Clean_Eating 2019-09-01

72 cleaneating.com

Couple your fitness routine with this nutritious plan designed to

build and repair muscle while keeping your energy level high.

BY ERIN MACDONALD, RDN, AND TIFFANI BACHUS, RDN,

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RACHEL KORINEK

Muscles aren’t just important for

bodybuilders – they also perform

numerous vital functions in the body.

But, like the saying goes, use it or

lose it! If you’re not consistently

activating your muscles, you’ll

experience a decline in muscle mass.

What you may not know is that a

decline in muscle mass equals a

decline in health.

Having toned muscles helps you

look good in your T-shirt or bathing

suit, but it’s what your muscles are

doing on the inside of your body that

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— muscles at work during exercise

and other movements — have many

health advantages. They improve

balance, strengthen bones, reduce

insulin resistance, reduce body fat

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muscles can even improve your

cognitive function by stimulating the

release of brain-derived neurotropic

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There are three things you need

to maintain or improve muscle

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resistance. You must place a load

of stress (free weights, resistance

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your muscles that is greater than

what your muscles are used to

supporting. This load creates tiny

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signal your body to repair and grow

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you stress your muscles, you need to

give them 48 to 72 hours to rest and

recover. If you overwork the same

muscle groups without giving them

rest, you not only slow their ability

to repair and grow, but you could

also severely damage them. Last

but crucially important is proper

nutrition. You need to eat adequate

calories and amino acids (from

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the building blocks it needs to repair

and grow muscles. This one-week

meal plan focuses on exactly that,

with delicious meals and snacks in

the right proportions to fuel your

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repair and growth and keep you

feeling satiated.

BOOST YOUR

Metabolism

WITH OUR 1-WEEK MEAL PLAN

RECIPES | meal plan

Sesame Tuna

& Mango Salad

SERVES 2.

HANDS-ON TIME: 25 MINUTES.

TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES.

Tuna is an excellent source of

both muscle-building protein and

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DRESSING

½ lime, juiced

2 tbsp coconut aminos or

reduced-sodium tamari

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp tahini

¼ tsp toasted sesame oil

Pinch ground black pepper

SALAD

3 cups butter lettuce,

torn into pieces

1 mango, peeled

and cubed

10 grape tomatoes, halved

Q GF

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019