An injury can have you banished to the bench, forced to watch the world move on and grow stronger around you. They can also leave you missing out on adventures and exciting experiences. Eager to get back to normal function and not to lose strength, agility, or range of motion you may have built up – they can be incredibly frustrating. Definitely something you would rather avoid to begin with.

Injury prevention starts with a proper exercise plan, enough rest, and avoiding overtraining. However, what you choose to put in your fuel tank also plays an important role in staying fit and uninjured. Strengthen your bones, build and repair your muscles, and protect your body through your diet.

Maintain your calories

Eating enough food is the first port of call when preventing injury. Being on a prolonged large calorie deficit can weaken your muscles and therefore put your joints, tendons, ligaments at risk. Without enough fuel for tissue maintenance and energy your body will enter a catabolic state and start breaking down your muscles. This greatly impairs your ability to repair muscle tissues that have been stressed during a workout or adventurous activity.

If you do happen to get injured, it becomes even more important to maintain your calories because your energy expenditure increases as your muscles and tissues work to repair themselves.

Try out our Spirulina Cacao Energy Balls as a healthy snack to fuel you with energy and  to help reach your daily calorie goals in a delicious way.

Magnesium

Magnesium is involved in hundreds of chemical reactions, including the production of cellular energy, and protein synthesis. The mineral also helps to maintain bone strength and normal muscle function playing a role in muscle contractions and normal heart rhythm. With regards to preventing injuries, magnesium alleviates tightness and helps your muscles stay relaxed.

Intense exercise and activity, not to mention several other elements of everyday life such as caffeine, alcohol, stress, antibiotics, and consuming too much salt can leave you lacking magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is all too common, and can cause cramps, prolonged soreness of muscles, and spasms.

Luckily, however, you can quite easily hit your recommended daily intake of magnesium through your diet. Just one 25g serving of Cacao powder provides over 35% of your daily recommended intake, whilst one 20g serving of Hemp Protein powder provides up to 40%. Have frequent servings of these superfoods combined with other magnesium-rich foods such as nuts and seeds, and you will very easily be hitting your requirements for the day!

Calcium

No surprises here! Calcium is key to bone health, with studies consistently showing increased intake of the mineral linked to increased bone density and reduced risk of stress fractures. For those on a plant-based diet, there are several good sources of calcium including brown and white bread, seeds, nuts, and green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and cabbage.

Wheatgrass powder provides a plant-based source of calcium, not to mention vitamin E, which helps to protect skeletal muscle tissue during aerobic exercise. Maca powder also provides a superfood source of calcium as well as a range of all-important B vitamins to energise your body.

Protein

If you do get injured, maintaining your levels of protein is highly important. It helps to slow down muscle loss and promote new growth whilst you are not moving around as much. Getting enough protein on a plant-based diet is easy if you know where to look. Spirulina powder, for example, is made up of 60% protein and loaded with vitamin b12. Find it in our new Plant Power bundle, along with our plant-based protein blends which are now available in 1kg!

Healthy Fat

Healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in Hemp Protein powder, are an essential element of cell membranes and help to regulate inflammation within muscles. Fats are necessary for energy and increasing healthy dietary fats has been shown to improve endurance performance.