product's benefits and therapeutic effect. Regarding healing properties and therapeutic effect, we list the main ones.

How is dark chocolate useful for women when losing weight?

Let's start from afar and talk about the hormones of happiness - endorphins. How does chocolate make us feel? Pleasure? It has been proven that taking it lifts your mood, calms you down, and alleviates feelings of loneliness. When receiving this delicacy, our body produces endorphins. Thus, serotonin relieves stress, affects sleep and appetite, and creates a feeling of pleasure. A large amount of it is released if you periodically treat yourself to dark chocolate. Just remember, there is no direct proportional relationship between the amount of chocolate eaten and the strength of the pleasure received. The “formula” rather boils down to the following: a healthy, self-satisfied, benevolent and joyful person attracts good luck to himself. So how can chocolate be beneficial for weight loss?

Appetite suppression

Epicatechin stimulates the production of ghrelin, a hormone that suppresses appetite by transmitting satiety signals to the brain. Overeating always negatively affects fat burning processes in the body, as well as muscle growth. Yes, not only men need muscles. Maintaining muscle mass requires a huge amount of calories every day. Women are afraid of huge muscles, but due to their hormonal status they are simply not inclined to gain them. That's why strength training and a certain amount of muscle will only help you lose weight and/or maintain your figure - this has long been known and is no secret to anyone. But back to epicatechin, it enhances ghrelin's ability to suppress appetite and indirectly improves weight control.

Blood sugar regulation

Insulin is one of the main hormones for burning fat and muscle growth. It is responsible for removing glucose from the bloodstream and triggering protein synthesis in muscle cells. Excessive concentrations of insulin lead to insulin resistance, which prevents the removal of glucose from the bloodstream. This condition can lead to a number of serious diseases, such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Epicatechin, found in large quantities in dark chocolate, accelerates the elimination of glucose and increases insulin sensitivity, stabilizing blood glucose levels. It’s good if dark chocolate is the only treat (other than fruit) in your diet.

What are the benefits of dark chocolate for men?

Firstly, consuming dark chocolate has a positive effect on the production of the main male hormone - testosterone. Epicatechin stimulates the pituitary gland, which signals an increase in the secretion of two hormones: gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). As a result, testosterone production increases, which indirectly increases muscle strength and endurance, enhances muscle growth and sexual function. Increasing testosterone production will provide the greatest benefit to men who train intensely with weights.

Another interesting feature of healthy dark chocolate for the elderly to note is that flavonoids from natural cocoa beans increase blood flow, similar to the popular pharmaceutical drug Viagra. In other words, cocoa acts as a natural vasodilator and helps maintain sexual activity longer.

Increased blood flow and nitric oxide production

Increased muscle growth

Myostatin is a protein that inhibits muscle growth and differentiation, it stops hypertrophy (excess tissue growth). Suppression of myostatin leads to a significant acceleration of muscle growth, but this effect is not yet achievable artificially. A popular method of accelerating muscle growth is the use of steroids, but they have unwanted hormonal side effects. It is important for us to know something else - myostatin has an antagonist.

This is follistatin, a regulatory protein that suppresses myostatin signals. Both proteins influence each other until homeostasis (balance in the body) is achieved. The result is significant, but not excessive, muscle growth that natural athletes strive for. Recent studies on epicatechin have shown that consumption of flavonoids stimulates the production of follistatin. Myostatin levels are naturally reduced and muscle growth is accelerated without the side effects associated with anabolic steroids.

Strengthening muscle endurance

This point is being tested because the experiments were only carried out on animals. An experiment on rats conducted by The Journal of Physiology showed that a daily dose of epicatechin significantly increased their endurance. They were able to complete more exercises over a longer period of time. The increased endurance of the rodents as a result of taking nutritional supplements persisted after the withdrawal of daily exercise. Although such an experiment has not yet been conducted in humans, the results of the study look promising for the human body. This effect can be very useful for athletes in decline.

Dosage of epicatechin, or How much dark chocolate to eat?

So, epicatechin can be used for several main purposes: to harmonize the state of mind and suppress hunger, to accelerate muscle growth and stimulate anabolism, for the general health of the body as an antioxidant or nitric oxide booster. For overall health benefits, the ideal daily dose of dark chocolate is about 30 grams. Remember that it must contain at least 70-85% cocoa.

If you are losing weight, initially reduce this dosage by half. To increase muscle mass and strength, the dosage must be increased to 40-50 grams of dark chocolate per day. Many active athletes who consume 50 to 100 grams of dark chocolate before exercise report an incredible pump as a result of increased blood flow and nitric oxide production. So, dark chocolate is a good food to eat when you're pumping because it's high in calories and healthy saturated fat. Epicatechin can also be taken as a sports supplement at 100-300 mg daily.

Conclusion

Although the prospects for dark chocolate and epicatechin look bright, research into these substances is still ongoing. If you want to consume dark chocolate to accelerate muscle growth, then the rest of your diet should support this goal: promoting cardiovascular health, speeding recovery, improving insulin control, and so on. You can't eat fast food and expect dark chocolate to do all the work for you.

As a result of the emergence of more and more new data on the benefits of flavonoids, the reputation of dark chocolate is changing before our eyes - it is not only a sweet treat, but also a product useful for the body. It is widely believed that sweet and delicious products excluded when healthy life, but in the case of dark chocolate it may turn out that there are exceptions.

What is better to drink after training: drinks and recipes. How dark chocolate helps you lose weight and grow muscles What are the benefits of cocoa for bodybuilding