Eating this specific type of food could be a game-changer for your muscles

Move over chicken, meat, and other forms of protein. Your muscles just found a new favorite food group.

A new study just released by Edith Cowan University reports green leafy vegetables (lettuce, kale, spinach, cabbage, etc) appear to be a big part of cultivating ideal muscle health and functioning. They recommend consuming at least one cup of such vegetables per day.

Among a group of participants, those who ate lots of nitrate-rich green leafy vegetables showed significantly stronger lower limb muscle function than others. Notably, study authors explain that it doesn’t matter how often you work out or engage in weight training. Eat more green leafy vegetables and your muscles will be healthier. That being said, it’s, of course, a better idea to combine both exercise and a balanced diet.

“Our study has shown that diets high in nitrate-rich vegetables may bolster your muscle strength independently of any physical activity,” says lead researcher Dr. Marc Sim from ECU’s Institute for Nutrition Research. “Nevertheless, to optimise muscle function we propose that a balanced diet rich in green leafy vegetables in combination with regular exercise, including weight training, is ideal.”

For many, discussions or articles centered on muscles or muscle heath immediately conjure up images of gigantic bodybuilders bench pressing hundreds of pounds. While these findings can certainly help such physique-oriented individuals, these recommendations can be just as if not more helpful for someone who has never set foot in a gym. Impaired or poor muscle function can put an individual at a much greater risk of falls, fractures, and accidents. Muscle health is also heavily linked to bone strength; unhealthy muscles often lead to weak bones. 

Regardless of whether or not an individual cares about the size of their bicep, these findings and recommendations are worth keeping in mind.

Data pertaining to 3,759 Australians collected over the course of 12 years were examined for this research. Studied adults with the highest daily nitrate intake showed 11% stronger lower limb strength than those consuming the lowest nitrate levels. Individuals eating lots of leafy greens also tended to walk up to 4% faster than others.

Study authors admit their findings may not be welcome news to many peoples’ taste buds. Leafy green vegetables are frequently cited among the least appetizing of food options. Still, researchers say what these foods lack in taste are more than made up for in terms of health benefits.

“We should be eating a variety of vegetables every day, with at least one of those servings being leafy greens to gain a range of positive health benefits for the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system,” Dr. Sim explains. “It’s also better to eat nitrate-rich vegetables as part of a healthy diet rather than taking supplements. Green leafy vegetables provide a whole range of essential vitamins and minerals critical for health.”

Who knows, perhaps kale and cabbage protein shakes will soon dominate the fitness supplement market.

The full study can be found here, published in The Journal of Nutrition.