Eating a sweet potato post-workout is ideal as they contain copper, which can help replenish energy levels and protect the cardiovascular, nervous and skeletal system. It also strengthens the tendons needed to lift weights. Just one cup of baked sweet potato contains 36% of your daily copper needs.
1 - Helps to increase muscle mass
Building muscle mass requires proper exercise and a diet rich in fiber and carbohydrates. The sweet potato is perfectly suited for this type of objective in bodybuilding. Moreover, it is also of great help during the period of dryness.
Sweet potatoes feature in many a bodybuilder's daily diet. Alongside rice, potatoes, oats and pasta, sweet potatoes are a top source of carbohydrate, meaning they're a good source of energy for anyone hitting it hard in the gym.
Bodybuilders should regulate carbohydrate intake, as low intake leads to decreased training quality and hormonal imbalance. One large size (5 inch) sweet potato is enough for you per serving, as it accounts for 38g of carbs.
Overall, they're pretty evenly matched: both contain strikingly similar amounts of calories, protein, carbs and fat. In the content of a couple of key minerals, though, white potatoes are the winner.
Eating a sweet potato post-workout is ideal as they contain copper, which can help replenish energy levels and protect the cardiovascular, nervous and skeletal system. It also strengthens the tendons needed to lift weights. Just one cup of baked sweet potato contains 36% of your daily copper needs.
White Potatoes
A medium-sized 150 gram white potato with the skin provides copious amounts of vitamin C and B6, and nearly twice the potassium of a medium sized banana. They are also a good source of complex carbohydrates, providing energy for higher intensity exercise like resistance training.
“Eating a sweet potato post-workout is ideal as they contain copper, which can help maintain healthy muscle tissue and replenish energy levels. Sweet potatoes also contain vitamin C which helps to prevent muscle catabolism (the breakdown of muscle tissue).”
Bodybuilding requires both appropriate exercise and proper nutrition, and taking good care of your body through nutrient-rich foods can go far. Choose healthy preparation methods for sweet potatoes, such as baking, boiling or grilling with the skin on for maximum nutritional perks.
Sweet potato is an excellent source of beta carotene which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Beta carotene is an antioxidant which protects the body from free radicals which damage cells and promote disease.
Carotenoids present in sweet potatoes are helpful to prevent getting cancer like prostate cancer in males. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant that may help to prevent and reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
High fiber: Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber that helps the body in many ways. Fiber improves digestion, prevents constipation, promotes regularity, and maintains good gut health. It also lowers the risk of type II diabetes. Regulate blood pressure: Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium.
While both our experts say eating a sweet potato a day is certainly healthy, they don't recommend more than that, since there are plenty of other vegetables to enjoy too. “If you're eating more than one a day, you might want to consider varying up your food choices so you get a variety of nutrients,” Rizzo says.
Brown rice is the better option at most times of the day because the carbs it contains are less likely to be stored as body fat compared with those found in white rice.
Sweet potatoes are rich in fibre, which can help you lose weight and belly fat. The high fibre content of sweet potatoes makes you feel 'full' after your meal, helping you stick to a calorie-restricted diet. The root vegetable also contains a specific kind of fibre called resistant starch.
Sports dietitian and owner-director of Nutrition Energy in New York City Lauren Antonucci, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., C.D.E., C.D.N., recommends consuming half your metric body weight in grams of carbohydrates after exercise—which means a single sweet potato will put you well on your way to recovery.
While there is no set limit on how many sweet potatoes can be consumed in a day, you should ideally not eat more than 3 or 4 pieces of sweet potatoes in a single day. As sweet potatoes contain a lot of carbohydrates and sugar, consuming too many of it on a daily basis can lead to quick weight gain.
While not as readily available as regular steak, bison is an extremely lean source of protein and will work well with any muscle-building program. For a 100 gram serving, bison comes in at just 2.42 grams of fat, which is almost as lean as chicken, which offers 2 grams of fat for the same serving size.
They're Both High in Protein
Your humble sausage contains 11g of muscle-building protein and a slice of bacon packs 10g, which is ideal for adding inches to your biceps. You need 1.6g of protein per kilo of bodyweight everyday to bulk up, according to nutritionist Scott Baptie.
Sweet Potatoes: Workouts can deplete glycogen stores so it's important to consume carbs afterwards to rebuild those stores. Sweet potatoes are a quality carb that are full of potassium. They also provide nutrients that help boost immunity post workout. Other quality carbs include oatmeal and fruit.