At the Gym

• Vitamin A: Vitamin A plays an important role in protein synthesis, and so, along with being important for eye health and serving as an antioxidant against the damage of free radicals, it's also a key vitamin for muscle growth. Vitamin A contributes to workout strength thanks to its role in the creation of glycogen, the stored form of glucose energy (from sugar) that provides you the rapid strength needed for more reps, for sports like sprinting, and most certainly for weightlifting. Vitamin A is essential for bone health too, which walks hand-in-hand with muscle strength, but due to factors like diets low in fats, alcohol use and abuse, and diabetes, many people are deficient in vitamin A.To get more natural vitamin A from your diet, look towards carrots, fatty fish like salmon, and eggs.

• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is well known as the cold- and flu-battling antioxidant, but did you know it helps with muscle recovery too? Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin C both supports your immune system and reduces the lactic acid buildup in your muscles after a workout (the main culprit for muscle soreness). Vitamin C also boosts collagen production, which is needed for skin and connective tissue health and repair. Food sources of vitamin C don't stop at citrus fruits like oranges. You can also find high levels of vitamin C in leafy greens like kale, which is known as a superfood thanks to its abundance of vital nutrients.

• Vitamin D: We can synthesize vitamin D from the sunshine we soak up through our skin, but vitamin D deficiency is nevertheless all too common, in part due to lifestyle necessities like working inside, but also due to circumstances outside of our control, like the melanin content of our skin, or even where we live. There are fewer hours of sunlight during the winter months, and those living in more northern locales may deal with a lack of sufficient vitamin D-rich sun throughout the year. Vitamin D is critical for helping us absorb calcium, making it important for bone strength and dozens of other processes like insulin reaction, mood balance, and muscle protein synthesis. Vitamin D foods include fatty fish, dairy products such as cheese and yogurt, beef liver, soy milk, and mushrooms if they're left to soak up sunlight before you consume them. To optimize the effectiveness of vitamin D, make sure you also get enough vitamin K (found in dark, leafy green vegetables). If your vitamin D levels are low, sun exposure, as well as supplementation, is recommended.

• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is known for encouraging skin tightening and suppleness, slowing down signs of aging, and helping to guard against free radical damage. Working out and vigorous physical activity creates oxidative stress in our bodies that needs to be met with antioxidant aid from nutrients like vitamin E.

  Vitamin E can be found naturally in nuts, seeds, spinach, avocado, and fish such as rainbow trout. In addition to antioxidant support, vitamin E also helps flush out toxins and cellular waste, which is why it's part of our recommended liver flush diet.

Found In Our B-12 Pow

• Vitamin B3: Vitamin B3 (which also goes by the name niacin) supports muscle-building efforts by cleaning up your cholesterol ratio (promoting "good" HDL numbers while reducing "bad" LDL levels) and supporting the production of necessary hormones. Vitamin B3 can be had by consuming animal foods like meat, fish, and eggs, and by eating plant foods like seeds and bananas.

• Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6, another B-complex vitamin, targets circulation and heart health by boosting red blood cell production and maintaining the necessary level of nitric oxide in the blood, which relaxes our blood vessels and allows our blood to flow freely. Found naturally in foods like fatty fish, bananas, and chickpeas, vitamin B6 is also well represented in vitamins and supplements, so you may just find a hefty dose in your multivitamin of choice.

• Vitamin B9: Vitamin B9, otherwise known as folate or folic acid (the synthetic version of folate), is important in human development from the womb to the tomb. It's important as a prenatal vitamin for pregnant women, and it remains important throughout our lives for energy production, muscle tissue repair, and new muscle cell creation. Vitamin B9 is found in foods like spinach and avocado, a healthy fat. It's widely prevalent in multivitamin formulas and protein powders made for workout recovery, muscle repair, and more.

• Vitamin B12: The last of the impressive family of B vitamins on this list, vitamin B12 works closely with folate for muscle repair and is essential for producing the red blood cells needed to deliver oxygen to our muscles. Vitamin B12 is found in animal foods like meat, dairy, poultry, and fish, and vegans and vegetarians may suffer from a B12 deficiency due to their reliance on plant-based foods. For those who don't eat meat, soy products, nut milks, and fortified cereals have some vitamin B12, and supplementation with B12 is often recommended to shore up any gaps.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: If you eat a standard American diet, you're likely to have a skewed omega-3-to-omega-6 fatty acid ratio. The ideal is as close as possible to a 1:1 ratio, but due to the overabundance of omega-6s (thanks in part to vegetable oils in processed foods and the difficulty and cost associated with eating natural omega-3 foods), many first-world residents have around a 20:1 ratio when it comes to omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. We can optimize this ratio by eating more omega-3s.

• Omega-3s are needed to help reduce post-workout muscle soreness and promote muscle growth (not to mention skin, brain, joint, eye, and cardiovascular health).
• Omega-3 fatty acids are found in the highest concentrations in fatty, oily fish like sardines, tuna, and mackerel, but they can also be found in eggs, nuts like walnuts, avocados, or fish oil supplements.

Iron: is an essential mineral for transporting oxygen to muscles. This helps energy production and muscle function. Adequate iron levels are necessary for maintaining stamina and endurance during workouts, which can help support weight gain and muscle-building goals. Iron also supports the immune system and overall metabolic processes, contributing to overall health and well-being.

Some iron-rich food sources include Red meat (beef, lamb, and pork) Poultry (chicken and turkey) Seafood (oysters, clams, and shrimp) Leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, and collard greens) Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, and beans) Nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and cashews) and Fortified cereals.

Magnesium: is important for muscle function and energy production. It helps regulate muscle contractions and supports protein synthesis, essential for muscle growth and recovery. Magnesium also aids in maintaining a healthy nervous system and electrolyte balance, which are important for overall physical performance and endurance.

Foods to get Magnesium from include Leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, and Swiss chard) Nuts and seeds (almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds) Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat) Legumes (Black beans, chickpeas, and lentils) Fish (Salmon, mackerel, and halibut) Avocados, and Bananas.

Selenium: is a mineral that is found in very high levels in the muscles. If you exercise regularly, you need more selenium than someone who is inactive, as your body goes through more of it. You also need more selenium for optimal antioxidant balance. 

Zinc: aids in muscle protein synthesis. In other words, zinc helps the protein you eat become part of your muscles. Zinc is also very important for a healthy immune system, so having enough of it will keep you well so you can keep up your exercise routine. 

Research also shows that zinc improves VO2 max. Your VO2 max is your aerobic capacity, or how much oxygen your body can get into your muscles at a time. Increasing this level can improve your ability to feel energized when you workout, lift more weight, and increase your endurance in sprints or max lifts. 

Foods high in Zinc include. . . Meat, Seeds, Nuts, Green peas, Spinach, Lima beans, Broccoli, and Shiitake mushrooms.

Potassium: While there is some debate about the importance of potassium to athletes, many studies have shown that it is beneficial to replace lost potassium during the course of exercise. Otherwise, performance will decline. This is due to the role potassium plays in things like nerve functioning, glycogen processing and fluid regulation. This process of depleting muscle cells of potassium is detrimental to exercise performance over time. As potassium concentration in the cells lowers, there is less available potassium to help with things like blood pressure or nerve functioning. This can dramatically affect performance if not counteracted. Potassium deficiency symptoms are nausea, slower reflexes, vomiting, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, cramping, and rapid heart rate.

Potassium is abundant in fruits and vegetables, meaning that for the ordinary person, a healthy diet should be sufficient to obtain the daily requirement for potassium intake. Athlete-friendly foods particularly high in this mineral include bananas, sweet potatoes, berries and watermelon. (A while back, we published a list of recipes that contain high amounts of potassium.

So next time you're in the gym, on the trail, or pumping iron in your living room, just remember that it takes more than just protein to fuel your muscle recovery. It takes a lot of different vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients. On top of a whole foods diet that contains lean protein and nutritionally dense plant foods, make sure you're getting the best vitamins and minerals needed to reduce muscle cramps and aid workout performance. It is crucial to speak to a doctor before starting to take any new vitamins or other supplements. These substances can interact with other medications that a person might be taking. Taking too much of some supplements, such as iron, can cause adverse side effects. Also, some vitamins may be ineffective unless a person has an existing deficiency. A doctor can test for vitamin deficiencies and advise on how to correct them if necessary.