Muscle cramps happen when our muscles tense up and we can’t relax them. When we feel pain, we can treat them ourself with natural foods, but also these naturals foods we should add to our regular diet to support healthy muscles. Running, exercise, dehydration, are common causes of muscle cramps. One way to stop cramps is to stretch or massage our muscles and to eat enough of these key nutrients: potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium. They are good electrolytes, and you can find them in the following foods.
1. BANANAS
Bananas are a good source of potassium. But they’ll also give us magnesium and calcium. That’s three out of four nutrients we need to ease muscle cramps.
2. SWEET POTATOES
Like bananas, sweet potatoes give us potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Sweet potatoes have about six times as much calcium as bananas. Pumpkins are also good sources of all three nutrients. Also, sweet potatoes and pumpkins naturally contains a lot of water, so they can help keep us hydrated as well.
3. AVOCADO
This nice creamy, green berry has about 975 milligrams of potassium, twice as much as a sweet potato or banana. Potassium is important because it helps our muscles work and keeps our heart healthy. So we should had mashed or sliced avocado in our meals, our salad, sandwiches, fish, meat, smoothies or vegetables to help keep our muscle cramps away. They have a lot of fat and calories, so we can use small pieces/quantity.
4. BEANS AND LENTILS
Legumes like beans and lentils are packed with magnesium. One cup of cooked lentils has about 71 milligrams of magnesium, and a cup of cooked black beans has almost double with 120 milligrams. Plus, they’re high in fiber. High-fiber foods can help control our blood sugar and lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol.
5. CANTALOUPE
These fruits have loads of potassium, a good amount of magnesium and calcium, a little sodium, and a lot of water. Sodium and water are key because as we run or exercise, our body flushes sodium out with our sweat. If we lose too much water, we will get dehydrated, and muscle cramps may happen. Eating a cup of cubed cantaloupe after a workout can help.
6. WATERMELON
They’re about 90% water, so when we need foods that hydrate, a cup of watermelon will do it. Since it’s a melon, it’s also high in potassium.
7. MILK
It’s a natural source of electrolytes like calcium, potassium, and sodium. It’s good for hydration. And it’s packed with protein, which helps repair muscle tissue after workouts. All of the above can help protect against muscle cramps.
8. DARK LEAFY GREENS
They’re rich in calcium and magnesium. So adding kale, spinach, or broccoli to our plate may help prevent muscle cramps.
9. ORANGE JUICE
One cup of refreshing orange juice has plenty of water for hydration. It’s also a potassium star with nearly 500 milligrams per cup. Orange juice has 27 milligrams of calcium and magnesium. We should choose a calcium-fortified healthy brand for an extra boost.
10. SNACK SMART WITH NUTS AND SEEDS
Like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds are a great source of magnesium. For example, 28 grams of toasted sunflower seeds has about 37 milligrams of magnesium, and 28 grams of roasted, salted almonds has double. Many types of nuts and seeds have calcium and magnesium as well.
11. SALMON
Sometimes muscle cramps are the result of poor blood flow. Eating oily fish like salmon can help improve it. Plus, a 85 grams portion of cooked salmon has about 326 milligrams of potassium and 52 milligrams of sodium to help with muscle cramps.
12. TOMATOES OR TOMATOE JUICE
Tomatoes are high in potassium and water content. So if we take 1 cup of tomato juice, we will get about 15% of our daily value of potassium. Tomatoes also give our body hydration to prevent muscle cramps from starting.
13. DRINK WATER FOR MAX HYDRATION
For athletes, women need about 11.5 cups of water a day, and men 15.5 cups.
Also, the water we get from other beverages, plus fruits and vegetables, counts, too. We do need these electrolyte beverages if we’re doing runs or high-intensity exercise for an hour or more. For electrolytes without the sugar, we can drink coconut water.
Focus On Healthy, Delicious Natural Foods To Support And Avoid Muscle Cramp From Running, Training And Exercising, Feel Better And Enjoy Great Nice Runs!
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