During yoga, the brain and muscles need an adequate supply of oxygen and glucose to function at their best. To do this, the simplest way is before you exercise, eat some good food for increasing blood circulation.
What to eat before practicing yoga is a very common concern of many people. According to yoga experts, it is best, before practicing, to prepare yourself a snack with foods that help increase blood circulation.
This is to meet the oxygen and glucose needs the body needs during the workout. However, which foods have the effect of increasing blood circulation? Immediately see the sharing below of easyhealthylive.com to get the answer.
The importance of increasing blood circulation before yoga
Most yoga experts recommend finding ways to increase blood circulation before entering a practice session so that practicing yoga brings the most benefits to both body and mind.
When blood circulation is stable, the brain will be continuously supplied with oxygen to improve attention, spatial awareness and motor control. This will help you focus more on your movements as well as maintain balance and coordination.
Oxygen is also important for energy production. Muscles get their energy from cellular respiration (the process by which oxygen breaks down glucose to produce cellular energy – ATP).
Therefore, if you are provided with oxygen continuously, your body will have enough energy, you will avoid fatigue and exhaustion during exercise. This is especially important if you take fast-paced yoga classes that require constant movement.
Snacking with foods that help increase blood circulation is very important before practicing yoga
To meet the body’s oxygen needs, a pre-workout snack with foods that help increase blood circulation will be a useful solution because this will work:
- Dilate blood vessels
- Hypotension
- Strengthens and enhances the functions of the heart
- Reduce oxygen loss during exercise
- Prevent fatigue and burnout
- Prevent blood vessel constriction
6 foods to increase blood circulation you should eat before exercise
Here are 6 very useful blood-boosting foods that you can consider adding to your snack menu:
1. Nitrate-rich foods
Nitrates are substances found in many fruits and vegetables. When absorbed into the body, this substance will be converted to nitrite, a substance that produces nitric oxide (NO). This is a gas in the blood vessels that helps dilate the arteries, lower blood pressure and improve the effectiveness of exercise.
training. Studies have shown that consuming foods high in nitrates helps:
- Reduce oxygen loss during exercise
- Reduced ATP loss (energy used by cells)
- Limit fatigue
- Enhance oxygen absorption during exercise
Green vegetables are the richest source of nitrates
The foods rich in nitrates that you can add to your diet are rocket salad, coriander, rhubarb, basil, beetroot… Green vegetables are the richest source of nitrates. Therefore, before practicing yoga, have a snack with salad, green smoothie and omelet to increase blood circulation to the body.
2. Foods rich in potassium
Potassium is an electrolyte that controls blood pressure and dilates blood vessels very effectively. This means that if you eat more potassium-rich foods before your yoga session, your blood circulation will be more efficient during your workout.
Potassium-rich foods that you should add to your snack are beets, lima beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes, soybeans, avocados, pinto beans, and lentils. Beets can meet 37% of the potassium requirement that the body needs each day.
Meanwhile, lima beans can satisfy 27%. Therefore, adding these foods to the menu not only meets the body’s potassium needs but also helps increase blood circulation so that yoga practice is most effective.
3. Foods rich in vitamin C
Besides strengthening the body’s immune system, some studies have shown that vitamin C is also effective in controlling blood circulation. Studies show that vitamin C can stimulate the body to produce nitric oxide (NO), a substance that helps dilate arteries and improve blood pressure. Foods rich in vitamin C that you should add to your meals are papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, kiwi, cantaloupe and cauliflower.
Vitamin C is very effective in controlling blood circulation
According to nutrition experts, every day, you only need to eat half a medium-sized papaya to meet the body’s daily vitamin C needs. You can eat papaya with oatmeal or mix this fruit into salads or smoothies for a delicious, nutritious snack.
4. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is high in flavonoids, which have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Not only that, this nutrient also helps increase blood circulation by:
- Improves coronary circulation (circulation in the heart).
- Dilates arteries right after eating
- Regulates nitric oxide (NO), a substance responsible for blood vessel dilation.
When choosing to buy dark chocolate, you need to choose those that contain at least 70% cocoa. Because the higher the cocoa content, the more flavonoids it has. Therefore, practitioners should avoid using milk chocolate with low cocoa content.
Because most of these are high in sugar and white chocolate. You can eat a piece of dark chocolate right before your workout or eat it with oatmeal or a smoothie.
5. Garlic
Garlic contains sulfur (polysulfides), which is a great substance that regulates blood pressure and improves blood flow because it can:
- Prevents constriction of blood vessels
- Regulates nitric oxide (NO), a gas responsible for blood vessel dilation.
- Produces hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) in the blood, causing vasodilation and relaxation of muscle cells.
- Prevents the formation of blood clots.
You can add garlic to salads, in stir-fries, grilled with broccoli, etc.
Garlic contains sulfur – a substance that improves blood circulation
6. Plant-based protein foods
Protein-rich foods for yoga practitioners can provide amino acids – nutrients that are very important for the organs in the body. Recent research shows that certain amino acids are very beneficial for heart health and blood pressure regulation, such as arginine, cysteine, and glutamic acid.
Studies also show that you should use vegetable protein instead of animal protein because plant protein will help control blood pressure more effectively. Foods high in healthy plant protein are soybeans, lentils, tofu, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts.
Eating foods that increase blood circulation before a yoga session not only helps you have a clear mind, an energetic body, but can also maximize the effectiveness of the session. If you want to learn more about the pre-yoga diet, don’t hesitate to connect with a easyhealthylive.com yoga teacher for detailed instructions.
Reference source
6 Pre-Yoga Foods to Boost Blood Flow and Circulation https://www.doyou.com/6-pre-yoga-foods-to-boost-blood-flow-and-circulation-40156/ Accessed date: 12/5 2020
John Alen was born in 1971 and is a doctor in the healthcare and psychology fields with many years of experience. He is currently working at easyhealthylive.com, a leading health and psychology blog. Having studied at Y1 National Medical University named after IM Sechenov, John Alen is using his knowledge and experience to help improve the physical and mental health of people in the United States.
