The Best Foods For Contest Dieting Come Right From Mother Nature…

The 5 best foods for contest dieting are so easy and delicious.  Eating high-quality natural foods packed with nutrients is the key to successful fat loss, muscle gain and contest dieting.  The best foods for a contest diet can literally ENERGIZE your cells with vitamins and minerals, the key ingredients your body needs to fuel activities and workouts so you can achieve a total body transformation.

Not only that, the correct foods actually boost your immune function and can slow down the aging process, you know, wrinkles, graying hair, all that stuff you start to worry about as the birthdays pass.  So, let’s discuss theses high-quality, nutrient-dense foods that amp-up your immune system, give you energy and zap the body fat.

Try This Indigo Fruit

If the FDA knew the benefits of blueberries they would stamp this super fruit as a controlled substance.  Really, blueberries are jam-packed with powerful antioxidants to protect your cells from free radicals.   Not only that; these little berries are full of vitamin C to keep your immune system running in high-gear, and they contain some cancer fighting elements. And let’s not forget that they contain fiber to keep you full for the long-haul.

A cup of blueberries has a meager 85 calories.  They are sweet tasting which make it hard to believe that they are actually good for you!  Another little interesting fact is that blueberries can help reduce body fat and a fatty liver.  Honestly, you can’t go wrong with this little blue berry.

This fruit is usually fresh and in season from June to August.  Fresh is best, but frozen is fine too.  These are on top of the list of the best foods for contest dieting.

Blueberry Recipes

Blueberry Freeze Drops

Toss a cup of blueberries in the freezer for about an hour for a frozen yummy treat.

These are GREAT when it’s hot outside to give you a quick body cool down rather than reaching for the ice cream.

Blueberry Protein Shake

Put 1 cup of blueberries in a blender with 1 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt, ½ of a banana, a scoop of egg protein and blend until smooth.

Add ice and blend until it thickens up into a thick smoothie.

These make a great high-protein, low-calorie shake as a snack or a post-training treat.

Try This Melon on For Size

Watermelon is an interesting food.  Oddly, it can be categorized as a fruit and as a vegetable.  It keeps you hydrated due to its rich water content.  It’s roughly92% water.  In fact, watermelon contains so much water that when you do eat it, you will feel rather full pretty quickly.  This will prevent you from eating those forbidden refined sugars that pack on the pounds.

A cup of watermelon constitutes about 46 calories.  That’s crazy low for all its benefits.  For one, watermelon is packed with vitamins A, C, and some B vitamins, mostly vitamin B6.

Watermelons are typically in season from May through August.  During these months is when you will find your best tasting ones.

Watermelon Recipe

AsIs Watermelon

Chill a watermelon.

Cut and slice it, and serve it up.

Add salt for taste.  Personally, I like the Lime Salt on watermelon for a tasty kick.

Watermelon Salsa
2 cloves of garlic – diced
1 tsp. cilantro – chopped
2 tsp. jalapeño – mince
½ onion – diced
2 cups of watermelon – chopped
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt – to taste

Mix all the ingredients above for a kickin’ and guilt-free salsa.

Beet Your Veggies

Beets can be the ultimate chill pill.  They have betaine, an element that can relax you and relieve depression.  Not only that, they also contain tryptophan, an ingredient that is also contained in dark chocolate, which helps put you in a “feel good” mood.  So, the next time you are feeling beat, reach for the beets.

Beets are also a healthy food to eat, as they contain fiber, vitamin C, and folate.  The variety of nutrients contained in beets enhances your body’s function at the cellular level via mitochondrial support to assist with delivering nutrients necessary for DNA synthesis and general electrical functions.

A cup of beets is only 59 calories.  While this vegetable is a bit higher in sugar, it just adds sweetness since the sugar in fruits and veggies.  The sugar in beets is released slowly and does not affect the insulin the same way refined sugar does.  Beets are excellent to add to your soup and even natural juices. Beets are on top of the list of the best foods for contest dieting.

This veggie is in season from June to October, that’s when they taste the best.

Beet Recipe

Roasted Beet Salad
1 cup of beets
1 bag of green salad spinach mix
¼ cup of goat cheese
¼ cup of diced cherry tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar

Roast 1 cup of beets and serve with a green salad spinach mix.

Blend in goat cheese and diced cherry tomatoes.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Try This Pepper Instead

Red bell peppers are on top of the list for one of the best foods for contest dieting because one red bell pepper provides 140% of your RDA of vitamins a and C.  It’s also a good source of vitamins B6 and E. Talk about a powerful vitamin punch!  Another little plus, one red bell pepper has a whopping 30 calories.  Can you believe that’s all?

This mighty super veggie has immune boost qualities, antioxidants, and helps to keep your skin soft, supple and youthful.  Let’s not forget that this awesome vegetable helps to lower bad cholesterol, manages diabetes, and can help reduce pain and inflammation.

Want more interesting red pepper facts?  It has a great tangy, yet sweet flavor that mixes well with salsas, dips, salads, omelets, stir-fry dishes, etc.  In fact, if you cook your red peppers on low heat for a short amount of time, it ill help to train most of their sweetness.  You really can’t go wrong adding this to a dish.  This pepper is best during the August through October months.

Red Bell Pepper Recipe

Dipping Wedges

Slice a red bell pepper into wedges and dip in your favorite hummus.

Fragaria

Fragaria is the plant from which strawberries come from.  Just ½ cup of strawberries contains only 50 calories, a hefty amount of vitamin C, and 3 grams of fiber to keep you feeling satisfied longer.  Also, strawberries contain vitamins B6 and K as well as potassium, folic acid and amino acids.

Strawberries have increased levels of nitrate which can increase blood and oxygen flow to your muscles. Studies show that those who eat strawberries prior to working out have more endurance and burn more calories overall.

Nibbling on this fruit will help you to avoid those refined sweet temptations such as cake, cookies, and ice creams because it’s jam-packed with nutrients and fiber.

This berry is best from May through June.  Wait and wash them off before you eat them because rinsing them increases the spoiling process.  Frozen strawberries are fine, but fresh are best.  Strawberries are one of the best foods for contest dieting.

Strawberry Recipe

Strawberry Smoothie
4-6 large strawberries
¼ cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
½ scoop vanilla egg protein (Optimum)
Water
Ice

Combine strawberries, yogurt, egg protein, and water and blend well.

Add ice for a thick texture.

Serve and enjoy.

More Recipes To Get You Lean

Those are the best foods for contest dieting.  By including these natural fruits and veggies into your diet plan you can gain health, boost body fat, and rev-up your metabolism.