Friday Fitness Questions #3

May 14, 2016 by lilmissfitnessfreak 11 Comments

Hey Friends!

Okay so this week I wanted to share a lil fun thing with you all and not have it be so long and research-y if that is okay. Give your minds a bit of a break. I will give you a bit of information but I will keep it short because, instead, the main focus will be these guys…

Link

So what are these cute, seedy teddy’s you ask?

These are Strawberry-Orange glutamine infused gummy bears. This particular recipe was from the North Coast Natural’s website, which produces fermented L-Glutamine powder, and I was quite excited to find it as this idea of turning my glutamine powder into gummies has been something I have wanted to do for a quite some time now.

So a bit on L-Glutamine

L-Glutamine is an amino acid (the most naturally abundant actually) that helps in the body’s ability to repair tissues. If you have heard of it, you have probably associated it’s usage with bodybuilders and athletes to help reduce muscle soreness but it’s benefits have been found to go beyond that. Check out the facts page on the North Coast Natural’s website (link) for all of it’s benefits, but to mention a few:

~It has been found to help heal the gut. For anyone with IBS or other inflammatory bowel diseases, glutamine can be used as an aid to help rebuild some of those damaged tissues and alleviate some symptoms of those gut disorders. Many studies (such as this one) have also shown that it maintains the integrity of the gut lining in post-operative patients, which may prove beneficial in their recovery process.

~Because glutamine is also a major fuel source for the cells of your immune system (lymphocytes, neutraphils, macrophages, etc), it has been shown to be beneficial for illness prevention. This may be especially helpful in athletes where the incidence of illness may increase due to greater stress on the body. (Link Link2).

~There is mixed evidence on whether soreness post-workout is alleviated in all athletes, but many articles support its usage in sparing protein for the rebuilding of tissues and possibly increasing lean muscle mass (see link).

So there’s just a few of the other great benefits of glutamine, but if you want to learn more just check out the first link I posted!

So do you need to supplement with it to gain it’s benefits?

Generally no. Perhaps supplementation would be required in those needing/wanting higher doses (post-illness/intense training for repair and/or gut problems) but for a general dose there are other natural forms of this amino acid.

Like Gelatine!

Vegans may be cringing right now, so if you are vegan you will have to find another source. Apparently red cabbage is the highest of the veggies, with fermentation helping to increase bioavailability. Overall, like all things it seems though, your best sources are animal based (link).

I digress…

So going way back to the gummies….

If you’re not using a supplement form of glutamine, like in the first recipe, then you can still make the gummies! Never fear! Try out this easy recipe for blueberry gummies.

Link

As stated in the recipe, you can take out the maple syrup for a sugar-free version, as I’m sure the frozen fruit you add will be sweet enough and provide a good flavour.

I hope you found this post interesting and let me know if any of you have tried making something like this or working with gelatine.

So tell me…

Have you ever tried helping your gut with Glutamine?

All my athletes out there, do you find it helps with muscle soreness?

-Chelsea