Incorporating nitric oxide boosting meals into your diet can significantly enhance your health and fitness goals. Nitric oxide, a vital molecule your body produces, plays a crucial role in cardiovascular health by improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. This article highlights five incredible meals that are not only delicious but also increase your body’s nitric oxide levels, promoting overall well-being.
1. Beetroot Salad with Citrus Dressing
Beetroot is an awesome powerhouse known for increasing nitric oxide levels in the body. This vibrant vegetable is rich in nitrates, which convert to nitric oxide. Combine beetroot with a citrus dressing made from lemon or orange to add a dose of Vitamin C. Vitamin C enhances nitric oxide production. For this delicious salad, mix sliced beets with your favorite greens, sprinkle with nuts for extra crunch, and drizzle with a citrus-based dressing. It’s a refreshing meal that boosts your nitric oxide levels. If you add arugula, you get even more nitrates! Be aware than not all commercially available beets have high nitrate counts, so it’s best to buy different types of beets and to include arugula to ensure higher nitrate concentration.
2. Garlic-Infused Grilled Chicken
Garlic is well-known for its health benefits, including its ability to increase nitric oxide levels. We here at Bionox have not sung garlic’s praises enough of late, but they are certainly due!
Prepare a garlic-infused grilled chicken by marinating chicken breasts in a mixture of minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Garlic stimulates the production of nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme responsible for converting nitrates to nitric oxide. This meal is not only heart-healthy but also full of flavor.
If you are vegan, a great alternative is kimchi, you can easily just up the garlic in kimchi or other fermented veggie combinations to boost your nitric oxide!
Garlic boosts nitric oxide levels through its high content of nitrates and a compound called allicin. When you eat some garlic, its compounds interact with red blood cells and trigger the production of nitric oxide synthase.
This enzyme is crucial for the conversion of dietary nitrates into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide, in turn, plays a vital role in regulating blood flow, oxygen delivery, and blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. Additionally, garlic’swell known antioxidant properties may help protect nitric oxide molecules from oxidative damage, enhancing their stability and function in the body. In other words, antioxidants make nitric oxide stronger and last longer in the body. They are supportive to boosting nitric oxide.
This makes garlic an effective and natural way to increase nitric oxide levels, promoting cardiovascular health and overall well-being.
3. Arugula and Avocado Smoothie
Arugula is another nitrate-rich vegetable that boosts nitric oxide production. Combine it with avocado, which contains healthy fats that aid in nitric oxide absorption. Blend arugula, avocado, a banana for sweetness, and almond milk for a creamy texture. This green smoothie is a nutrient-packed meal that will increase your nitric oxide levels and keep you energized throughout the day.
Healthy fats, like those found in avocados, play an important role in boosting nitric oxide absorption and bioavailability in the body. The mechanism is slightly indirect though.
Monounsaturated Fats
Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats, which have been shown to support cardiovascular health in various ways. One way we know if is through the improvement of endothelial function, which is the function of the inner lining of blood vessels. Good function means your body is producing more NOS, which is super important!
Healthy endothelial cells are vital for the production and maintenance of nitric oxide. If your arteries and veins are all gunked up with plaque for example, they can’t produce or deal well with nitric oxide.
Efficient Nitric Oxide Production
When the endothelium is healthy, it can produce nitric oxide more efficiently. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, meaning it helps to relax and expand blood vessels. It opens up your veins thus improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. Furthermore, the monounsaturated fats in avocados can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can damage the endothelium and impair its ability to produce nitric oxide. As a side note here, seed based oils do the opposite! They increase inflammation so avoid them if you can!
Studies
Studies have linked the consumption of avocados and other sources of healthy fats with cardiovascular benefits, including enhanced endothelial function and lower levels of inflammation, though direct studies on avocados and nitric oxide absorption are more nuanced and typically focus on the broader impacts of diet on nitric oxide levels and cardiovascular health.
4. Walnut-Crusted Salmon
Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon work synergistically with nitric oxide to improve blood flow. Coating salmon with crushed walnuts adds a crunchy texture and supplies additional L-arginine, a precursor to nitric oxide. Season the salmon with herbs and spices of your choice, crust it with crushed walnuts, and bake. This meal is a delicious way to boost your nitric oxide levels and support heart health at the same time!
5. Dark Chocolate Oatmeal
Dark chocolate is not only a treat for your taste buds but also beneficial for nitric oxide levels. It contains flavonoids that stimulate nitric oxide production. Prepare a bowl of oatmeal and add dark chocolate chunks, berries, and a sprinkle of chia seeds for an antioxidant.
Chocolate Is Now Officially Good For You
The FDA has announced that it will not object to certain qualified health claims about the consumption of cocoa flavanols in high flavanol cocoa powder and its association with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Cocoa is another name for Chocolate in case you didn’t know.
This approval is contingent on the claims being accurately worded to avoid misleading consumers and meeting other specified conditions. The health claims are based on scientific evidence connecting cocoa flavanols to cardiovascular health benefits. The qualified health claim is specific to high flavanol cocoa powder and does not apply to regular cocoa powder or chocolate products.