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8. Almonds

almonds-whole-plate

While I had previously mentioned almonds as one of the healthiest foods, this post would be incomplete without a mention of almonds as an excellent pre-workout fuel.

This crunchy snack was studied by the Center for Sports Nutrition in Beijing, and posted in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The study compared cycling performance over 10 weeks in athletes who consumed almonds versus similarly caloric rich cookies. The researchers measured for carbohydrate and fat oxidation, energy expenditure, and oxygen use.

Almonds ended up improving athletic performance more than the cookies, as well as reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

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