Here’s something you have to experience to believe:
"The right foods can increase your flexibility immediately!”
To improve your flexibility, stretching may not be enough. You may want to add specific foods to your diet known to increase flexibility. Doing so will improve your overall fitness and give you a leg up when it comes to touching your toes. If you eat a water-dense, plant-based diet with lots of greens, you’ll notice flexibility gains within days. Don’t take my word for it—just try it!
Below is a shortlist of my favourite flexibility foods. Buy them fresh or low-temperature dried, and purchase organic whenever possible.
Green Leafy Vegetables
If you wish to boost your flexibility, eating a diet high in green leafy vegetables may help. In fact, adding greens such as kale, seaweed, spinach, watercress, chard and collard greens to your everyday meals will increase muscular flexibility because of their high water content and ability to purge acids from the body. Dark green vegetables are some of the most mineral-dense foods on the planet, and waterborne greens or sprouted greens are even better (waterborne greens usually have 2-10 times more minerals).
Spirulina
Mixing spirulina into a smoothie each morning could significantly increase your flexibility. This fresh water algae contains several vitamins including vitamins B-12, beta carotene, iron and gamma linolenic acid. Consuming this algae could boost your muscle strength and prevent cramps, allowing you to stretch a little bit further toward your toes.Barley Grass
While barely grass isn't often used in the standard diet, you can make a habit of incorporating it into your meals in the form of a juice extract. Barley grass juice extract contains high levels of beta-carotene, iron and calcium which can boost flexibility and improve your overall health.Chlorella is also an algae found in fresh water. It is full of chlorophyll. This plant has very high body and blood cleansing attributes.Sulfur is very useful in healing and repairing the connective tissues in the body. Sulfur is often called the beauty mineral. The intake of sulfur makes your hair, skin, nails shine, and makes them healthy. Sulfur also aids in the healing process and cures soreness naturally. MSM or Methylsulfonylmethane is a safe and easy to use form of sulfur. Those who want to improve their stretching ability and develop flexibility can either eat the vegetables that contain sulfur or take MSM as a nutritional supplement. The vegetables that contain sulfur are brussels sprouts, peppers, broccoli, onions. These vegetables contain sulfur in differing quantities.Nutrient Dense Grains and Seeds
These are commercial crops, but nutritionally-speaking, they more-closely resemble their ancestors. They take a little extra work to prepare (cooking or sprouting), but it’s well worth it. Examples to include are millet, quinoa, amaranth, wild rice, bulgur, sesame seeds, sprouted seeds of clover, broccoli, mung beans, and radish.
Plant Fats
Most people get their fat from animal-based foods like milk, ghee, cheese, butter, and meat. In animals’ bodies (and yours), built up toxins like pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and pollutants are most-often deposited in fat cells. No wonder fat has such a bad reputation! Many people today try to avoid all fats when really, they should be avoiding animal fats. Plant fats are not only good for you—they are essential for health and wellness and MUST be eaten on a regular basis. Good fat give you sustained energy, heals your body, and balances hormones.Raw almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, avocado, coconut, durian, and cold-pressed oils (olive, coconut, hemp, flax, and sesame seed are all great).
Water
There's nothing more important to your flexibility than drinking plenty of water each day. Start your day with a glass of water and try to drink water before and after you exercise. This will lubricate your joints, keeping your body fluid and flexible.
SHOPPING LIST:
- spirulina
- chlorella
- barley grass
- wheat grass
- kale
- parsley
- chard
- spinach
- millet
- quinoa
- amaranth
- wild rice
- bulgur
- sprouted seeds of clover
- broccoli
- mung beans
- radish
- brussels sprouts
- peppers
- onions
- almonds
- sesame seeds
- sunflower seeds
- hemp seeds
- flax seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- walnuts
- brazil nuts
- cashews
- macadamia nuts
- avocado
- coconut
- durian
- cold-pressed oils (olive, coconut, hemp, flax, sesame seed)
I hope you've enjoyed this post. Check out my Pinterest Board with all of my other posts here.
Emma x
