I highly recommend Dr Nikolic’s recovery

program. It really helped me.”

Predrag Mijatovic, Real Madrid CF

“I had a long-time injury, but after only a

few days of applying Dr Nicolic’s recovery
program, I was fully recovered.”
Miralem Sulejmani, S.L. Benfica

“Using Dr Nikolic’s recovery program, I

solved my health problems and got much
more energy.”
Luka Modric, Real Madrid CF

“Dr Nikolic’s recovery program helped me

solve problems no one else could”
Goran Jaksic, European and World
wrestling champion

“Our experience shows that Dr Nikolic’s

recovery program shows the best results in
treating athlete injuries”
Vlado and Zoran Lemic, football agents
Recovery for Athletes, by Milisav Nikolic, Ph.D.
www.drmilisavnikolic.com
First edition: 2014.
Published by The University of Natural Medicine
www.universitynm.org
 Dr. Milisav Nikolic

Recovery
for Athletes
Handbook for natural recovery
and physical and mental ability increase
4
 CONTENTS

- The importance of recovery ........ 7

Part I: Recovery for healthy
athletes ....................................... 29
- Food as a recovery factor ............ 31
- Foods for muscles and bones . 44
- Foods for the heart ................... 55
- Foods for the arteries ............... 68
- Foods for blood ........................ 87
- Food for the nervous system . 100
- Foods for the respiratory
system ...................................... 113
- Foods for metabolism ............ 120
- Foods for the digestive
system ...................................... 129
- Foods for the liver and
gallbladder ............................... 141
- Foods for the stomach ........... 148
- Foods for the intestine ............ 157
- Foods for the urinary tract ..... 172
- Foods for skin .......................... 185
- Foods for the eyes ................... 194
- Foods for the reproductive
system ......................................... 201
- Foods for infections .................. 206
- Physical rest as a recovery
factor ........................................... 216
- The spiritual rest as a recovery
factor ........................................... 224
Part II: Recovery of injured
athletes ....................................... 235
- A plan for body recovery .......... 237
- Natural treatment of injuries .... 252
Appendix: Food recipes for
recovery ....................................... 265

6
 The importance
of recovery
Today, it is difficult to find a healthy ath-
lete, or a healthy person in general. Man is
the only organism in nature that is sick,
and the cause of his illness is the violation
of the natural laws. We can see that while
the majority of mankind lived in the coun-
tryside, and in a way that is quite similar to
other organisms in nature, people were
much healthier.
Modern medicine is praised for its “great
achievements” – expensive diagnostic and
surgical equipment and a wide range of
pharmaceutical products. However, field
data show that the highest percent of sick
people and number of deaths caused by
medical error are in countries which invest
the most in this type of medicine (some
call it “technological medicine”). There-
fore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in
7
Recovery for Athletes

a country that has the most advanced

“technological medicine” the third leading
cause of death are medical errors (see the
table below). The situation is similar in
other high-tech countries.
If we take a closer look at the reasons for
deaths caused by medical errors, we’ll no-
tice something very important that will
help us understand why so many athletes
are sick and can’t recover from their in-
juries.
In the table below we can see that harmful
effects of medicaments, as well as prescri-

Leading causes of death in the U.S.

Cause of Death Number of deaths
Cardiovascular diseases 710,760
Cancer 553,091
Medical care 225,400
Stroke 167,661
Chronic respiratory diseases 122,009
Accidents 97,900
Diabetes mellitus 69,301
Influenza and pneumonia 65,313
Alzheimer’s disease 49,558

8
 The importance of recovery

Deaths caused by improper medical

care in the U.S.
Number of Americans per year who die from:
Medication Errors 7,400
Unnecessary Surgery 12,000
Other Preventable Errors in Hospitals 20,000
Hospital Borne Infections 80,000
Adverse Drug Effects 106,000

bing wrong and unnecessary drugs and

surgeries are the main cause of health
problems in people who have undergone
technological medicine procedures. It
seems as the technological medicine is re-
lying more and more on technique and less
on the knowledge and expertise of doc-
tors.
This aspect is extremely important for ath-
letes because many of them are very de-
pendant on pills, chemical supplements,
synthetic products and surgical procedures
as means, they believe, will eliminate their
health problems and improve physical fit-
ness.

9
Recovery for Athletes

The main assertion of this book is that top

results and perfect health can only be
achieved through a natural approach to
solving problems. Natural recovery, based
on a high-quality natural diet, adequate
training and rest, as well as healthy spiritual
nutrition, are the only sure way to prepare
athletes for extreme efforts, without the
risk of injury and for achieving top results
without damaging health.

Misconceptions in modern sport

The life of an athlete mostly consists of
three phases: training, competition and re-
covery.
It is usually mistakenly believed that train-
ing is the most important aspect of a suc-
cessful competition and achievement of
top results. However, adequate rest is a
crucial aspect ignored by the vast majority
of athletes, making it the main reason for
a large number of sport injuries and fai-
lures. Also, since this kind of injury treat-
ment doesn’t pay attention to adequate
10
 The importance of recovery

recovery, many athletes compete injured,

on medications and injections, dramatically
endangering their health.
A famous athlete once said something that
describes best the importance of recovery
for health and top results in sports: “The
rest makes up 2/3 of success in sport.”
What is meant by rest? From what does
athlete need to recover? Athletes need to
recover from physical exertion which they
are exposed to during training sessions and
matches, as well as from spiritual efforts
and pressure of competitive sport. Reco-
very consists of three aspects:
1) Nutrition – intensive physical activity
during training and matches causes energy
loss and cell degradation. Adequate nutri-
tion is necessary for energy renewal and
cell regeneration.
2) Physical rest – every organ in our body
has its own regime of rest. The heart rests
in a short period between heartbeats, eye
rests every time we blink or close our eyes

11
Recovery for Athletes

during sleep. Muscles rest during period of

inactivity.
3) Spiritual rest – man is not just a physi-
cal, but also a spiritual being and adequate
spiritual recovery is extremely important so
that one can achieve top results in any job
he does. Since athletes are exposed to very
serious spiritual efforts, adequate spiritual
rest is of great importance to their health
and success in their sport discipline.
Modern sport team and a player relation-
ship can usually be summed in one sen-
tence: “We gave you a lot of money and
we expect you to be best when the game
starts.”
Sport clubs pay very little attention to the
recovery of their players, i.e. what they eat
and how they physically and spiritually rest.
The vast majority of athletes believe they’ll
have stronger muscles if they eat meat.
This approach is totally wrong since man
is anatomically herbivore and needs plant
food in order to have strong muscles, like
any other strong and healthy animal herbi-
12
 The importance of recovery

vore, such as bull, horse, buffalo, rhino, ele-

phant…
What happens when an herbivore, such as
man, consumes meat and other foods of
animal origin? His body acidifies, thus cre-
ating the basis for diseases and tendency
toward injuries is increased. It is well-
known that human blood is alkaline (op-
posite of acid). When we eat foods that
acidify our body (such as meat and meat
products, milk and dairy products,
processed vegetable food…) body needs
to neutralize the acidity and alkalize your
blood. The main agent in this process is an
alkaline element – calcium, which is almost
completely stored in our bones (up to
99%).The body draws calcium from bones,
thus rendering them weaker and more
prone to thinning (osteoporosis) and crac-
king.
Many believe that consumption of animal
milk improves the level of calcium in our
body. In fact, our body is very poor in ab-
sorbing calcium from animal milk, but is,

13
Recovery for Athletes

on the other hand, very effective when it

comes to sesame, sunflower and other
plants. Cow milk is something a calf
should eat; goat milk is for a kid and sheep
milk is meant for lamb. Man is the only
mammal in nature that drinks milk after
the period of breastfeeding and that is why
only humans suffer from osteoporosis and
other illnesses associated with the con-
sumption of foods of animal origin.
Another misconception in the sport world
is the belief that large protein intake is
going to improve the growth of muscles.
Human body has limitations when it
comes to protein, vitamin and mineral in-
take. There are daily doses of each ingre-
dient that our bodies are able to absorb in
order to function properly and maintain
good health. Take more protein then your
body can handle and this will trigger the
loss of calcium and hence increase the sus-
ceptibility to fractures.
The graph on the following page shows
the results of an experiment in people who

14
 The importance of recovery

were taking enough and too much protein.

Those who were taking the right amount
of protein (48 grams per day) had an in-
crease of 20 mg of calcium per day, result-
ing in bone strengthening. On the other
hand, those who consumed too much pro-
tein had a significant loss of calcium –
third group was losing as much as 70 mg
of calcium per day on 140 g of protein.
The best-known research dealing with the
question of protein importance was also
the largest medical experiment in history.
We’re speaking about the famous “China
study” on the effects of nutrition on
15
Recovery for Athletes

human health, conducted on over 890 mil-

lion people. One of the aspects of this
enormous study was the research on the
effects that aflatoxin - the most powerful
known carcinogen had on two groups of
rats. The first group was given a diet with
20 % proteins of animal origin, and sec-
ond with 20 % proteins of plant origin
(they used plant protein known as gluten).
All rats that were fed with proteins of an-
imal origin died from cancer, while none
of the rats in the second group died. Then
the first group of rats began to receive ve-
getable proteins, and the other one those
of animal origin, and it was immediately
noticed that the number of infected and
dead in the first group decreased, while it
rose in second group.
Finally, it was concluded that the most
powerful animal protein that encourages
all forms of cancer is casein, which makes
up 87% of cow milk protein.
Another type of diet widely popular is the
processed food sold under slogans such as:

16
 The importance of recovery

“energetic”, “wellness”, “ultra”, “extra”,

“fit”, etc. These products include vitamin
and mineral supplements.
There are several problems with this kind
of food. First, these are processed prod-
ucts during whose production (cooking,
frying, baking) a large percent of nutrients
is lost.
Secondly, these products contain harmful
artificial preservatives that prolong their
shelf life. As we are all aware of, plants best
keep their nutrients whilst they’re in natural
state, and they should be consumed as
such. Once the plant structure has been
broken, the process of deterioration com-
mences.
Thirdly, every processed product contains
flavor enhancers (monosodium glutamate
or hydrolyzed vegetable protein) which are
extremely harmful. Medical science de-
notes such substances as “excitotoxins” or
“irritation poison”. These flavor enhancers
make any food taste great, but they literally
destroy nerve cells – mainly those of
17
Recovery for Athletes

tongue, brain and eye. Eating the foods

that contain such flavorings (irritation poi-
sons) can be compared to letting hot lava
go through a rubber water hose. They so
strongly excite nerve cells that they literally
burn. Research has shown that children
and baby food products contain the most
of these substances, causing the most
damage to developing nervous systems.
This is particularly manifests in children
through brain and vision disorders. More
and more children are wearing glasses and
number of patient suffering from brain
cancer is constantly increasing.
In adults, the consequences are visible in
the explosion of Alzheimer’s and Parkin-
son’s disease, as well as other eyesight ill-
nesses and disorders.
It should be noted that virtually all pro-
cessed foods sold in bags and tins, from
biscuits, soups, chocolate to sardine con-
tain flavor enhancers.
To increase the nutritional value of
processed products, manufacturers inject
18
 The importance of recovery

the vitamins and minerals extracted from

plants. The fact that these components are
not balanced, as they are in nature, causes
even more problems to those who eat
these kinds of food.
For example, vitamin B (niacin) acts as a
vitamin in amounts present in plants. If
you take it in larger doses through pills, our
body can not use surplus amount of this
vitamin, which then lowers the level of
cholesterol and triglycerides, and some
possible additional complications are sto-
mach ulcers, diarrhea, arrhythmia, liver dis-
ease and gout
Taking vitamin C through tablets can cause
kidney stones, diarrhea, and abdominal
cramps.
Excess vitamin D may produce serious
problems, interfering with calcium balance
in body, leading to accumulation of cal-
cium in blood that may be manifested in
from of mild symptoms, to life threatening
ones - from nausea, vomiting, fatigue, con-

19
Recovery for Athletes

fusion, to high blood pressure, kidney fail-

ure and coma.
Vitamin E may be toxic in large quantities,
causing problems with weakness and fa-
tigue, nausea and diarrhea.
Also, taking large amounts of any vitamin
or mineral leads to imbalance of all vita-
mins and minerals in body. For example, if
you are taking large amounts of vitamin C,
day after day, your body is going to in-
crease the absorption of iron, which could
lead to other problems. The interaction of
other minerals and vitamins can cause a
decrease in absorption of these substances.
The graph on the following page shows 11
separate interactions that exist between
minerals and vitamins. In the same way,
minerals may react with other minerals and
vitamins can interact with other vitamins.
If we take our vitamins and minerals
through fresh vegetable food, where they
are in balance, these problems cannot
occur.

20
 The importance of recovery

Physical rest. Imagine what would happen

if a coach of a soccer or basketball team
would ask his players to go to bed with the
sunset (between 8 and 9 pm), so that they
could get up at 5 or 6 o’clock. That’s some-
thing hard to imagine almost every athlete
only wants to earn money and to “party all
night”.

21
Recovery for Athletes

To better promote drug sale (that which

brings the greatest profit), drug manufac-
turers and dealers came up with terms such
as “partying” to replace drug abuse and de-
struction. So, people aren’t doing drugs,
they are “having fun” and “partying”. Ac-
cording to this model of living, the day is
scheduled for work, and night is there “to
party”.
We won’t go into details of harmful effects
of legalized drugs (alcohol, tobacco, cof-
fee, energy and soda drinks, processed
foods) or illicit ones (marijuana, heroin, co-
caine, etc) in this book. We elaborated on
that in our previous book - “Nutrition for
athlete”. Here, we’ll say something about
the importance of physical rest for the re-
covery for athletes.
It would be best for one to have fun during
day, without consuming poisonous sub-
stances. A person is going to be regener-
ated in a special way if he/she spends the
night sleeping and resting.

22
 The importance of recovery

And in the same way the herbivorous ani-

mal eat raw and unprocessed plant food,
as opposed to man who as an herbivore
eats what he shouldn’t be eating, all the an-
imals in the wild go to sleep with the sun-
set and get up at sunrise. Modern man is
again an exception, since he doesn’t respect
this natural process.
Research show that upon sunset, human
body triggers specific recovery and regene-
ration mechanisms and the most famous
one is the hormone melatonin, capable of
rejuvenating our body during night. The
graph on the next page shows the variation
in melatonin secretion and we note that its
increased secretion begins at sunset. Body
regeneration and this hormone utilization
will be complete only if a person spends
the night sleeping. This clearly shows that
there is a connection between an athlete’s
performance on field and the time at
which he goes to sleep.
One research gives clear evidence how en-
dangered is health of those who don’t

23
Recovery for Athletes

sleep on time. This study showed that

nurses who occasionally worked the night
shift had four times greater risk of getting
breast cancer compared to those who
never worked during night.
To many, it would certainly be unusual to
see an athlete regularly going to bed at 8 or
9 pm. In the same way, many didn’t under-
stand why Mike Tyson, Carl Lewis, Edwin
Moses, Martina Navratilova and many

24
 The importance of recovery

other world's best athletes are vegetarians,

but they were sure to answer them with
their results in sport arena.
Spiritual rest. Just as there are physical laws
of health, so there are spiritual laws of
health. Surrounded by those who truly love
us, one gets best spiritual regeneration
needed. Those people don’t love him be-
cause of his money and fame, but because
of his character and what he truly is.
The most important human need is to love
and be loved. True love is that of our fami-
ly and true friends. These people “com-
pete” in who will be best to others, who’ll
be more loving and caring to his family and
friends. True love doesn’t ask any kind of
material gain for being given, but is in-
spired by an adequate response to even
greater love and devotion. This type of
love is created in the family but can be
shown to those outside it in cases of true
friendship. That is why spiritual health and
rest are of crucial significance for an ath-
lete, to be a part of a loving family that’ll

25
Recovery for Athletes

give him spiritual energy to achieve grea-

test goals.
Unfortunately, many athletes only receive
false “love” by accepting the concept of
“love” that drug dealers promote. In addi-
tion to distribution of legalized and illegal
drugs, one of the most profitable branches
of criminal is human trafficking and pros-
titution. Women who are part of this sys-
tem are called “love dealers” by their
bosses. Many athletes fall victim to these
“love sellers”, not just in terms of sexually
transmitted diseases, but especially in the
spiritual humiliation and degradation do-
main.
Even greater threat comes from girls and
women that do the same job, but falsely
claim to love the person to which they pro-
vide “love” services. Many athletes fall for
heartbreaking love outbursts of such girls
with whom they then get married and have
children. This is very often followed by
huge disappointments from which many
never fully recover. The loss of children

26
 The importance of recovery

due to divorce is the worst thing that usu-

ally happens one of the parents more se-
verely experiences. Financial damage is the
least significant aspect of the story.
In one famous example, an athlete “dated”
a girl over a period of four years, after
which she left him and went to another
man. He then experienced such a strong
stress that he got diabetes and had to take
four insulin doses a day for the rest of his
life.
Research shows that young are most hurt
and affected not by death of their loved
ones (that’s on second place), but more by
breakups with their partner.
Unfortunately, many athletes injure them-
selves everyday by hanging out with “love
sellers” and “wolves in sheep clothes”.
This results in insufficient psychological
and spiritual readiness for match. Instead
of spiritually resting and recuperating in
warmth of their family, preparing for new
challenges that await them, a lot of athletes
dramatically reduce their physical and men-
27
Recovery for Athletes

tal abilities due to inadequate spiritual re-

covery, or complete lack thereof.
Below, we are going to address the ques-
tion of recovery of athletes who are not
injured and those who are. First, we’ll ex-
plain what an athlete needs to do to never
get injured and achieve maximum results
on sports field, and secondly, we’ll discuss
how to rehabilitate a player from his injury
as soon as possible.
The fact is that most athletes pay the ma-
jority of their attention to training in their
efforts to achieve best possible results. The
current state of muscle is considered to be
a major indicator of whether the player is
ready, and how ready he is.

28
 Part I

Recovery for healthy

athletes
30
 Food as
a recovery factor
Muscle can withstand the load momenta-
rily, but it’s a big question whether it’ll be
able to do that for next few matches, or
over a period of months and even years. If
we take a look at the state of leopard’s or
deer’s muscles, we can see that they
anatomically appear similar, but it’s their
function that differ them. A leopard can
quickly run short distances of about 100
meters, while a deer can run several hun-
dred meters at a very high speed.
The difference arises from the anatomy of
leopard and deer. Leopard is anatomically
a carnivore and all his organs, including
muscles, are designed in a different way,
unlike that of a deer which is an herbivore.
In order for leopard’s muscles to function
properly it is necessary that his liver, kid-
neys, intestines, heart and other organs
31
Recovery for Athletes

work adequately. Same applies to deer and

any other living being in nature.
Training is very important for maximizing
muscle performance, but not enough on
its own. If a muscle doesn’t receive ade-
quate nutrition, it won’t be able to reach its
maximum capacity. The same happens if
body is unable to properly eliminate waste
matter. That is why kidneys and intestinal,
as well as other excretory organs health is
crucial in order for muscles to perform op-
timally.
Adequate supply of oxygen is also very im-
portant for good muscle function. That’s
why it is important that athlete’s respiratory
system - from nose to lungs – is in excel-
lent condition. The same goes for all other
organs in the human body.
It is very important to note that our mus-
cles cannot be perceived separately from
the rest of the body. If we want to achieve
top results in sport, it’s not enough that our
muscles are fit in shortest time possible,
while neglecting their health and relation
32
 Food as a recovery factor

to other organs. The peak of physical fit-

ness can be reached only when all our or-
gans are in top form and perfect
coordination.
As mentioned, recovery – through nutri-
tion, physical and spiritual rest – is ex-
tremely important for achieving outstan-
ding results in sport. However, proper nu-
trition isn’t important only for muscle
function, but also for heart, liver and other
organs function. Because, if our whole
body doesn’t operate at the highest level,
then muscles won’t be even close to
achieving what they could if there was a
harmony with other organs of the body.
Muscles aren’t the only part of our body
that gets expended during great physical
and mental efforts. Adequate nutrition is
one of the key aspects of recovery for ath-
letes – of every organ in his body, mani-
fested through best possible results on the
field. In the following chapter, we’ll say a
few things about recovery for athletes
through proper nutrition.

33
Recovery for Athletes

Superiority of herbivores
We already mentioned that man is anatom-
ically and physiologically an herbivore.
Some of the best athletes in sport history
were vegans. To mention a few:
- Edwin Moses - multiple Olympic and
world champion in 400 meters hurdles,
dominating this discipline in period of 10
years (1977-1987), winning 107 consecu-
tive finals and 122 races in a row.
- Carl Lewis - the best athlete of the 20th
century, and one of the all-time best, eight-
time world champion, unbeatable in 100
and 200 meters race and long jump.
- Martina Navratilova - the most success-
ful tennis player of all time, winner of 58
Grand Slam tournaments (18 in singles
and 40 doubles), winning the title at Wim-
bledon a record nine times.
- Mike Tyson - the youngest professional
heavyweight boxing champion in history.

34
 Food as a recovery factor

He had 37 consecutive victories, a total of

50 wins - 44 by knockout.
Superiority of athletes who are exclusively
on plant food is best demonstrated in ex-
periment conducted by a Scandinavian sci-
entist Dr. Per-Olaf Astrand. He studied
the nutrition of nine highly trained ath-
letes, changing their diet every three days.
At the end of every three-day period, each
athlete was told to drive bike at high speed
until exhaustion.
The results he got can be seen in the table
on the next page. As we can see, athletes
on meat-rich diet became exhausted after
about an hour. While being on a mixed diet
with less meat, fat and proteins and more
plant foods, they were able to ride a bike
at high speed almost twice as long. How-
ever, on herbal diet they were able to drive
nearly three times as long before they be-
came exhausted.
This great improvement in stamina is a
well-known characteristic of herbivores.
Horses can run at high speed for hours. It
35
Recovery for Athletes

VEGETARIANS HAVE GREATER

ENDURANCE
Diet Maximal Endurace
(time to exhaustion)
- High protein & high
fat diet (high in meat) 57 min.
- Mixed diet (lower meat,
fat and protein) 1 hr 54 min.
- Vegetarian diet
(high carbohydrate) 2 hours 47 min.

was noted that some elephants were run-

ning at high speed for 10 to 12 hours. On
the other hand, carnivores, such as chee-
tah, tiger and other animals, have good
speed at the beginning, but tire quickly,
usually in less than five minutes.
It is important to note that proper nutri-
tion not only affects the performance and
health of the muscles, but also the proper
function and health of all other organs
connected to muscles. Therefore, top re-
sults of vegan athletes don’t only show

36
 Food as a recovery factor

how fit their muscles are, but how fit is

their whole body as a unity.
The tables on the following page compare
plant foods with those of animal origin. It
is obvious that vegan diet is far superior in
every aspect of nutrient composition. This
is very important to remember, since the
best type of food for our muscles is, logi-
cally, the best type of diet for every other
organ.

37
Recovery for Athletes

PROTEINS
Food - Quantity in grams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Soy 38 Tuna 21
Sunflower 27 Chicken 20
Lentil 24 Veal 20
Chickpeas 23 Pork 19
Almond 18,3 Lamb 19
Peanut 16,5 Eggs 13
Barley 14 White chees 8,7
Wheat 13 Cow’s milk 3,5

VITAMIN A
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Lucerne 5300 Veal liver 6060
Carrot 4500 Tuna 970
Spinach 4300 Cod 939
Beet 3000 Butter 181
Mango 1600 Cow’s milk 10
Parsley 1200 Beef 6
Apricot 933
Melon 866

VITAMIN B1
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Wheat germ 2 Beef liver 0,3
Wheat 0,7 Yolk 0,2
Almond 0,7 Veal cutlet 0,15
Soy 0,63 Fresh salmon 0,1
Lentil 0,5 Lamb chops 0,1
Chickpeas 0,4 Cow’s milk 0,04
Blackberry 0,3
Peas 0,28

38
 Food as a recovery factor

VITAMIN B2
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Walnut 1 Veal cutlet 0,3
Wheat germs 0,8 Ham 0,2
Almond 0,6 Egg 0,2
Avocado 0,2 Cow’s milk 0,2
Peaches 0,05 Tuna 0,19
Chiken 0,17

VITAMIN B6
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Wheat germs 4 Sardine 0,97
Walnut 0,87 Pork 0,5
Brown rice 0,67 Veal cutlet 0,4
Soy 0,6
Avocado 0,5
Banana 0,37
Pepper 0,27
White fluor 0,18

VITAMIN C
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Pomegranate 600 Cow’s milk 2
Kiwi 300 Salmon 0,9
Alfalfa 183 Meat 0
Pepper 131 Egg 0
Cabbage 105
Oranges 59
Strawberry 58
Lemon 51

39
Recovery for Athletes

VITAMIN E
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Almond 25,2 Grouper (fish) 0,9
Soy 13,3 Butter 2,2
Walnut 12,3 Egg 0,8
Sunflower 10 Beef liver 0,7
Wheat germ 8 Sheepshank 0,5
Olive 6 White chicken meat 0,3
Raspberry 4,5 Cow’s milk 0,1
Pepper 3,1 Pork 0,1

VITAMIN K
Food - Quantity in micrograms per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Beet leaves 470 Veal liver 86
Kale 360 Cheese 33
Cabbage 90 Milk 3,5
Lettuce 35
Spinach 25
Pea 15

CALCIUM
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Sesame 783 Yellow cheese 810
Soy 260 White cheese 300
Almond 252 Cow’s milk 120
Chestnut 225 Egg 58
Spinach 126 Salmon 14
Walnut 87 Chicken 12
Peanut 74 Lamb 12
Oats 70 Beef 4

40
 Food as a recovery factor

IRON
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Soy 12 Beef liver 11
Sesame 10 Beef 3
Beans 7,6 Lamb 2
Pistachios 7,3 Pork 1,5
Lentil 7 Egg 1,3
Sunflower 7 Tuna 1,2
Chickpeas 4,8 Chicken 1
Wheat 4,3 Cow’s milk 0,2

MAGNESIUM
Food - Quantity in miligrams per 100 g
Plant foods Animal foods
Sunflower 420 Mutton 24
Cocoa 420 Grouper (fish) 24
Almond 252 Hake 21,3
Soy 242 Pork 15,7
Walnut 185 Egg 14
Fava beans 164 Cow’s milk 14,5
Whole wheat flour 109
Spinach 55

It shouldn’t come as surprise that plants

are richest in nutrients, since it is well-
known that plants are the only food pro-
ducers on earth. Only they can take
minerals from soil and use sun's energy in
photosynthesis to produce food. Process
in which people feed animals with plants
so that they could later eat their meat re-
41
Recovery for Athletes

sults is a large energy and nutritional loss.

Plants most commonly used to feed the
animals are wheat and soybeans, and the
nutritional losses are shown in the table
below. We see that it takes up to 7 kg of
plants to produce one kilogram of meat.
Where do all these plants go, if they aren’t
transformed into meat – kilogram for kilo-
gram? Animals never get to absorb a large
percent of plant food. They simply excrete
it through stool. And the portion of plans
that gets absorbed is mainly used for bo-
dily processes of the animal. Some of the
plant food is transformed into inedible tis-
sues, such as hair and bones. This “plant
circulation through livestock” results in

Amount of plAnts needed to pro-

duce 1kg of meAt, cheese And eggs
- 7 kg of plants for 1 kg of pork
- 5 kg of plants for 1 kg of beef
- 2.8 kg of plants for 1 kg of chicken
- 3 kg of plants for 1 kg of cheese
- 2.7 kg of plants for 1 kg of eggs

42
 Food as a recovery factor

nutrIents lost In the process of

“plAnt cIrculAtIon”
Completely lost
Nutrients Loss (%)
Proteins 85-90%
Carbohydrates to 100%
Fiber 100%

loss of large amounts of nutrients, as

shown in the above table.
Producing human food in this way is an
absurdly ineffective process, in the same
way as it would be contra-productive to
produce copper, iron or any other less
valuable metal from gold.
Below we’ll elaborate on the recovery of
different body parts through diet and ex-
plain how a versatile plant diet can enable
a harmony of our every organ, maximizing
the physical condition of the entire body.

43
Recovery for Athletes

Foods for muscles and

bones
The mobility of human body depends on
the condition of our muscles, joints, ten-
dons and muscle membranes. Nutrition is
one of the key health and musculoskeletal
system recovery factors and affects it in
several ways:
- adequate muscle strength is maintained
by utilizing carbohydrates, vitamins and
minerals taken through diet.
- prevents osteoporosis by providing suf-
ficient quantities of calcium, magnesium
and phosphorus, which are necessary to
maintain an adequate supply of bone min-
erals.
- prevents the deposition of uric acid in
joints thereby stopping them from infect-
ing and decaying.
We are going to list some of the best plants
that contribute to the recovery and
strengthening of our bones and muscles.
44
 Food as a recovery factor

Coconut
A rich source of minerals

The coconut palm is one of the most re-

silient plants in the world. It is able to sus-
tain even the fiercest tropical storms and
its fruit – coconut is able to retain its ability
to germinate for thousands of years. The
science confirms what ancient people
knew: coconut is really “the tree that pro-
vides everything necessary for life” – not
just liquid for drinking and solid food, but
also sandals, textiles and even houses.
Coconut is very rich in magnesium which
is important for strong bones, muscles and
healthy joint cartilage. About 60% percent
of the body’s magnesium is found in the
bones and 26% in the muscles. Lack of
magnesium in the muscles leads to cramps
and nervous excitability. A liter of coconut
milk contains the RDA (Recommended
Dietary Allowance) of magnesium for an
adult. Also, coconut contains significant
amounts of iron and phosphorous, as well
45
Recovery for Athletes

as carbohydrates and proteins, and is par-

ticularly rich in fatty acids that are benefi-
cial to human body.

COCONUT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion

energy 354 kcal

protein 3.33 g
carbohydrates 6.23 g
fiber 9.00 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.066 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 1.19 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.054 mg
folate 26.4 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 3.30 mg
Vitamin e 0.730 mg α-te
calcium 14.0 mg
phosphorus 113 mg
magnesium 32.0 mg
Iron 2.43 mg
potassuim 356 mg
Zinc 1.10 mg
total fat 33.5 g
saturated fat 29.7 g
cholesterol –
sodium 20.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

46
 Food as a recovery factor

Leek
Eliminates uric acid

One of the many important characteristics

of leek is its ability to excrete uric acid. Our
bodies produce uric acid daily as a residue
of the metabolism of proteins. When ex-
cess uric acid is produced, it tends to de-
posit in joints, causing inflammation and
pain, known as arthritis. Leek has the abil-
ity to neutralize this acid and to eliminate
it through urine, thus protecting bones and
kidneys.
Due to its specific aroma, leek has a very
beneficial effect on sinus and respiratory
system. Leeks fight constipation because
of the laxative effect of their fiber, which
is a very important aspect of body cleans-
ing.
Leeks are rich in calcium, magnesium and
iron. 500g of leeks provides enough iron

47
Recovery for Athletes

that an adult needs in a day and a third of

the daily need for calcium.

LEEK - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion

energy 61.0 kcal

protein 1.50 g
carbohydrates 12.4 g
fiber 1.80 g
Vitamin A 10.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.060 mg
Vitamin B2 0.030 mg
niacin 0.600 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.233 mg
folate 64.1 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 12.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.920 mg α-te
calcium 59.0 mg
phosphorus 35.0 mg
magnesium 28.0 mg
Iron 2.10 mg
potassium 180 mg
Zinc 0.120 mg
total fat 0.300 g
saturated fat 0.040 g
cholesterol –
sodium 20.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

48
 Food as a recovery factor

Black currant
Fights rheumatism

This incredible plant contains three times

more vitamin C than orange and as much
iron as meat. Also, black currant is very
rich in B group vitamins, potassium, cal-
cium and magnesium. This type of currant
is preferable to the red currant.
This fruit contains flavonoids that are very
active as antioxidants, fighting inflamma-
tory processes in joints and reliving pain.
It also protects the arteries by preventing
the destruction of its elastic tissue.
Black currant contains substances that
tone the digestive system, purify blood and
help eliminate uric acid that causes joint in-
flammation (arthritis). Those who suffer
from rheumatism and cardiovascular and
circulatory disorders should eat definitely
include black currant in their diet.

49
Recovery for Athletes

They can be eaten ripe as fresh fruit, but

they are also particularly good as a refresh-
ing juice when squeezed.

BLACK CURRANT - Composition per 100 g

of raw edible portion

energy 63.0 kcal

protein 1.40 g
carbohydrates 13.4 g
fiber 2.00 g
Vitamin A 23.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.050 mg
Vitamin B2 0.050 mg
niacin 0.300 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.066 mg
folate –
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 181 mg
Vitamin e 0.100 mg α-te
calcium 55.0 mg
phosphorus 59.0 mg
magnesium 24.0 mg
Iron 1.54 mg
potassium 322 mg
Zinc 0.270 mg
total fat 0.410 g
saturated fat 0.034 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

50
 Food as a recovery factor

Chestnut
For strong muscles

Chestnut has a composition much more

similar to grains than to other nuts. In
times of famine or war, chestnut helped
many to survive due to its high nutritional
value. This plant is one of richest carbohy-
drate sources in nature. It contains proteins
and high-quality fats. Chestnut is quite rich
in vitamin C and B complex vitamins, as
well significant amounts of magnesium,
calcium, phosphorus, and trace elements
zinc, manganese and copper.
Since it is a good source of calories, it stim-
ulates the development of musculoskeletal
system. Also, chestnut has a tonic effect on
the muscles, energizing them and provid-
ing a sensation of well-being. It helps pre-
vent hypertension due to its high potas-
sium level. Chestnut’s alkalizing effect is
very important for proper kidney function
and excess acid elimination.

51
Recovery for Athletes

It is necessary to well chew the chestnut,

so that enzymes from saliva could process
its carbohydrates, starch and saccharose.

CHESTNUT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 213 kcal
protein 2.42 g
carbohydrates 37.4 g
fiber 8.10 g
Vitamin A 3.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.238 mg
Vitamin B2 0.168 mg
niacin 1.63 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.376 mg
folate 62.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 43.0 mg
Vitamin e –
calcium 27.0 mg
phosphorus 93.0 mg
magnesium 32.0 mg
Iron 1.01 mg
potassium 518 mg
Zinc 0.520 mg
total fat 2.26 g
saturated fat 0.425 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

52
 Food as a recovery factorv

Turnip
Rich in calcium

This now largely overlooked plant was

once an integral part of many nations’
diets, providing them with great strength.
Turnip leafs are the richest leafy green veg-
etable in calcium, having almost as twice
of this mineral as milk. It has an outstand-
ing concentration of many other minerals
and vitamins, such as provitamin A (beta-
carotene), vitamin C, vitamin B9 and iron.
Turnip consumption encourages the elim-
ination of uric acid, normally produced as
the body metabolizes proteins. Excess
amounts of this substance create a toxic
state in the body, known as gout, in which
uric acid crystal are deposited in joints and
cause inflammation and rheumatic pain.
Turnip is especially good for those who are
trying to lose weight, since it provides a
considerable feeling of satiety with few
calories. It contains substances that pro-
53
Recovery for Athletes

mote the proper function of thyroid gland,

which regulates the metabolism of other
tissues, including bones and muscles.

TURNIP - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 27.0 kcal
protein 1.50 g
carbohydrates 2.53 g
fiber 3.20 g
Vitamin A 760 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.070 mg
Vitamin B2 0.100 mg
niacin 1.03 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.263 mg
folate 194 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 60.0 mg
Vitamin e 2.90 mg α-te
calcium 190 mg
phosphorus 42.0 mg
magnesium 31.0 mg
Iron 1.10 mg
potassium 296 mg
Zinc 0.190 mg
total fat 0.300 g
saturated fat 0.070 g
cholesterol –
sodium 40.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

54
 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for the heart

The most important muscle in the human
body is heart. It opens and closes once a
second, working unceasingly from birth to
death. Health and rest of myocardium is
crucial to well-being of our bones and
muscles, as well as the whole body and suc-
cess in the sports arena.
Hearth rests for a tenth of second between
two beats. In order for the heart to func-
tion properly it needs enough oxygen and
nutrients, especially fatty acids, glucose and
vitamin B1, reaching the hearth via arter-
ies.
By avoiding foods rich in saturated fats and
cholesterol, such as meat, eggs, butter,
cheese and milk, as well as “legal narcotics”
– tobacco and coffee, is very important for
heart health. Below we’ll outline some of
the best foods for the heart.

55
Recovery for Athletes

Walnut
Provides energy for the heart

The walnut is one of the most concen-

trated food sources of nutrients in nature
and is particularly recommended for peo-
ple who are exposed to great physical ef-
forts, such as athletes. It contains large
amounts of essential linoleic acid which re-
duces cholesterol levels, critical to the for-
mation of nerve tissue and antibodies
production. Also, walnut contains large
quantities of high quality protein and is an
excellent source of vitamin B complex, in
particular – vitamin B1, necessary for the
function of the heart and stability of nerv-
ous system, as well as vitamin B6 responsi-
ble for proper brain function and red
blood cells production.
It’s rich in iron, magnesium and calcium
and many trace elements such as zinc (im-
portant for wound healing and immune

56
 Food as a recovery factor

system), copper (prevents anemia) and

manganese (necessary for reproduction).

WALNUT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 642 kcal
protein 14.3 g
carbohydrates 13.5 g
fiber 4.80 g
Vitamin A 12.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.382 mg
Vitamin B2 0.148 mg
niacin 4.19 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.558 mg
folate 66.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 3.20 mg
Vitamin e 2.62 mg α-te
calcium 94 mg
phosphorus 317 mg
magnesium 169 mg
Iron 2.44 mg
potassium 502 mg
Zinc 2.73 mg
total fat 61.9 g
saturated fat 5.59 g
cholesterol –
sodium 10.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

57
Recovery for Athletes

Banana
Rich in potassium

Banana is one of the best sources of

potassium in nature. This fact, combined
with the absence of sodium, makes this
fruit an excellent fighter against hyperten-
sion, arrhythmia and heart attack. Banana
contains significant amounts of vitamins
B1, B2 and B9 necessary for energy produc-
tion in the heart muscle, as well as magne-
sium, which inhibits the progress of
arteriosclerosis and prevents stroke.
This fruit is rich in soluble and insoluble
fiber lowering lipid and cholesterol levels,
while inducing intestinal-soothing effects.
Small amounts of serotonin in bananas are
responsible of inhibiting the spinal cord
pain and sedation of the nerves.
Banana alkalizes blood, thus neutralizing
and eliminating excess uric acid that causes
gout and arthritis. It protects the gastric
mucosal layer in a special manner and is
58
 Food as a recovery factor

very useful in all kinds of digestive disor-

ders.

BANANA - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 92.0 kcal
protein 1.03 g
carbohydrates 21.0 g
fiber 2.40 g
Vitamin A 8.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.045 mg
Vitamin B2 0.100 mg
niacin 1.740 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.578 mg
folate 19.1 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 9.10 mg
Vitamin e 0.270 mg α-te
calcium 6.00 mg
phosphorus 20.0 mg
magnesium 29.0 mg
Iron 0.310 mg
potassium 396 mg
Zinc 0.160 mg
total fat 0.480 g
saturated fat 0.185 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

59
Recovery for Athletes

Broccoli
Regenerates heart

This plant stands out as one the richest in

proteins, calcium and vitamin C. Due to its
high concentration of potassium and low
sodium level, broccoli is very good food
for those suffering heart failure. Its decon-
gestive properties protect us from heart
and circulatory system failures.
Broccoli has low levels of calories and fats,
while producing a feeling of satiety, mak-
ing it very useful for those suffering from
obesity and diabetes.
Due to high quantities of provitamin A
(beta-carotene) and phytochemicals, broc-
coli has anticancerogenic effects and pre-
vents the development of tumors. Broccoli
promotes the elimination of excess liquid
retained in the tissues, as in cases of ath-
letic injuries.
In the last few years, broccoli is becoming
more and more popular, mainly because it
60
 Food as a recovery factorv

doesn’t produce as much flatulence as the

rest of cauliflowers and has a better flavor.

BROCCOLI - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 28.0 kcal
protein 2.98 g
carbohydrates 2.24 g
fiber 3.00 g
Vitamin A 154 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.065 mg
Vitamin B2 0.119 mg
niacin 1.12 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.159 mg
folate 71.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 93.2 mg
Vitamin e 1.66 mg α-te
calcium 48.0 mg
phosphorus 66.0 mg
magnesium 25.0 mg
Iron 0.880 mg
potassium 325 mg
Zinc 0.400 mg
total fat 0.350 g
saturated fat 0.054 g
cholesterol –
sodium 27.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

61
Recovery for Athletes

Grapes
Strengthens the heart

Grapes are one of the richest fruits in vi-

tamin B complex, which are responsible,
among other things, for sugar metabolism
thus enhancing their chemical combustion
in cells to produce energy.
This fruit provides energy in the form of
simple sugars – glucose and fructose,
which the heart muscles use for contrac-
tions. Grapes are rich in potassium, but it
also contains calcium and magnesium im-
portant in cardiac contractions. Also,
grapes contain very little sodium and satu-
rated fat, two primary enemies of the car-
diovascular system.
Grapes are rich in flavonoids (vitamin P),
known for their antioxidant effect, imped-
ing the oxidation of cholesterol that causes
arteriosclerosis.

62
 Food as a recovery factor

Additionally, they halt the formation of

blood clots in the arteries.

GRAPES - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 71.0 kcal
protein 0.660 g
carbohydrates 16.8 g
fiber 1.00 g
Vitamin A 7.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.092 mg
Vitamin B2 0.057 mg
niacin 0.350 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.110 mg
folate 3.90 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 10.8 mg
Vitamin e 0.700 mg α - te
calcium 11.0 mg
phosphorus 13.0 mg
magnesium 6.00 mg
Iron 0.260 mg
potassium 185 mg
Zinc 0.050 mg
total fat 0.580 g
saturated fat 0.189 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

63
Recovery for Athletes

Peach
Everything necessary for the heart

The arteries that are the most prone to de-

terioration are those that feed the heart.
The chemical composition of the peach
seems almost perfect for a healthy heart.
Since peach has an ideal balance of vita-
mins A, C and E (best natural antioxi-
dants), this fruit maintains artery health
and improves blood flow to tissues and or-
gans.
Peach is also quite rich in B group vitamins
necessary for heart muscle cell contraction.
Large quantities of potassium can be
found in peach, and additionally, magne-
sium and minerals crucial to maintaining
normal heartbeat rhythm.
Absence of fats and sodium in peach helps
avoid hypertension and aids the cardiac ac-
tivity. Peach gives energy to the heart and

64
 Food as a recovery factor

promotes the elimination of waste materi-

als from the blood.

PEACH - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 43.0 kcal
protein 0.700 g
carbohydrates 9.10 g
fiber 2.00 g
Vitamin A 54.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.017 mg
Vitamin B2 0.041 mg
niacin 1.02 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.018 mg
folate 3.40 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 6.60 mg
Vitamin e 0.700 mg α-te
calcium 5.00 mg
phosphorus 12.0 mg
magnesium 7.00 mg
Iron 0.110 mg
potassium 197 mg
Zinc 0.140 mg
total fat 0.090 g
saturated fat 0.010 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

65
Recovery for Athletes

Peas
The heart’s friends

Peas are a good source of proteins, espe-

cially if combined with corn, since this
combination provides body with all the
amino acids necessary to our body. This
plant is a good source of B complex vita-
mins necessary for proper function of the
heart and nervous system, helping with in-
somnia, depression and irritability.
It is very rich in vitamin C (almost as much
as lemon), making it a very powerful an-
tioxidant that aids arterial function and
keeps them free of cholesterol. Peas have
high levels of potassium, which is very im-
portant for heart’s health.
Also, peas is a good source of iron, zinc
and fibers, and provides significant amo-
unts of provitamin A (beta-carotene), vi-
tamin E and magnesium making this plant
an excellent combination of important
components for cardiac health.
66
 Food as a recovery factor

The starch in peas is slowly converted in

simple sugars during digestion, keeping the
level of blood sugar in balance.

PEAS - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 81.0 kcal
protein 5.42 g
carbohydrates 9.36 g
fiber 5.10 g
Vitamin A 64.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.266 mg
Vitamin B2 0.132 mg
niacin 2.71 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.169 mg
folate 65.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 40.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.390 mg α-te
calcium 25.0 mg
phosphorus 108 mg
magnesium 33.0 mg
Iron 1.47 mg
potassium 244 mg
Zinc 1.24 mg
total fat 0.400 g
saturated fat 0.071 g
cholesterol –
sodium 5.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

67
Recovery for Athletes

Foods for the arteries

In order to have healthy and strong mus-
cles, oxygen and nutrients sent by heart
have to successfully reach them. This is
what arteries do. Without healthy and
strong arteries, there can be no healthy and
strong muscles. Arteries provide oxygen
and nutrients to other organs also and all
of them play a significant role in muscle
and bone health, as well as in reaching top
results in sport.
Substances that are bad for arteries are
(large quantities of) sodium – primarily
from table salt, saturated fat and choles-
terol, found only in animal products. Ben-
eficial components are antioxidants
(primarily found in fruits and vegetables),
unsaturated fatty acids (nuts and seeds) and
soluble fiber (fruits, vegetables and
legumes).
Below we’ll analyze some of the best foods
for the arteries.

68
 Food as a recovery factor

Grapefruit
Cleanses the arteries

Due to high levels of pectin (soluble veg-

etable fiber), grapefruit is known for its
anti-cholesterol effects and ability to pro-
tect arteries. Also, flavonoids (phytochem-
icals) in grapefruit facilitate blood flow and
act as antioxidants and anticancerogens.
Hematocrit is a measure of blood concen-
tration in cells. Grapefruit has the property
to lower the level of hematocrit to normal
levels, thereby reducing the risk of blood
clots formation that are the most serious
complication of arteriosclerosis. On the
other hand, if hematocrit is lower because
of the anemia, grapefruit – quite miracu-
lously- helps raise its level toward balance.
Similarly, vitamin C, abundant in this type
of fruit, also protects the arteries.
A glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit in
the morning, drank on an empty stomach,

69
Recovery for Athletes

is one of the best and simplest ways to

detoxify your body, aiding with obesity.

GRAPEFRUIT - Composition per 100 g

of raw edible portion
energy 32.0 kcal
protein 0.630 g
carbohydrates 6.98 g
fiber 1.10 g
Vitamin A 12.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.036 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 0.283 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.042 mg
folate 10.2 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 34.4 mg
Vitamin e 0.250 mg α-te
calcium 12.0 mg
phosphorus 8.00 mg
magnesium 8.00 mg
Iron 0.090 mg
potassium 139 mg
Zinc 0.070 mg
total fat 0.100 g
saturated fat 0.014 g
cholesterol –
sodium –
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

70
 Food as a recovery factor

Strawberry
The strongest antioxidant fruit

Free radicals are feared for their ability to

oxidize lipoproteins (that enable fat trans-
port in blood). If the process of oxidation
is not stopped, then the cholesterol is
going to get deposited on artery walls,
leading to arteriosclerosis. Strawberry, as
the strongest antioxidant among fruit, neu-
tralizes the effect of free radicals thereby
protecting arteries.
The antioxidant properties of strawberry
are the result of its high concentration of
vitamin C, bioflavonoid (vitamin P) and
other phytochemicals.
Strawberry increases urine production and
facilitate the elimination of uric acid due
to its alkalizing properties. High levels of
soluble fiber let this fruit aid with consti-
pation. Strawberries can cause allergic re-
action due to their salicylic acid content in

71
Recovery for Athletes

those people whose body needs detoxifi-

cation.

STRAWBERRY - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 30.0 kcal
protein 0.610 g
carbohydrates 4.72 g
fiber 2.30 g
Vitamin A 3.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.020 mg
Vitamin B2 0.066 mg
niacin 0.347 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.059 mg
folate 17.7 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 56.7 mg
Vitamin e 0.140 mg α-te
calcium 14.0 mg
phosphorus 19.0 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.380 mg
potassium 166 mg
Zinc 0.130 mg
total fat 0.370 g
saturated fat 0.020 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

72
 Food as a recovery factor

Squash
Ally to arteries

Due to the best sodium/potassium ration

in plants, squash is very important in pre-
venting hypertension and its negative con-
sequences (arterial blood clots and stroke).
Squash’s minimum levels of fat and rich-
ness in beta-carotene also aid in protection
of arterial walls.
Squash promotes the production of urine
and can be used in regulating proper renal
function. It also neutralizes excess stomach
acid and has a protective effect on the
stomach mucosa.
Squash seeds stop the excessive growth of
prostate, produced in many males over the
age of fifty.
They also relax the urinary bladder and fa-
cilitate its function.

73
Recovery for Athletes
Squash seeds can also paralyze parasitic
worms in the intestine, making their elim-
ination much easier.

SQUASH - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 26.0 kcal
protein 1.00 g
carbohydrates 6.00 g
fiber 0.500 g
Vitamin A 160 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.050 mg
Vitamin B2 0.110 mg
niacin 0.800 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.061 mg
folate 16.2 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 9.00 mg
Vitamin e 1.06 mg α-te
calcium 21.0 mg
phosphorus 44.0 mg
magnesium 12.0 mg
Iron 0.800 mg
potassium 340 mg
Zinc 0.320 mg
total fat 0.100 g
saturated fat 0.052 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

74
 Food as a recovery factorv

Buckwheat
Feeds and protects the arteries

Buckwheat has a great nutritional value,

similar to other grains, but its most impor-
tant characteristic is its richness in lysine,
an essential amino acid lacking in wheat
and other grain, making buckwheat protein
more complete than those of wheat.
Buckwheat is also rich in nutrients (such as
vitamin P) necessary for the healthy func-
tion of the capillaries and arteries.
That’s why it’s very nutritious and easily di-
gestible, making buckwheat very desirable
part of athletes’, physical laborers’ and
adolescents’ diet.
Very low sodium level makes this grain
good for those suffering from hyperten-
sion disorders, arteriosclerosis and vascular
fragility.

75
Recovery for Athletes

BUCKWHEAT - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 343 kcal
protein 13.3 g
carbohydrates 61.5 g
fiber 10.0 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.101 mg
Vitamin B2 0.425 mg
niacin 10.2 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.210 mg
folate 30.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 1.03 mg α-te
calcium 18.0 mg
phosphorus 347 mg
magnesium 231 mg
Iron 2.20 mg
potassium 460 mg
Zinc 2.40 mg
total fat 3.40 g
saturated fat 0.741 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

76
 Food as a recovery factor

Avocado
Against anemia and high cholesterol level

This fruit is very concentrated with high

nutritional and caloric value. Avocado is
one of the fruits richest in good fats, with-
out cholesterol and richest in proteins,
containing all essential amino acids.
Avocado contains the most vitamin E (the
vitamin of reproduction) of any fresh
fruit. This vitamin also has powerful an-
tioxidant effect and protects our body
from cancer and cellular aging. With more
than 5% of fiber, the avocado is the richest
of any fresh fruit.
Avocado is very good for arterial function
and blood pressure regulation, due to its
optimal sodium/potassium ratio. The iron
in avocado is well absorbed and is good in
fighting anemia.

77
Recovery for Athletes

Abundance of vitamin B6 facilitates neural

function, battling nervousness and depres-
sion.

AVOCADO - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 161 kcal
protein 1.98 g
carbohydrates 2.39 g
fiber 5.00 g
Vitamin A 61.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.108 mg
Vitamin B2 0.122 mg
niacin 2.27 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.500 mg
folate 61.9 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 7.90 mg
Vitamin e 2.30 mg α-te
calcium 11.0 mg
phosphorus 41.0 mg
magnesium 39.0 mg
Iron 1.02 mg
potassium 599 mg
Zinc 0.420 mg
total fat 15.3 g
saturated fat 2.44 g
cholesterol –
sodium 10.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

78
 Food as a recovery factor

Pear
Regulates blood pressure

The pear’s ability to lower blood pressure

has been known for ages. This is due to its
mild diuretic effect and complete absence
of sodium – mineral that retains water in
body thus raising blood pressure level.
And, since pear is rich in potassium, it ad-
ditionally reduces risk of high blood pres-
sure.
Low level of protein and abundance of
potassium are an excellent combination for
stimulating proper renal function. The pear
is digested rapidly and fights against putre-
faction and flatulence.
The pear is rich in good sugars, containing
high amounts of magnesium, iron, copper
and manganese. A good combination of
fibers in pear enables it to work against
high cholesterol levels and have laxative ef-
fect. Organic acids and tannins level in

79
Recovery for Athletes

pear are responsible for absorbent and

anti-inflammatory effect of pear.

PEAR - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 59.0 kcal
protein 0.390 g
carbohydrates 12.7 g
fiber 2.40 g
Vitamin A 2.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.020 mg
Vitamin B2 0.040 mg
niacin 0.100 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.018 mg
folate 7.30 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 4.00 mg
Vitamin e 0.500 mg α-te
calcium 11.0 mg
phosphorus 11.0 mg
magnesium 6.00 mg
Iron 0.250 mg
potassium 125 mg
Zinc 0.120 mg
total fat 0.400 g
saturated fat 0.022 g
cholesterol –
sodium –
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

80
 Food as a recovery factor

Sunflower
Fights arteriosclerosis

Sunflower seeds are one of the most nu-

tritionally valuable foods in nature. They
have the lowest concentration of saturated
fats making them very good in lowering
bad cholesterol levels. Also, sunflower has
the ability to dilate blood vessels and re-
duce stickiness of the platelets, thus reduc-
ing the risk of blood clots.
Since sunflower seeds are one of the best
sources of vitamin E, it has powerful an-
tioxidant properties. Additionally, they pre-
vent deterioration of arteries and rege-
nerate them. This vitamin, along with
linoleic acid (vitamin F) improve the elas-
ticity of the skin and protects its cells from
aging, strengthening the nails and hair, as
well as reducing the number of gray hairs.
Sunflower seeds are abundant in vitamin
B1. Together with phosphorous, lecithin
and linoleic acid, this seeds contain an ex-
cellent mixture of nutrients that benefit the
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Recovery for Athletes

nervous system, especially for the brain.

It’s best to eat it raw, dried in air for a cou-
ple of days.

SUNFLOWER SEED - Composition per

100 g of raw edible portion

energy 570 kcal

protein 22.8 g
carbohydrates 8.26 g
fiber 10.5 g
Vitamin A 5.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 2.29 mg
Vitamin B2 0.250 mg
niacin 10.3 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.770 mg
folate 227 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 1.40 mg
Vitamin e 50.3 mg α-te
calcium 116 mg
phosphorus 705 mg
magnesium 354 mg
Iron 6.77 mg
potassium 689 mg
Zinc 5.06 mg
total fat 49.6 g
saturated fat 5.20 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

82
 Food as a recovery factor

Rye
Flexibility for the arteries

Rye is an excellent source of proteins and

when combined with legumes provide the
body with all essential amino acids. It’s well
known that grains make the arterial walls
more elastic, the blood more fluid and im-
prove circulation, and rye seems to have
the most prolific effect.
This property can likewise be attributed to
rye’s richness in vitamin E and selenium.
Due to its positive effect on the arteries
and has a low level of sodium, rye is good
for those suffering from hypertension. Its
richness in fibers makes it beneficial for in-
testinal regulation.
Besides all of this, rye lowers the concen-
tration of bile and other acids in the intes-
tine. This grain is very rich in phospho/
rous, magnesium, zinc and other microele-

83
Recovery for Athletes

ments, and just 100g of rye satisfies one

fourth of our daily need for iron.

RYE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 335 kcal
protein 14.8 g
carbohydrates 55.2 g
fiber 14.6 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.316 mg
Vitamin B2 0.251 mg
niacin 6.84 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.294 mg
folate 60.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 1.87 mg α-te
calcium 33.0 mg
phosphorus 374 mg
magnesium 121 mg
Iron 2.67 mg
potassium 264 mg
Zinc 3.73 mg
total fat 2.50 g
saturated fat 0.287 g
cholesterol –
sodium 6.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

84
 Food as a recovery factor

Chickpea
Ideal food for athletes

Due to the lifestyle of modern athletes,

plagued by stress and inadequate nutrition,
a plate of chickpeas is simply a must-have
for them. This plant lowers the level of
cholesterol in blood and strengthens the
nervous system.
Chickpea contains much energy and is a
good source of majority of nutrients, con-
taining more proteins than meat and eggs.
Plant proteins, such as those of chickpea
are complete and contain almost every es-
sential and non-essential amino acid.
Chickpea is the best source of B group vi-
tamins, which are very important in neural
function regulation. It contains three times
more iron than meat and is an excellent
source of zinc (just like lentils and soy),
making it an excellent choice for athletes.

85
Recovery for Athletes

Chickpea’s fiber content facilitates intes-

tinal function.

CHICKPEA - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 364 kcal
protein 19.3 g
carbohydrates 43.3 g
fiber 17.4 g
Vitamin A 7.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.477 mg
Vitamin B2 0.212 mg
niacin 4.62 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.535 mg
folate 557 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 4.00 mg
Vitamin e 0.820 mg α-te
calcium 105 mg
phosphorus 366 mg
magnesium 115 mg
Iron 6.24 mg
potassium 875 mg
Zinc 3.43 mg
total fat 6.04 g
saturated fat 0.626 g
cholesterol –
sodium 24.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

86
 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for blood

Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are those
that give blood its red color and transport
oxygen that keeps all cells alive. Erythro-
cytes live about hundred days, and the
bone marrow constantly produces new red
blood cells, and this process requires ade-
quate nutrition. Reduction in red blood cell
number leads to anemia (literally means
“lack of blood”). The most important sub-
stances for blood production are iron, pro-
teins, vitamins B12 and B9.
The majority of iron from food is in form
that is hard to absorb by intestine. How-
ever, vitamin C from fruits, especially
acidic ones, speeds the absorption rate of
iron two to three times. Legumes, green
leafy vegetables, fruits and grains are the
best sources of nutrients needed for blood
production. Our bodies don’t need meat to
produce blood. Blood produced from
plant-based nutrients has much greater
quality than that of foods of animal origin.
We’ll elaborate on this below.
87
Recovery for Athletes

Red beet
For strong blood

This vegetable contains a lot of iron and

vitamin C, which facilitates the absorption
of this element. Drinking 50-100 ml of
freshly squeezed beet juice gives the great-
est anti-anemic effect. Red beet juice on its
own doesn’t have a particularly good taste
and therefore it’s best to mix it with carrot
or/and apple juice.
High levels of potassium, calcium and
magnesium have alkalizing effect on the
blood, making red beet good in cases of
arthritis. Its high content of fiber gives it
ability to promote proper intestinal func-
tion. Also, it regulates cholesterol levels in
blood. Eating red beet during three weeks
(intake of about 30 mg of beet fiber) low-
ers cholesterol level in blood for 10%.
Beet’s ingredients have a soothing effect on
stomach and a powerful anticancerogenic
effect. Research show that a daily dose of
88
 Food as a recovery factorv
250g of shredded red beets or 300-500 ml
of juice is capable of eliminating cancer
completely.

RED BEET - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 43.0 kcal
protein 1.61 g
carbohydrates 6.76 g
fiber 2.80 g
Vitamin A 4.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.031 mg
Vitamin B2 0.040 mg
niacin 0.651mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.067 mg
folate 109 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 4.90 mg
Vitamin e 0.300 mg α-te
calcium 16.0 mg
phosphorus 40.0 mg
magnesium 23.0 mg
Iron 0.800 mg
potassium 325 mg
Zinc 0.350 mg
total fat 0.170 g
saturated fat 0.027 g
cholesterol –
sodium 78.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

89
Recovery for Athletes

Lemon
Purifies blood

The most important components of

lemon are not its nutrients, but rather its
accompanying substances or phytochemi-
cals. It’s rich in vitamin C, which, among
other things, facilitates iron absorption.
Even half a lemon a day would be enough.
This vitamin also has strong antibacterial
properties.
Lemon is rich in flavonoids (vitamin P)
which that act like antioxidants, neutraliz-
ing the harmful activity of free radicals and
slowing the aging process. They also im-
prove blood flow and prevent edema and
blood clots. Lemon is also known for its
anticancerogenic properties.
Lemon peel contains aromatic terpenes
that detoxify the body and protect it from
cancer. This fruit can greatly improve renal
function and help dissolve kidney stones,
additionally improving immunity to infec-
90
 Food as a recovery factor

tions. Two drops of lemon juice in the eye

two or three times a day are enough to help
in case of conjunctivitis.

LEMON - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 29.0 kcal
protein 1.10 g
carbohydrates 6.52 g
fiber 2.80 g
Vitamin A 3.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.040 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 0.100 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.080 mg
folate 10.6 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 53.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.240 mg α-te
calcium 26.0 mg
phosphorus 16.0 mg
magnesium 8.00 mg
Iron 0.600 mg
potassium 138 mg
Zinc 0.600 mg
total fat 0.300 g
saturated fat 0.039 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

91
Recovery for Athletes

Pistachio
Richness of iron

Since ancient times, pistachios were called

“some of the best products of the land”,
together with honey and almonds. Its most
outstanding feature is the abundance of
iron, surpassing that of lentils. They also
contain many minerals: potassium, magne-
sium, phosphorous and calcium. Pista-
chio’s content of microelements such as
copper facilitates the absorption of the
iron.
The iron and copper combination in pis-
tachio induces a stronger anti-anemic ef-
fect than any pharmaceutical product.
This property is even more enhanced
when pistachios are eaten with fruits rich
in vitamin C, since it’s known that this vi-
tamin promotes the absorption of iron in
intestinal.

92
 Food as a recovery factor
Pistachios are very rich in proteins, but
have fewer fats than other nuts. They also
contain a lot of carbohydrates.

PISTACHIO - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion

energy 577 kcal

protein 20.6 g
carbohydrates 14.0 g
fiber 10.8 g
Vitamin A 23.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.820 mg
Vitamin B2 0.174 mg
niacin 5.80 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.250 mg
folate 58.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 7.20 mg
Vitamin e 5.21 mg α-te
calcium 135 mg
phosphorus 503 mg
magnesium 158 mg
Iron 6.78 mg
potassium 1,093 mg
Zinc 1.34 mg
total fat 48.4 g
saturated fat 6.13 g
cholesterol –
sodium 6.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

93
Recovery for Athletes

Lentils
Rich in iron and fiber

Lentils are very concentrated food that is

an excellent source of energy, mostly from
proteins and carbohydrates since lentils
contain virtually no fat. This type of
legume is slightly acidifying and that’s why
it should be combined with green vegeta-
bles. It’s very rich in fiber and thus stimu-
lates proper intestinal function.
Only a 100 grams of raw lentils meets
most of almost all of the nutritional need
of an athlete. It’s good to combine it with
lemon, rich in vitamin C, in order to pro-
mote iron absorption from lentils. Eaten
with rice, these two plants give all the nec-
essary amino acids.
Lentils are best prepared if they are soaked
in water overnight, and then rinsed in the
morning and left wet. This is repeated
every 3-5 hours until it germinates, which
occurs in about 24 hours. Lentils can be
94
 Food as a recovery factor

consumed as seen the sprouts appear. This

method applies to all legumes.

LENTILS - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 338 kcal
protein 28.1 g
carbohydrates 26.6 g
fiber 30.5 g
Vitamin A 4.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.475 mg
Vitamin B2 0.245 mg
niacin 6.80 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.535 mg
folate 433 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 6.20 mg
Vitamin e 0.330 mg α-te
calcium 51.0 mg
phosphorus 454 mg
magnesium 107 mg
Iron 9.02 mg
potassium 905 mg
Zinc 3.61 mg
total fat 0.960 g
saturated fat 0.135 g
cholesterol –
sodium 10.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

95
Recovery for Athletes

Alfalfa
A little appreciated food of great value

Alfalfa is best eaten when sprouted, after

being soaked in water. It’s especially rich in
proteins, calcium, iron, as well as vitamins
C, E and B9. Its nutritional value is greater
than that of most other vegetables and it
shouldn’t come as surprise that horses fed
with alfalfa have great stamina.
This extraordinary plant has high concen-
tration of vitamin K (much more than
meat and milk), important in the process
of coagulation. This vitamin also facilitates
the use of calcium in bones.
Apart from iron, alfalfa contains many
other minerals, such as copper and boron,
as well as vitamins that have an anti-anemic
effect and have regenerative effect. This
vegetable promotes proper intestinal func-
tion and lowers cholesterol level. Studies
show that athletes who consumed alfalfa

96
 Food as a recovery factor

regularly showed better results in cases of

exhaustion, depression and nervousness.

ALFALFA - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 29.0 kcal
protein 3.99 g
carbohydrates 1.28 g
fiber 2.50 g
Vitamin A 16.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.076 mg
Vitamin B2 0.126 mg
niacin 0.481 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.034 mg
folate 36.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 8.20 mg
Vitamin e 0.020 mg α-te
calcium 32.0 mg
phosphorus 70.0 mg
magnesium 27.0 mg
Iron 0.960 mg
potassium 79.0 mg
Zinc 0.920 mg
total fat 0.690 g
saturated fat 0.069 g
cholesterol –
sodium 6.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

97
Recovery for Athletes

Fava bean
Abundance of iron and energy

Man has been using fava beans for ages.

Iron is the most prominent ingredient of
fava beans, and whose absorption is en-
hanced by the presence of vitamin C.
That’s why fava beans should be combined
with other vegetables that contain this pre-
cious vitamin. It is particularly recom-
mended to top athletes, adolescents, preg-
nant women, and those recuperating from
an infection or surgery.
This plant has high levels of proteins and
carbohydrates. Fava beans are best con-
sumed when fresh and tender, or sprouted.
These and other beans are best to eat after
they are shortly boiled or steamed. Also, it
might be useful to remove the membrane
from the pods. Fava beans are a good
source of vitamin B1 and B9, as well as vi-

98
 Food as a recovery factor

tamin C, which they contain about half

that of the lemon.

FAVA BEAN - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 341 kcal
protein 26.1 g
carbohydrates 33.3 g
fiber 25.0 g
Vitamin A 5.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.555 mg
Vitamin B2 0.333 mg
niacin 6.95 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.366 mg
folate 423 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 1.40 mg
Vitamin e 0.090 mg α-te
calcium 103 mg
phosphorus 421 mg
magnesium 192 mg
Iron 6.70 mg
potassium 1.062 mg
Zinc 3.14 mg
total fat 1.53 g
saturated fat 0.254 g
cholesterol –
sodium 13.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

99
Recovery for Athletes

Food for the nervous

system
Brain is the control center for every neu-
ron in human body. It requires only two
substances to function: oxygen and sugar
(glucose). However, higher brain function
such as thought, memory and self-control
require many other nutrients.
Lack of magnesium leads to nervousness
and anxiety. B group vitamins have the
greatest influence of health and proper
function of brain and nervous system in
general. If there is not enough vitamin B1,
we may become irritable and depressed.
Vitamin B6 deficiency leads to nervousness
and fatigue. Unsaturated fatty acids found
particularly in nuts are also very important
for health and development of the nervo-
us system. On the other hand, refined whi-
te sugar and additives affect the nervous
system very negatively. In one sentence:
grains and nuts have the best balance of
nutrients needed to neural system.
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 Food as a recovery factor

Almond
For strong nerves

A traditional Mediterranean farm lunch is

made up of a handful of almonds, whole
bread and an apple. This meal has a great
nutritional value that surpasses meat in
caloric and protein value. Almond proteins
are easily absorbed and have a complete
composition of amino acids.
High-quality fats make up more than half
of the weight of the almond, predomi-
nantly linoleic acid that is of vital signifi-
cance to nervous system. Almond is rich
in vitamin B1 and B6, and especially vita-
min E. This nut is among the richest plant
in calcium (more than milk) and phospho-
rous, and due to ideal balance of these two
minerals, almond is a powerful tool in
keeping the muscle stability and irritation
prevention. Also, almond is very rich in
zinc, copper and manganese that are re-
sponsible for important functions in our

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Recovery for Athletes

body. Because of its incredible composi-

tion and easy digestion, almond is consid-
ered to be the most valued and useful nut.

ALMOND - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 589 kcal
protein 20.0 g
carbohydrates 9.50 g
fiber 10.9 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.221 mg
Vitamin B2 0.779 mg
niacin 9.33 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.113 mg
folate 58.7 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 0.600 mg
Vitamin e 24.0 mg α-te
calcium 266 mg
phosphorus 520 mg
magnesium 296 mg
Iron 3.66 mg
potassium 732 mg
Zinc 2.92 mg
total fat 52.2 g
saturated fat 4.95 g
cholesterol –
sodium 11.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

102
 Food as a recovery factor

Lettuce
Calms the nerves

After overeating at dinner, the ancient Ro-

mans ate lettuce afterwards as a sleep aid.
Today, those seeking the soothing effect of
food should eat lettuce in place of the din-
ner. This effect is the result of substances
chemically similar to opium, but com-
pletely harmless and non-addictive.
Lettuce has a relatively high level of pro-
teins, and combined with legumes provides
human body with all the necessary amino
acids.
Only 100 g of lettuce provides one quarter
of daily requirement of provitamin A. It
contains necessary B vitamins that provide
nervous system stability.
It’s quite rich in potassium, and also has
high levels of calcium, phosphorous and
magnesium, as well as trace elements such
as zinc, copper and manganese making let-

103
Recovery for Athletes

tuce beneficial for stomach and blood al-

kalizing.

LETTUCE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 16.0 kcal
protein 1.62 g
carbohydrates 0.670 g
fiber 1.70 g
Vitamin A 260 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.100 mg
Vitamin B2 0.100 mg
niacin 0.700 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.047 mg
folate 136 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 24.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.440 mg α-te
calcium 36.0 mg
phosphorus 45.0 mg
magnesium 6.00 mg
Iron 1.10 mg
potassium 290 mg
Zinc 0.250 mg
total fat 0.200 g
saturated fat 0.026 g
cholesterol –
sodium 8.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

104
 Food as a recovery factor

Cashew
Abundance of magnesium

Cashew is a vegetable with one of the

highest magnesium content (surpassing
meat, milk and eggs; only sunflower seeds
have higher levels of magnesium). Due to
richness in this mineral, cashew is very im-
portant for many metabolic processes in
human body, particularly the transmission
of nerve impulses.
Since it’s also rich in vitamins B1 and B2
(more than almond and walnut) it’s essen-
tial for nervous stability.
Cashew can really help in cases of nerv-
ousness, irritability, weakness, abnormal fa-
tigue and depression. Also, it’s very effec-
tive against cramps, not just in muscles, but
also in colon (when it irritated by poisons)
and in arteries that feed the heart (due to
congestion). Cashew is an excellent choice
for making vegetable milk – just blend a

105
Recovery for Athletes

handful of these nuts with a few dates and

3 ml of water.

CASHEW - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 574 kcal
protein 15.3 g
carbohydrates 29.7 g
fiber 3.00 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.200 mg
Vitamin B2 0.200 mg
niacin 5.35 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.256 mg
folate 69.2 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 0.570 mg α-te
calcium 45.0 mg
phosphorus 490 mg
magnesium 260 mg
Iron 6.00 mg
potassium 565 mg
Zinc 5.60 mg
total fat 46.4 g
saturated fat 9.16 g
cholesterol –
sodium 16.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

106
 Food as a recovery factor

Oats
Balances the nerves

There is a practice in some European

countries to have those suffering from in-
somnia or nervousness sleep on a mattress
of oat hay. This practice might not be that
baseless, since it’s known that oats contain
an alkaloid that soothes the nervous sys-
tem. And while in some places, such as
Scotland, oatmeal was a common breakfast
dish, in England this grain was used prima-
rily to feed horses. Perhaps that is the ori-
gin of the saying that says “Scotland has
the most beautiful people, England has the
best horses.” Combined with chickpeas,
oats meets our body’s needs for essential
amino acids. Oats has the greatest nutri-
tional value of all grains. Oats provide the
most important nutrients for proper func-
tion of neural cells, such as glucose (sugar),
fatty acids, phosphorous, lecithin and vita-
min B1. In cases of nervousness, fatigue,
mental exhaustion, insomnia and depres-
107
Recovery for Athletes

sion, oats should be eaten every day. When

soaked in water, it’s going to swell after a
few hours and then can be eaten raw.

OATS - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 389 kcal
protein 16.9 g
carbohydrates 55.7 g
fiber 10.6 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.763 mg
Vitamin B2 0.139 mg
niacin 4.86 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.119 mg
folate 56.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 0.700 mg α-te
calcium 54.0 mg
phosphorus 523 mg
magnesium 177 mg
Iron 4.72 mg
potassium 429 mg
Zinc 3.97 mg
total fat 6.90 g
saturated fat 1.22 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

108
 Food as a recovery factor

Brazil nuts
Rich in vitamin B1

The most important nutritional property

of Brazil nuts is its high vitamin B1 level,
higher than meat, milk and egg. This
makes them good for those suffering from
nervousness and depression, as well as
concentration, memory and nerve stability
improvement. Those who want to stop
smoking should definitely include Brazil
nuts in their diet because of the effect vi-
tamin B1 has on the neural system (wheat
germ, brewer’s yeast, sunflower seed and
pine nuts).
This type of nuts is rich in protein, as well
as vitamin E, which regenerates our body
cells in a specific way. Brazil nut also con-
tains some phosphorus, magnesium, cal-
cium and iron.
Due to their high content of saturated
fatty acids (up to 25%), it’s not recom-

109
Recovery for Athletes

mended to be eaten to excess on a daily

basis.

BRAZIL NUT - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 656 kcal
protein 14.3 g
carbohydrates 7.40 g
fiber 5.40 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 1.00 mg
Vitamin B2 0.122 mg
niacin 5.96 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.251 mg
folate 4.00 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 0.700 mg
Vitamin e 7.60 mg α-te
calcium 176 mg
phosphorus 600 mg
magnesium 225 mg
Iron 3.40 mg
potassium 600 mg
Zinc 4.59 mg
total fat 66.2 g
saturated fat 16.2 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

110
 Food as a recovery factor

Pine nuts
Food for the brain

Pine nuts have a great diet value, but their

high price and scarcity on the market
makes them somewhat rarely used.
They contain a high percent of good fats
(linoleic and pinoleic fatty acid) that are im-
portant for adequate neural formation.
Fatty acids in pine nuts have a beneficial
effect on heart and arteries and reduce the
blood cholesterol.
This vegetable is rich in high quality pro-
teins, iron, as well as in large quantities of
vitamin B1.
Due to its high vitamin B1 content and es-
sential fatty acids, they are very good for
those facing depression and stress, and
great intellectual activity. They should be
stored in a well-sealed container so that

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Recovery for Athletes

they wouldn’t become rancid because of

their high fat concentration.

PINE NUT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 629 kcal
protein 11.6 g
carbohydrates 8.60 g
fiber 10.7 g
Vitamin A 3.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 1.24 mg
Vitamin B2 0.223 mg
niacin 6.80 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.111 mg
folate 57.8 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 2.00 mg
Vitamin e –
calcium 8.00 mg
phosphorus 35.0 mg
magnesium 234 mg
Iron 3.06 mg
potassium 628 mg
Zinc 4.28 mg
total fat 61.0 g
saturated fat 9.38 g
cholesterol –
sodium 72.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

112
 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for the respiratory

system
Without proper respiratory function, there
won’t be an adequate blood supply for the
muscles, brain and other organs, and thus
body as whole won’t function properly.
Nutrition influences the condition of res-
piratory system more than is commonly
believed. Those who eat two or more type
of fruits a day breathe better and have
lower risk of respiratory difficulty. On the
other hand, pulmonary function is dramat-
ically worsened in those who eat processed
meat (ham, sausages, etc.). It is known that
milk and eggs often cause asthmatic prob-
lems, while garlic and onion have beneficial
effect on respiratory system, especially in
case of bronchitis. Cough is the most com-
mon symptom of respiratory disease, and
is in fact the body’s defense mechanism to
eliminate foreign and irritating substances
from the bronchial tract. Certain foods can
help eliminate the causes of cough, while
other make it worse.
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Recovery for Athletes

Fig
Soothes the respiratory tract

Ancient Greek athletes, following the in-

structions of their physicians, ate figs to re-
store their strength. Turkish dock workers,
famous for their strength, included figs as
a part of their everyday nutrition. Today
we know that figs are abundant in carbo-
hydrates – fuel for human body.
Apart from muscle strength, figs have
many other beneficial properties. When
eaten fresh or dry, or blended with honey
to vegetable milk make for an excellent
cough remedy and expectorant.
Figs are rich in vitamins E, B1, B2 and B6.
They have a soothing effect on intestinal
system and bowel movements, similar to
fresh and dry plum.
They are also beneficial in cases of anemia
and fatigue, whether the cause is physical
or psychical, due to their invigorating ef-

114
 Food as a recovery factor

fect. This fruit can also be used externally

– for skin regeneration.

FIG - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 74.0 kcal
protein 0.750 g
carbohydrates 15.6 g
fiber 3.30 g
Vitamin A 14.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.060 mg
Vitamin B2 0.050 mg
niacin 0.500 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.113 mg
folate 6.00 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 2.00 mg
Vitamin e 0.890 mg α-te
calcium 35.0 mg
phosphorus 14.0 mg
magnesium 17.0 mg
Iron 0.370 mg
potassium 232 mg
Zinc 0.150 mg
total fat 0.300 g
saturated fat 0.060 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

115
Recovery for Athletes

Date
Relieves respiratory tract

Many consider date as a mere sweet of

dessert, ignoring its nutritional value. Ben-
eficial effect of dates, cooked in milk or
mixed with vegan milk in blender (a hand-
ful of walnuts and dates with 5 dl of water)
on respiratory system has been known for
centuries.
Dates are one of the most energy-rich fru-
its, invigorating the body and being partic-
ularly beneficial in cases of fatigue and
weakness at any age. B group vitamins,
present in dates, facilitate the usage of sug-
ars by our body.
Also, dates are among the richest of all
fruits in minerals, mainly potassium, iron,
magnesium, phosphorous and calcium, as
well as microelements manganese, copper
and zinc. Just a hundred grams of dates
provide almost one-third of recommended
dietary allowance (RDA) of fiber. Best way
116
 Food as a recovery factor

to eat dates is to pull out the kernel and

stuff it with nuts.

DATES - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 275 kcal
protein 1.97 g
carbohydrates 66.0 g
fiber 7.50 g
Vitamin A 5.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.090 mg
Vitamin B2 0.100 mg
niacin 3.03 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.192 mg
folate 12.6 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 3.00 mg
Vitamin e 0.100 mg α-te
calcium 32.0 mg
phosphorus 40.0 mg
magnesium 35.0 mg
Iron 1.15 mg
potassium 652 mg
Zinc 0.290 mg
total fat 0.450 g
saturated fat 0.191 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

117
Recovery for Athletes

Onion
Cleanses the respiratory tract

Onion doesn’t provide a lot of calories,

nor does it have a particularly good flavor.
It possess all the vitamins, but in small
quantities. Same is with the minerals. How-
ever, its therapeutic properties are well-
known since ancient times.
The sulfur compounds, that form the
onion’s essential oil, quickly pass to the
bloodstream from the stomach and are re-
leased in the lungs. This explains why the
breath will get it characteristic odor in no
time. They are able to break down heavy
mucus and facilitate its expectoration.
Onion has a positive effect on all types of
respiratory infections, from sinusitis to
pneumonia. This vegetable is very rich in
non-nutritional substances of great physi-
ological value. Flavonoids (vitamin P) in
onion prevent blood clots and oxidation
of fats in blood that cause arteriosclerosis.

118
 Food as a recovery factor

The essential oil and aforementioned

flavonoids act like antibiotic, heart and ar-
terial protectors, anticancerogenic, etc.

ONION - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 38.0 kcal
protein 1.16 g
carbohydrates 6.83 g
fiber 1.80 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.042 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 0.431 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.116 mg
folate 19.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 6.40 mg
Vitamin e 0.130 mg α-te
calcium 20.0 mg
phosphorus 33.0 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.220 mg
potassium 157 mg
Zinc 0.190 mg
total fat 0.160 g
saturated fat 0.026 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Foods for metabolism

Metabolism is the entire composition of
biochemical reactions that are constantly
occurring in body to produce energy and
maintain life. All food that is eaten be-
comes a part of metabolism. Some foods
lower blood sugar level, other enhances the
elimination of waste products, third is a
source of nutrients needed to produce en-
ergy within the body.
When we talk about fatigue, we don’t nec-
essarily think of physical exhaustion.
Processed (junk) food induces a lack of
certain nutrients present only in fresh fruits
and vegetables, leading to fatigue. The
same applies to energy. A half kilo of cher-
ries gives as much energy as 100 grams of
cake does, with the difference that choco-
late causes obesity and weakens immune
system, while cherries prevent the afore-
mentioned. Below we’ll talk about these
and other metabolic processes and their re-
lation to diet.
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 Food as a recovery factor

Cherry
Satisfies the hunger and purifies the blood

It takes about 15 minutes to eat 500 grams

of cherries, and the feeling of satiety is
equal to that after eating a huge unhealthy
cake with white sugar. The sweet taste of
cherries and their effect on appetite make
us feel satiated. This is very good for those
who want to lose extra weight.
Organic acids in cherries act like stimuli to
intestinal glands and they also purify blood.
Salicylic acid is the natural replacement for
aspirin and is excellent against inflamma-
tions and rheumatism.
Cherry also contains flavonoids that pre-
vent normal cells from transforming into
cancer cells. One or two days of treatment
with larger amounts of cherries detoxify
the body completely, facilitating the elimi-
nation of wastes and toxins.

121
Recovery for Athletes

This fruit is very beneficial in cases of con-

stipation and all kinds of chronic condi-
tions.

CHERRY - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 72.0 kcal
protein 1.20 g
carbohydrates 14.3 g
fiber 2.30 g
Vitamin A 21.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.050 mg
Vitamin B2 0.060 mg
niacin 0.400 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.036 mg
folate 4.20 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 7.00 mg
Vitamin e 0.130 mg α-te
calcium 15.0 mg
phosphorus 19.0 mg
magnesium 11.0 mg
Iron 0.390 mg
potassium 224 mg
Zinc 0.060 mg
total fat 0.960 g
saturated fat 0.216 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

122
 Food as a recovery factor

Wheat
The best grain

Wheat is the main source of proteins and

calories for a third of humanity. It contains
almost all nutrients necessary to body, bal-
anced and most complete. Due to its high
levels of vitamin B, glucose (sugar) from
wheat is easily digestible. Wheat is a
mandatory part of every diet in case of in-
creased demand for energy, as is the case
of athletes.
It’s important to eat whole grain of wheat
(with germ and bran), because it contains
many useful properties. Some of the prop-
erties of wheat germ are: increased en-
durance and stamina in athletes, fights
against fatigue, depression, stress and anx-
iety, lowers blood cholesterol level, regen-
erates cells, acts as antioxidant and anti-
cancerogenic. Wheat bran promotes intes-
tinal excretion of waste, cholesterol, bile
salts and carcinogenic substances. It’s best

123
Recovery for Athletes

to eat grain raw – soaked into water until

it becomes soft.

WHEAT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 331 kcal
protein 10.4 g
carbohydrates 61.7 g
fiber 12.5 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.394 mg
Vitamin B2 0.096 mg
niacin 4.80 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.272 mg
folate 41.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 1.44 mg α-te
calcium 27.0 mg
phosphorus 493 mg
magnesium 126 mg
Iron 3.21 mg
potassium 397 mg
Zinc 2.63 mg
total fat 1.56 g
saturated fat 0.289 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

124
 Food as a recovery factor

Chard
Ideal for dinner

Although its value in diet has been known

for centuries, chard is today considered as
an ordinary vegetable.
However, this vegetable is quite useful in
number of cases:
-satisfies the appetite with very few calo-
ries, making it ideal dish for dinner, when
it’s necessary to eat without pressuring the
stomach too much.
- good for those who want to lose weight.
- purifies and alkalizes blood because of its
richness in mineral salts.
- promotes proper intestinal function and
bowel movements; recommended in cases
of gastritis, hemorrhoids and constipation.
- iron abundance makes it good against
anemia.

125
Recovery for Athletes

CHARD - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 19.0 kcal
protein 1.82 g
carbohydrates 0.270 g
fiber 3.70 g
Vitamin A 610 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.100 mg
Vitamin B2 0.220 mg
niacin 0.883 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.106 mg
folate 14.8 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 30.0 mg
Vitamin e 1.50 mg α-te
calcium 119 mg
phosphorus 40.0 mg
magnesium 72.0 mg
Iron 3.30 mg
potassium 547 mg
Zinc 0.380 mg
total fat 0.060 g
saturated fat 0.009 g
cholesterol –
sodium 201 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

126
 Food as a recovery factor

Sweet potato
Energy without excessive weight

This type of potato is rich in carbohy-

drates, mainly in form of starch and sugars
(primarily saccharose).
Although sweet potatoes are rich in starch,
and, therefore, calories, they have the
unique feature of producing a sensation of
satiety, thus calming the appetite.
The sweet potato has three dietetic and
therapeutic applications:
1) They produce a sensation of satitety.
Consumption of 100 grams of sweet po-
tatoes has only 105 calories, can releive
feelings of hunger for several hours.
2) Arteriosclerosis and circulatory disor-
ders. Sweet potato is rich in beta-carotene.
This provitamin protects the inner lining
of the arteries, whose degeneration, pro-
duced by cholesterol deposits, results in ar-
teriosclerosis.

127
Recovery for Athletes

3) Increased need for energy. Sweet potato

is very beneficial to those individuals in-
volved in intense physical activiry.

SWEET POTATO - Composition per 100 g

of raw edible portion
energy 105 kcal
protein 1.65 g
carbohydrates 21.3 g
fiber 3.00 g
Vitamin A 2,006 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.066 mg
Vitamin B2 0.147 mg
niacin 1.01 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.257 mg
folate 13.8 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 22.7 mg
Vitamin e 0.280 mg α-te
calcium 22.0 mg
phosphorus 28.0 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.590 mg
potassium 204 mg
Zinc 0.280 mg
total fat 0.300 g
saturated fat 0.064 g
cholesterol –
sodium 13.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

128
 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for the digestive

system
In order for an athlete to reach his maxi-
mum, it’s necessary to properly prepare
and deliver foods to all organs. Heart and
blood vessels transport the food through
body, and digestive system prepares it.
Without good digestion, there can be no
strong muscles, or great stamina.
In this chapter we are going to discuss the
general importance of food for good di-
gestion, not about specific nutrition of in-
testinal organs, such as: liver and
gallbladder, stomach and intestines.
The first stage of digestion happens in
mouth, pharynx, esophagus and stomach.
Very hot or very cold food can dramati-
cally irritate the digestive mucosa. Lack of
iron and B vitamins leads to mouth sores.
Zinc deficiency can lead to oral, ulcer-like
wounds.

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Recovery for Athletes

Alcoholic beverages weaken the immune

system and irritate mucosa, and together
with bad digestion and smoking cause bad
breath. White (refined) sugar and soft
drinks encourage development of germs
in mouth and bad breath. Vitamin C de-
pression causes bleeding gums.
Vitamin A is essential in maintaining
healthy mucous membranes of intestines.
Excessive phosphorous in diet leads to loss
of calcium, weakening the bones and teeth
decay. Cola beverages, meat and fish have
the highest amounts of phosphorous.
Eating various types of fresh plants in ad-
equate proportions and manner guarantees
the proper function of digestive tract and
body as whole.

130
 Food as a recovery factor

Olive
For good appetite and digestion

Olives are very rich in calories, since they

contain high levels of fat, and proteins of
high biological quality because they contain
all essential amino acids. Olives are among
the fruits with highest fiber content, which
is very important for proper intestinal
function and gallbladder disorders.
Eating two or three olives before a meal in-
creases gastric juice production and im-
proves digestion. Olive oil – squeezed olive
juice, is ideal adding to any vegetable or
salad.
Olive contains significant amounts of
provitamin A and vitamins B and E. As for
minerals, calcium is the most dominant,
with solid amounts of potassium and iron.
Black olives are more nutritious than green
ones, since they spend more time on tree.

131
Recovery for Athletes

They contain less water, but more oil, min-

erals and vitamins.

OLIVES - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energija 115 kcal
proteini 0,840 g
ugljeni hidrati 3,06 g
Vlakna 3,20 g
Vitamin A 40,0 µg re
Vitamin B1 0,003 mg
Vitamin B2 -
Vitamin B3 0,037 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0,009 mg
Vitamin B9 -
Vitamin B12 -
Vitamin c 0,900 mg
Vitamin e 3,00 mg α-te
kalcijum 88,0 mg
fosfor 3,00 mg
magnezijum 4,00 mg
gvožđe 3,30 mg
kalijum 8,00 mg
cink 0,220 mg
ukupna mast 10,7 g
Zasićena mast 1,42 g
holesterol -
natrijum 872 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

132
 Food as a recovery factor

Barley
Eases digestion

One of the most popular product for

treating digestion problems is barley water,
prepared by boiling 100g of barley so that
after hour of cooking, one liter of this liq-
uid remains. Lemon and honey may be
added to this broth, in order that barley
water may protect the intestinal mucosa,
successfully removing diarrhea and other
types of intestinal inflammation, prevent-
ing more severe disorders and diseases,
such as cancer.
Combined with legumes, barley provides
body with all essential amino acids. It’s rich
in carbohydrates and B group vitamins, as
well as magnesium and iron. Barley suc-
cessfully lowers bad cholesterol level,
which damages blood vessels. This grain is
also very good in balancing blood sugar
level. Barley is best consumed raw, soaked
in water for a few hours until it swells, then

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rinsed and finally, added to fruit or veg-

etable salads, which can be enriched by
adding grinned nuts.

BARLEY - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 354 kcal
protein 12.5 g
carbohydrates 56.2 g
fiber 17.3 g
Vitamin A 2.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.646 mg
Vitamin B2 0.285 mg
niacin 8.07 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.318 mg
folate 19.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 0.600 mg α-te
calcium 33.0 mg
phosphorus 264 mg
magnesium 133 mg
Iron 3.60 mg
potassium 452 mg
Zinc 2.77 mg
total fat 2.30 g
saturated fat 0.482 g
cholesterol –
sodium 12.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Zucchini
Soothes the digestive tract

Due to its specific properties, zucchini are

very good at softening food during diges-
tion.
Their soothing effect makes them good for
preventing gastritis, irritable bowel and co-
litis (colon inflammation).
Zucchini have a mild diuretic effect, pro-
moting waste matter excretion. Since it of-
fers little fats and calories, as well as
proteins, this vegetable is good for those
looking to lose weight.
We also know that zucchini has the ability
to prevent cardiovascular diseases (hyper-
tension, arteriosclerosis and coronary dis-
ease),
It can be eaten raw, in salad, combined
with plants.

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Raw zucchini spaghetti and lasagnas with
cashews are also very popular dishes aro-
und the world.

ZUCCHINI - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 14.0 kcal
protein 1.16 g
carbohydrates 1.70 g
fiber 1.20 g
Vitamin A 34.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.070 mg
Vitamin B2 0.030 mg
niacin 0.567 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.089 mg
folate 22.1 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 9.00 mg
Vitamin e 0.120 mg α-te
calcium 15.0 mg
phosphorus 32.0 mg
magnesium 22.0 mg
Iron 0.420 mg
potassium 248 mg
Zinc 0.200 mg
total fat 0.140 g
saturated fat 0.029 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Papaya
Enhances digestion

This is a plant that is very easily digestible

and one that promotes digestion of other
foods.
During history, people would finish their
heavy meat-based meals by eating papaya,
to facilitate digestion.
Papaya neutralizes excess gastric acid and
prevents pyrosis and gastric ulcer.
It also has beneficial effect on intestinal
mucosa and prevents development of
harmful intestinal bacteria.
It’s very useful in cases of diarrhea.
Papaya juice can be used in treating skin
disorders, such as eczema, ulcers and acne
because of its abundance in provitamin A.
Research has shown that papaya has 106
substances whose function is partially

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Recovery for Athletes

known, while nutritional and therapeutic

properties have been know for centuries.

PAPAYA - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 39.0 kcal
protein 0.610 g
carbohydrates 8.01 g
fiber 1.80 g
Vitamin A 175 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.027 mg
Vitamin B2 0.032 mg
niacin 0.471 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.019 mg
folate 38.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 61.8 mg
Vitamin e 1.12 mg α-te
calcium 24.0 mg
phosphorus 5.00 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.100 mg
potassium 257 mg
Zinc 0.070 mg
total fat 0.140 g
saturated fat 0.043 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Cauliflower
Blessing for the digestive tract

Cauliflower is the most digestible cabbage.

It represents an extraordinary source of vi-
tamins, minerals and trace elements that re-
vive the process of digestion. It enhances
the digestive process in general, from
stomach to colon. It prevents ulcers and
stomach pain, while regulating the amount
of gastric acid. Cauliflower has a very ben-
eficial effect in cases of constipation, colon
inflammation and contamination. Its low
sodium level, richness in potassium and
virtually no fat, make cauliflower an excel-
lent food for heart and circulatory system.
Even though it contains few calories, this
vegetable produces a sense of satiety and
is a perfect choice for dinner, but also for
those who want to lose weight. It’s proven
that cauliflower does an excellent job in
eliminating excess water retained in edema,
promoting renal function and regular urine
excretion.
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Recovery for Athletes

Cauliflower has strong anticancerogenic

effect due to the content of specific phy-
tochemicals.

CAULIFLOWER - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 25.0 kcal
protein 1.98 g
carbohydrates 2.70 g
fiber 2.50 g
Vitamin A 2.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.057 mg
Vitamin B2 0.063 mg
niacin 0.959 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.222 mg
folate 57.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 46.4 mg
Vitamin e 0.040 mg α-te
calcium 22.0 mg
phosphorus 44.0 mg
magnesium 15.0 mg
Iron 0.440 mg
potassium 303 mg
Zinc 0.280 mg
total fat 0.210 g
saturated fat 0.032 g
cholesterol –
sodium 30.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factorv

Foods for the liver and

gallbladder
The liver is the largest internal organ and
a place where the majority of chemical
processes take place. Each minute, about
1.5 liters of blood arrives at the liver from
the intestine, where it passes through the
process of detoxification. In liver, sugars,
amino acids and fatty acids are processed
in order to be later used by the rest of the
body. Also, liver cleanses the body from
toxins and secretes bile necessary for di-
gestion. Alcohol is the true nemesis of the
liver (regardless of dose), as well as animal-
based foods rich in fats, food additives and
synthetic drugs. In order to have a strong
and healthy liver, it’s necessary to eat whole
grains (contain complex carbohydrates and
B vitamins), fruits (rich in good sugars and
antioxidants), green leafy vegetables (so-
urce of potassium and other minerals).
Below we’ll say a bit more about food that
stimulates liver and gall bladder function.
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Radish
Promotes bile production

In Korea, liver and bile diseases are very

rare, since an average Korean eat about
30kg of radish a year. On the other hand,
in Western world, an average citizen eats
about 250 grams of this vegetable on a
yearly basis.
Although the radish is 95% water, this
plant really does wonders. It contains a
specific sulfurated essence that gives it a pi-
quant taste, and has many useful properties
(increases bile production, stimulates blad-
der drainage and proper digestion, fights
the bacteria).
Radish is especially rich in vitamin C (pow-
erful antioxidant), vitamin B9 (encourages
liver detoxification) and potassium (pro-
motes proper liver function).
This vegetable is also very useful in cases
of sinus and bronchia inflammation.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Radish is essential part of any good salad

vegetable.

RADISH - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 17.0 kcal
protein 0.600 g
carbohydrates 1.99 g
fiber 1.60 g
Vitamin A 1.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.005 mg
Vitamin B2 0.045 mg
niacin 0.367 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.071 mg
folate 27.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 22.8 mg
Vitamin e 0.001 mg α-te
calcium 21.0 mg
phosphorus 18.0 mg
magnesium 9.00 mg
Iron 0.290 mg
potassium 232 mg
Zinc 0.300 mg
total fat 0.540 g
saturated fat 0.030 g
cholesterol –
sodium 24.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Artichoke
Cleanses the liver

Artichoke is known for the various sub-

stances it contains that have remarkable ef-
fect on our body. Some of them are:
cynarine – increases bile and urine produc-
tion; cynaroside - has anti-inflammatory
properties; organic acids – stimulates the
activity of two previously-mentioned che-
mical compounds.
Normally, the liver secretes about 800 ml
of bile a day, while eating 500 grams of ar-
tichokes can raise that number to 1200 ml.
After eating artichokes, bile becomes more
fluid and less dense, aiding the liver func-
tion and blood purification. Substances
found in this vegetable facilitate the pro-
duction of urea in the urine. Urea is a
highly poisonous substance that is the re-
sult of process of protein metabolism and
has to be eliminated through kidneys. Ar-
tichoke promotes urea excretion and body
detoxification.
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 Food as a recovery factor

It’s best to eat it fresh, in a salad, with a bit

of lemon and cold pressed oil.

ARTICHOKE - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 47.0 kcal
protein 3.27 g
carbohydrates 5.11 g
fiber 5.40 g
Vitamin A 18.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.072 mg
Vitamin B2 0.066 mg
niacin 1.05 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.116 mg
folate 68.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 11.7 mg
Vitamin e 0.190 mg α-te
calcium 44.0 mg
phosphorus 90.0 mg
magnesium 60.0 mg
Iron 1.28 mg
potassium 370 mg
Zinc 0.490 mg
total fat 0.150 g
saturated fat 0.035 g
cholesterol –
sodium 94.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Endive
Eases digestion

This vegetable, similar to lettuce, has a very

powerful effect in enhancing the bile secre-
tion which is necessary for good digestion.
It also has a soothing effect on stomach
and facilitates digestive function. Since it
contains virtually no fat, it’s very easily to
digest it. Fructose is the carbohydrate pri-
marily found in this vegetable. This simple
sugar doesn’t need insulin, unlike glucose.
Endive slows down the process of sugar
absorption in the small intestine (glucose)
and prevents sudden changes of blood
sugar levels.
This vegetable is one of the foods with
least calories and is very good for those
who have problems with excessive weight.
It’s rich in B group vitamins. As for the
minerals, endive has some potassium, zinc,
copper and manganese. Endive is over
90% water, and is best to consume when

146
 Food as a recovery factor

in salad, combined with vegetables, lemon

and cold pressed oil.

ENDIVE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 17.0 kcal
protein 0.900 g
carbohydrates 0.900 g
fiber 3.10 g
Vitamin A 3.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.062 mg
Vitamin B2 0.027 mg
niacin 0.427 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.042 mg
folate 37.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 2.80 mg
Vitamin e –
calcium 19.0 mg
phosphorus 26.0 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.240 mg
potassium 211 mg
Zinc 0.160 mg
total fat 0.100 g
saturated fat 0.024 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Foods for the stomach

Hydrochloric acid is one of the compo-
nents of stomach juice. A few drops of
this substance can destroy any tissue and
cell in our body. However, thanks to a spe-
cial lining of the stomach, formed out of
mucosa, the stomach is protected from the
acid it produces, and which is necessary for
the digestive process.
The health of our stomach depends on
keeping this protective barrier. Two of the
most common consequences of the
breach of mucus barrier are gastritis and
gastric and duodenal ulcers. Foods we con-
sume directly influence the health of this
protective layer.
The greatest enemies of the stomach are
coffee, tobacco, alcohol, fatty foods and
certain type of medicines. On the other
hand, various types of plant-based foods
have a beneficial effect of stomach and
protective lining health.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Pineapple
Protects the stomach

Nutritional and medical properties of

pineapple are numerous. The citric and
malic acids potentiate the activity of vita-
min C and have a very positive effect on
metabolism. Bromelin is a digesting en-
zyme that breaks down proteins to amino
acids and thus enhances digestion.
One of the stronger carcinogenic sub-
stances are nitrosamines that are formed in
the chemical reaction between nitrites and
certain proteins in foods. It is proven that
pineapple prevents the formation of ni-
trosamines because of its many highly
therapeutic compounds.
This fruit is one of the richest in man-
ganese, pineapple battles infertility by pro-
moting reproductive cell production in
both male and female. It also facilitates the
production of urine and detoxifies body.
Pineapple stimulates digestion, particularly
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Recovery for Athletes

if the stomach became too sensitive from

any reason whatsoever.

PINEAPPLE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 49.0 kcal
protein 0.390 g
carbohydrates 11.2 g
fiber 1.20 g
Vitamin A 2.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.092 mg
Vitamin B2 0.036 mg
niacin 0.503 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.087 mg
folate 10.6 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 15.4 mg
Vitamin e 0.100 mg α-te
calcium 7.00 mg
phosphorus 7.00 mg
magnesium 14.0 mg
Iron 0.370 mg
potassium 113 mg
Zinc 0.080 mg
total fat 0.430 g
saturated fat 0.032 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

150
 Food as a recovery factor

Potato
The stomach’s friend

With is 1.300 subspecies, potato is the

most cultivated plant in the world, al-
though it was know as “edible rock” during
the Middle ages. Potato provides almost all
nutrients human body needs. It contains all
necessary amino acids in sufficient quanti-
ties and encourages cell growth. Combined
with grains, it is the ideal food for man.
Only of a few drops of potato juice neu-
tralizes excess stomach acid. Since it’ rich
in potassium, but doesn’t contain much
sodium, potato is an excellent food for
heart and blood vessel protection.
It is very easily digestible and is a real bless-
ing for the stomach. Potato alkalizes blood
and urine, facilitates renal function and
waste excretion. If it’s fried and too salty,
potato loses a large portion of its nutri-
tional and therapeutic properties. It can be

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eaten raw, even with peel, grated in salads

with other vegetables.

POTATO - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 79.0 kcal
protein 2.07 g
carbohydrates 16.4 g
fiber 1.60 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.088 mg
Vitamin B2 0.035 mg
niacin 2.02 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.260 mg
folate 12.8 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 19.7 mg
Vitamin e 0.060 mg α-te
calcium 7.00 mg
phosphorus 46.0 mg
magnesium 21.0 mg
Iron 0.760 mg
potassium 543 mg
Zinc 0.390 mg
total fat 0.100 g
saturated fat 0.026 g
cholesterol –
sodium 6.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Pepper
Soothes the stomach

Pepper has a very soothing effect on the

stomach because it stimulates the flow of
gastric juices, calms the stomach and pre-
vents inflammation and bloating. Only 100
g of pepper contains more than half of
the daily requirement of provitamin A
(beta-carotene) that are body transforms
into vitamin A. It’s also one of the best
sources of vitamin C. These two vitamins
(A and C) are powerful antioxidants that
prevent cells from mutating into cancer
ones. Red peppers are richer in vitamin A
and C than green type of this vegetable,
while the remaining nutrients are present
in similar proportions. Since they contain
very few proteins and carbohydrates, and
virtually no fat, they are suitable for dinner.
The substance that makes peppers hot is a
compound known as capsacin. Hot pepper
is one of the most therapeutically powerful

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Recovery for Athletes

plants. Among other properties, it stimu-

lates circulation and almost instant blood
coagulation.

PEPPER - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 27.0 kcal
protein 0.890 g
carbohydrates 4.43 g
fiber 2.00 g
Vitamin A 570 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.066 mg
Vitamin B2 0.030 mg
niacin 0.692 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.248 mg
folate 22.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 190 mg
Vitamin e 0.690 mg α-te
calcium 9.00 mg
phosphorus 19.0 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.460 mg
potassium 177 mg
Zinc 0.120 mg
total fat 0.190 g
saturated fat 0.028 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

154
 Food as a recovery factor

Cabbage
Against inflammation and ulcers

Cabbage is quite rich in proteins and com-

bined with whole grains give all the neces-
sary proteins. Only a few spoonfuls of
cabbage juice taken on empty stomach 5-
10 minutes before meal are enough to re-
lieve gastric pain and inflammation. Due
to high fiber content it sedates the intes-
tines. The sulfurated substances present in
cabbage help renew the bacterial flora
within intestine and act as antibiotics in
cases of infection. Fresh cabbage juice is
very good for gastro duodenal ulcers.
Squeezed cabbage juice is very good in ex-
pelling parasites, and since this vegetable is
rich in potassium, and low in sodium, it has
a very beneficial effect on the heart and
blood vessels. Many researches show that
cabbage has strong anticancerogenic prop-
erties and that it prevents the formation of
tumors.

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Recovery for Athletes

It’s quite rich in easily-absorbed calcium

and is very good for the bones.

CABBAGE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 25.0 kcal
protein 1.44 g
carbohydrates 3.13 g
fiber 2.30 g
Vitamin A 13.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.050 mg
Vitamin B2 0.040 mg
niacin 0.550mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.096 mg
folate 43.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 32.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.105 mg α-te
calcium 47.0 mg
phosphorus 23.0 mg
magnesium 15.0 mg
Iron 0.590 mg
potassium 246 mg
Zinc 0.180 mg
total fat 0.270 g
saturated fat 0.033 g
cholesterol –
sodium 18.0
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for the intestine

The intestine is the largest part of the
channel through which food passes. As it
advances through the small intestine, the
majority of nutrients from food is ab-
sorbed and sent to bloodstream, and then
to all organs, including bones and muscles.
What is left is moved to large intestine and
excreted. The most common intestinal dis-
orders are associated to the speed of food
passing through intestine. If the food
passes too quickly through intestine (in
cases of diarrhea), the body won’t have
enough time to absorb water and nutrients
from food. If the food travels too slowly
(constipation), the remains of food pro-
duce toxic substances that enter blood-
stream and induce a state of autointoxi-
cation. In order to have healthy digestive
tract, it essential to: 1) drink enough water,
so that the body wouldn’t extract water
from the feces and thus making the more
difficult to expel. And, 2) eating a plant-
based diet since it is rich in fiber..
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Recovery for Athletes

Apple
Protects the intestine

Apple is, after grapes, orange and banana

the fourth most produced fruit in the
world. It possesses many nutritional and
therapeutic properties. Rich in pectin,
apple is one of the best intestine cleaners.
Organic acids found in this fruit prevent
intestinal fermentation, renew the intes-
tinal flora and alkalize the blood and tis-
sues. Due to abundance in tannins, apple
is very good against inflammations, while
flavonoids (vitamin P) prevent cholesterol
deposition on arterial walls. Apple is one
of the foods richest in boron. This mineral
facilitates the assimilation of calcium and
magnesium, thus strengthening the bones.
Compounds found in apple have a benefi-
cial effect on nervous system and help bal-
ance blood pressure. An important cha-
racteristic of apple is that it makes the bile
more fluid and prevents the formation of
gallstones. Studies show that this fruit pre-
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 Food as a recovery factor
vents development of colon tumor. Gen-
erally speaking, fresh or squeezed apple is
one of the best protectors of human in-
testine.
APPLE - Composition per 100 g of raw
edible portion
energy 59.0 kcal
protein 0.190 g
carbohydrates 12.6 g
fiber 2.70 g
Vitamin A 5.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.017 mg
Vitamin B2 0.014 mg
niacin 0.110 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.048 mg
folate 2.80 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 5.70 mg
Vitamin e 0.320 mg α-te
calcium 7.00 mg
phosphorus 7.00 mg
magnesium 5.00 mg
Iron 0.180 mg
potassium 115 mg
Zinc 0.040 mg
total fat 0.360 g
saturated fat 0.058 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.50 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Rice
Prevent diarrhea

Among many of its properties, the rice’s

ability to regenerate the mucous mem-
branes of the intestine and remove prob-
lems with diarrhea are the most prominent.
Rice water is very effective in cases of
bowel problems, in both adults and chil-
dren. Rice is very easily digestible, and
combined with legumes it provides the
body with all the essential amino acids.
Rice is very good for those suffering from
hypertension since it contains very little
sodium. Sodium is a mineral that retains
fluids in tissues (edema) and this way in-
creases blood pressure. All animal-based
foods are very rich in sodium.
Since it contains almost no fat, rice lowers
bad cholesterol level. We recommend that
you use only whole-grain rice, because it’s

160
 Food as a recovery factor

very rich in vitamin B group, unlike white

rice.

RICE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 360 kcal
protein 6.61 g
carbohydrates 79.3 g
fiber –
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.070 mg
Vitamin B2 0.048 mg
niacin 2.88 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.145 mg
folate 9.00 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e –
calcium 9.00 mg
phosphorus 108 mg
magnesium 35.0 mg
Iron 0.800 mg
potassium 86.0 mg
Zinc 1.16 mg
total fat 0.580 g
saturated fat 0.158 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Plum
Cleanses the intestine

Plum is rich in fiber, mostly pectin, a com-

plex carbohydrate that absorbs water, cho-
lesterol and biliary salts in the intestine,
softens the stool and promotes excretion.
These fibers protect the intestinal walls and
are very beneficial for the entire digestive
tract.
Studies show that only 12 prunes a day in-
crease the weight of feces up to 20%, mak-
ing them softer and easier to excrete.
Eating a dozen prunes would also lower
bad cholesterol level. They are very good
in cases of arteriosclerosis, gout, excess
uric acid, joint conditions (rheumatism and
arthrosis) and liver diseases (hepatitis and
cirrhosis).
Research show that plums prevent colon
cancer. Lithocholic and other biliary acids
are related to cases of colon cancer, aiding
in its removal. Combined with whole-grain
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 Food as a recovery factor

brad, honey and walnuts, plums make one

high quality meal.

PLUM - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 55 kcal
protein 0.790 g
carbohydrates 11.6 g
fiber 1.50 g
Vitamin A 32.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.043 mg
Vitamin B2 0.096 mg
niacin 0.500 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.081 mg
folate 2.20 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 9.50 mg
Vitamin e 0.600 mg α-te
calcium 4.00 mg
phosphorus 10.0 mg
magnesium 7.00 mg
Iron 0.100 mg
potassium 172 mg
Zinc 0.100 mg
total fat 0.620 g
saturated fat 0.049 g
cholesterol –
sodium –
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Corn
Soothes the intestine

90% of today’s corn is used as animal

food, although corn is much more useful
to man than to animals. Mixed with
legumes and sunflower seeds, corn gives all
essential amino acids.
Corn is very good for intestinal mucosa.
Also, it removes bloating, pain and cramp-
ing in the intestines. This vegetable is very
good in eliminating large intestine inflam-
mations. It’s the first solid food for chil-
dren.
Corn and corn silk have a very positive ef-
fect on renal system. Its bran is capable of
reducing blood cholesterol level. Corn is
able to promote proper function of thy-
roid gland and metabolism in general.
For those who want to gain bigger mus-
cles, corn is the way to go. One of the

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 Food as a recovery factor

most famous dishes in the world is Mexi-

can corn tortilla with beans.

CORN - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 86.0 kcal
protein 3.22 g
carbohydrates 16.2 g
fiber 2.70 g
Vitamin A 28.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.200 mg
Vitamin B2 0.060 mg
niacin 2.08 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.055 mg
folate 45.8 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 6.80 mg
Vitamin e 0.090 mg α-te
calcium 2.00 mg
phosphorus 89.0 mg
magnesium 37.0 mg
Iron 0.520 mg
potassium 270 mg
Zinc 0.450 mg
total fat 1.18 g
saturated fat 0.182 g
cholesterol –
sodium 15.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Quince
Stimulates intestinal function

Two main characteristics of quince are its

anti-inflammatory effect and muscle func-
tion stimulation. This is the result of pectin
(a soluble fiber that soothes the intestine
and promotes bowel movements) and tan-
nins (complex herbal astringent com-
pounds that dry the intestinal mucosa and
have anti-inflammatory effect) presence.
Quince is very rich in vitamin C, which is
a very powerful anticarcinogenic and an-
tioxidant, as well as vitamin E – another
powerful antioxidant and activator of
proper reproductive function.
Additionally, quince is a very good source
of potassium, iron and copper. It does
wonders in cases of diarrhea and intestinal
inflammation. Pectin in quince has the
ability to lower cholesterol level.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Due to its bitter taste, it’s best to eat it with

honey, dates or any other sweet fruit.

QUINCE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 57.0 kcal
protein 0.400 g
carbohydrates 13.4 g
fiber 1.90 g
Vitamin A 4.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.020 mg
Vitamin B2 0.030 mg
niacin 0.200 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.040 mg
folate 3.00 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 15.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.550 mg α-te
calcium 11.0 mg
phosphorus 17.0 mg
magnesium 8.00 mg
Iron 0.700 mg
potassium 197 mg
Zinc 0.940 mg
total fat 0.100 g
saturated fat 0.010 g
cholesterol –
sodium 4.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Pomegranate
Prevents intestinal inflammation

Citric and other organic acids give the

pomegranate its pleasant taste and are use-
ful for the process of bacterial flora res-
toration. Flavonoids (vitamin P) in this
fruit prevent intestinal inflammation and
act a strong antioxidant, slowing down the
process of cell aging and cancerous degen-
eration.
Alkaloids found in pomegranate protect us
from parasites (such as tapeworm). Pome-
granate is also rich in compounds that
mineralize and alkalize the body. This fruit
is very effective in cases of constipation
and cramps, also being able to reduce the
production of gastric juice in inadequate
nutrition induced inflammation.
Pomegranate is an excellent source of cop-
per. This mineral encourages iron assimi-
lation making this plant very useful in
preventing anemia.
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 Food as a recovery factor

It regulates blood pressure levels due to fa-

vorable potassium/sodium balance.

POMEGRANTE - Composition per 100 g

of raw edible portion
energy 68.0 kcal
protein 0.950 g
carbohydrates 16.6 g
fiber 0.600 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.030 mg
Vitamin B2 0.030 mg
niacin 0.300 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.105 mg
folate 6.00 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 6.10 mg
Vitamin e 0.550 mg α-te
calcium 3.00 mg
phosphorus 8.00 mg
magnesium 3.00 mg
Iron 0.300 mg
potassium 259 mg
Zinc 0.120 mg
total fat 0.300 g
saturated fat 0.038 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Persimmon
For elastic intestinal

Persimmon (also know as kaki fruit and

Chinese fig) has a soothing effect on diges-
tive system, especially the intestine, since it
softens tissue walls, increases their elasticity
and preserves water in them. Pectin and
mucilage of persimmon soften the stool
and stimulate bowel movements. They also
retain animal-based cholesterol found in
digestive tract and eliminate it. They are
very soothing for intestine and have anti-
inflammatory properties, especially on the
end of the large intestine, which is extra
sensitive. Tannins present in persimmon
coagulate proteins and form a resistant
protective layer on the mucosa. This fruit
is one of the richest in beta-carotene (pre-
vents cell degeneration and arteriosclero-
sis). Persimmon contains a fair amount of
vitamin C that stimulates iron absorption
and blood cell formation. High content of

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 Food as a recovery factor

fibers retains sugar and slowly releases it,

thus keeping the blood sugar level under
control.

PERSIMMON - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 70.0 kcal
protein 0.580 g
carbohydrates 15.0 g
fiber 3.60 g
Vitamin A 217 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.030 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 0.267 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.100 mg
folate 7.50 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 16.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.590 mg α-te
calcium 8.00 mg
phosphorus 17.0 mg
magnesium 9.00 mg
Iron 0.370 mg
potassium 161 mg
Zinc 0.110 mg
total fat 0.190 g
saturated fat 0.020 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Foods for the urinary tract

Urinary tract is consisted of: two kidneys,
bladder, ureters and urethra. It is know that
the blood doesn’t transport only oxygen
and nutrients, but also various toxins that
are the result of various metabolic
processes and external contaminants en-
tering the body through food. It is neces-
sary to remove these poisons from body.
The kidneys are the primary organs re-
sponsible for eliminating foreign sub-
stances from body. Fruits and vegetables,
together with clean, non-carbonated water
are the kidneys’ best friends. A plant-based
diet is the essential in preventing the for-
mation of kidney stones. Excessive salt
and protein rich animal foods, increases
calcium concentration and encourages
renal deterioration.
Below we are going to list the best foods
for the urinary tract.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Watermelon
A gift to the kidneys

Due to its specific composition (water-

melon is 90% water), this fruit is excellent
in promoting proper renal function, pre-
vention of the kidney stone and infections,
as well as ejecting the toxins from blood.
Although it’s sweet, watermelon doesn’t
contain too much sugar, making it suitable
for diabetic, who are generally prone to
kidney dysfunction. It gives very few calo-
ries and quickly gives the sense of satiety,
and is recommended to those who want to
lose weight.
Watermelon is rich in beta-carotene (con-
verted to vitamin A in the body), vitamins
B1 and B6, and contains significant amo-
unts of vitamin B9, iron and potassium,
being beneficial to other organs. Since it
contains large amounts of water, it’s rec-
ommended not to use it is a dessert, but
rather as a starter, in order not to disturb
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Recovery for Athletes

the digestion process (watermelon would

dilute the gastric juice).

WATERMELON - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 32.0 kcal
protein 0.620 g
carbohydrates 6.68 g
fiber 0.500 g
Vitamin A 37.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.080 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 0.317 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.144 mg
folate 2.20 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 9.60 mg
Vitamin e 0.150 mg α-te
calcium 8.00 mg
phosphorus 9.00 mg
magnesium 11.0 mg
Iron 0.170 mg
potassium 116 mg
Zinc 0.070 mg
total fat 0.430 g
saturated fat 0.048 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Blueberry
Protects the gallbladder

When we speak of blueberries, we think

of cranberries which are not blue, but red
colored and are part of same genus and
have similar properties. They are very pow-
erful against infection, especially Es-
cherichia coli. Blueberry prevents the
adherence of bacteria on the interior of
the urinary bladder, a common phenom-
ena in lower urinary tract infections, ex-
plaining the renewed infections if the
infection is treated with regular antibiotics.
Blueberry contains quinic acid, a substance
that prevents the formation of kidney
stones. This fruit is good for regulation of
intestinal bacterial flora and prevention of
flatulence. It also protects capillary walls,
reduces inflammation and swelling, partic-
ularly in cases of lower extremities, vari-
cose veins, varicose ulcers and hemorrho-
ids.

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Recovery for Athletes
The anthocyanins (responsible for the
color of this fruit) improve retinal function
and visual acuity.

BLUEBERRY - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 56.0 kcal
protein 0.670 g
carbohydrates 11.4 g
fiber 2.70 g
Vitamin A 10.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.048 mg
Vitamin B2 0.050 mg
niacin 0.409 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.036 mg
folate 6.40 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 13.0 mg
Vitamin e 1.00 mg α-te
calcium 6.00 mg
phosphorus 10.0 mg
magnesium 5.00 mg
Iron 0.170 mg
potassium 89.0 mg
Zinc 0.110 mg
total fat 0.380 g
saturated fat 0.032 g
cholesterol –
sodium 6.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Melon
Source of healing water

Although melon is 95% water, this is just

tap water, but biological water that has
been involved in thousands of chemical re-
actions within vegetable cells. Water from
melon is the best thing we can offer to our
kidneys.
It’s best to eat melon before meal in order
to prevent the interference with digestion
process. Melon contains all necessary min-
erals. One 2.5 kg melon provides the daily
need for iron and more than half of the
magnesium requirements. It also alkalizes
and soothes the body.
Melon improves kidney function and toxin
excretion. Also, it neutralizes acidic salts
and eliminates kidney stones. Due to its al-
kalizing effect, it inhibits the proliferation
of harmful bacteria (they require acidic en-
vironment to grow).

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Recovery for Athletes

Melon is excellent against diarrhea and

constipation.

MELON - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 26.0 kcal
protein 0.900 g
carbohydrates 5.40 g
fiber 0.800 g
Vitamin A 3.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.060 mg
Vitamin B2 0.020 mg
niacin 0.400 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.120 mg
folate 17.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 16.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.150 mg α-te
calcium 5.00 mg
phosphorus 7.00 mg
magnesium 8.00 mg
Iron 0.400 mg
potassium 210 mg
Zinc 0.160 mg
total fat 0.100 g
saturated fat 0.025 g
cholesterol –
sodium 12.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Hazelnut
Destroys kidney stones

Hazelnut is a huge source of energy. Only

50g of this nut provides energy for at least
an hour’s worth of physical activity.
It’s recommended to athletes and people
weakened by heavy disease.
Together with dried fruit or dates, hazelnut
makes an excellent meal for those who
often travel.
Hazelnut is great in fighting kidney stones.
One handful of this nut (about 50g) every
morning, during the meal, is excellent for
kidneys.
Hazelnut milk is one of the vegan milks.
To prepare it, put a handful of hazelnut in
blender, 2-3 dl of water and two spoons
of honey, and mix everything for a few
seconds.

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HAZELNUT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 632 kcal
protein 13.0 g
carbohydrates 9.20 g
fiber 6.10 g
Vitamin A 7.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.500 mg
Vitamin B2 0.110 mg
niacin 4.74 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.612 mg
folate 71.8 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 1.00 mg
Vitamin e 23.9 mg α-te
calcium 188 mg
phosphorus 312 mg
magnesium 285 mg
Iron 3.27 mg
potassium 445 mg
Zinc 2.40 mg
total fat 62.6 g
saturated fat 4.60 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Eggplant
Expels toxins

Eggplant promotes proper kidney func-

tion and increases urine production, filter-
ing waste through it. It’s very useful in
battling kidney stones, hypertension, car-
diovascular disease and edema.
This vegetable has a very beneficial effect
on digestive tract since it stimulates biliary
and pancreatic function. It can be used as
a remedy for those suffering from digestive
disorders and pyrosis.
Its fiber content gives eggplant the ability
to stimulate bowel movements and body
cleansing. Studies show that eggplant, to-
gether with other plants from genus
Solanaceae, such as tomato, is abundant in
phytochemicals that prevent cancer.
Eggplant can be eaten raw if fully ripe. If
not, than it must be cooked, since unripe

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eggplant contains an alkaloid that disturbs

digestion, which is removed by cooking.

EGGPLANT - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 26.0 kcal
protein 1.02 g
carbohydrates 3.57 g
fiber 2.50 g
Vitamin A 8.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.052 mg
Vitamin B2 0.034 mg
niacin 0.748 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.084 mg
folate 19.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 1.70 mg
Vitamin e 0.030 mg α-te
calcium 7.00 mg
phosphorus 22.0 mg
magnesium 14.0 mg
Iron 0.270 mg
potassium 217 mg
Zinc 0.140 mg
total fat 0.180 g
saturated fat 0.034 g
cholesterol –
sodium 3.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Asparagus
Stimulates the kidneys

Asparagus is a vegetable known for its ben-

eficial effect on urinary tract. It got its
name after a substance named “as-
paragine” – an active compound that gives
the urine a specific odor, promotes renal
function and increases urine volume.
Those suffering from kidney disorders
mustn’t eat too much of this vegetable due
to its strong influence of kidneys
Because of its very low caloric content, it’s
very useful in cases of obesity. Abundance
of fiber makes asparagus good against
constipation, promoting bowel move-
ments. Generally speaking, asparagus has
the ability to detoxify and purify the whole
body.
Asparagus is one of the vegetables richest
in protein (only spinach has more). It’s rich
in potassium, phosphorous, iron and mag-

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nesium, B group vitamins, vitamins C, E

and provitamin A.

ASPARAGUS - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 23.0 kcal
protein 2.28 g
carbohydrates 2.44 g
fiber 2.10 g
Vitamin A 58.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.140 mg
Vitamin B2 0.128 mg
niacin 1.54 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.131 mg
folate 128 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 13.2 mg
Vitamin e 2.00 mg α-te
calcium 21.0 mg
phosphorus 56.0 mg
magnesium 18.0 mg
Iron 0.870 mg
potassium 273 mg
Zinc 0.460 mg
total fat 0.200 g
saturated fat 0.046 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for skin

Diet plays a very important role for health,
beauty and elasticity of skin than any cos-
metic product. This applies for nails and
hair also. Since the skin cells are constantly
regenerated, a steady intake of nutrients is
necessary for skin production. If there
aren’t sufficient proteins, essential fatty
acids, iron and zinc, as well as vitamins A
and C, the changes on skin will soon be
visible.
The skin has an important function as
eliminatory organ, and it’s no wonder it’s
referred to as “the third kidney”. The elim-
inatory potential of skin can be compro-
mised when the kidneys and liver are not
functioning properly, in case of constipa-
tion. This is particularly often in those who
have largely animal-based diet, resulting in
internal poisoning manifested through
eczema, acne, dermatoses, etc. Here are
some of the best foods for skin.

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Recovery for Athletes

Cucumber
Purifies the skin

Tomato, cabbage and onion are three most

cultivated vegetables in the world; cucum-
ber is the fourth. Eating a cucumber is like
drinking a glass of water – 96% of its
weight is water. Still, cucumber has a great
nutritional and therapeutic value.
Skin, nail and hair cells need sulfur, which
can be provided by cucumber. It has the
ability to neutralize excess acidic waste in
body, appeared as a result of consumma-
tion of animal-based foods. This vegetable
encourages detoxification through urine of
skin. External use is also an option (rub-
bing it directly on the skin), having in mind
that purity of skin depends more on the
purity of blood, rather than preparations
applied externally.
Cucumber contains minerals that are very
alkaline, as well as different trace elements,
most notably sulfur. Due to high water and
186
 Food as a recovery factor

fiber content, cucumber is very good as a

laxative.

CUCUMBER - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 13.0 kcal
protein 0.690 g
carbohydrates 1.96 g
fiber 0.800 g
Vitamin A 21.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.024 mg
Vitamin B2 0.022 mg
niacin 0.304 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.042 mg
folate 13.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 5.30 mg
Vitamin e 0.079 mg α-te
calcium 14.0 mg
phosphorus 20.0 mg
magnesium 11.0 mg
Iron 0.260 mg
potassium 144 mg
Zinc 0.200 mg
total fat 0.130 g
saturated fat 0.034 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Peanut
Nourishes the skin

Peanut are highly nutritious food whose

nutrient concentration surpasses all ani-
mal-based food, including meat. Only the
walnut and almond can compare with
peanut. This feature should make them un-
avoidable part of everyone’s diet.
Peanut exceeds meat and eggs in carbohy-
drate, fat, protein, vitamin B and E and
mineral (magnesium, calcium, potassium)
concentration. Combined with whole grain
and legumes, peanut provides all essential
amino acids.
Abundance of vitamin B3 and essential
fatty acids make this vegetable very good
for skin and mucosa. Fatty acids in peanut
are very important energy source of car-
diac cells.
Also, they lower cholesterol level and im-
prove blood circulation. Peanut is very

188
 Food as a recovery factor

good in maintaining proper blood pres-

sure.

PEANUT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 567 kcal
protein 25.8 g
carbohydrates 7.64 g
fiber 8.50
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.640 mg
Vitamin B2 0.135 mg
niacin 16.2 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.384 mg
folate 240 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 9.13 mg α-te
calcium 92.0 mg
phosphorus 376 mg
magnesium 168 mg
Iron 4.58 mg
potassium 705 mg
Zinc 3.27 mg
total fat 49.2 g
saturated fat 6.83 g
cholesterol –
sodium 18.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

189
Recovery for Athletes

Bean
Strengthens the skin

Bean is an excellent source of amino acids.

Combined with grains, sesame or sun-
flower seeds, this legume provides the
body with all necessary amino acids. Not
only does it have the power to induce a
sense of satiety, bean is also very nutritious.
It’s quite rich in vitamins B3 and B5, which
are very important for skin protection, pre-
venting cracking and scaling. Also, bean is
very effacing in preventing eczema, skin al-
lergies, dry skin and irritation. Bean suc-
cessfully keeps cholesterol level in check.
Thanks to high fiber content, those regu-
larly eating beans should have no problems
with constipation and bowel movements.
It’s highly useful in controlling blood pres-
sure, because of its good potassium/so/
dium ratio. This legume contains more
iron and spinach, making it efficient in
strengthening and regenerating the blood.
The darker bean is, the strong its taste is,
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 Food as a recovery factor

and the proteins it contain easily digestible.

It can be eaten raw, if soaked in water until
it’s swollen.

BEAN - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 333 kcal
protein 23.4 g
carbohydrates 45.1 g
fiber 15.2 g
Vitamin A –
Vitamin B1 0.437 mg
Vitamin B2 0.146 mg
niacin 5.10 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.318 mg
folate 388 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c –
Vitamin e 0.530 mg α - te
calcium 240 mg
phosphorus 301 mg
magnesium 190 mg
Iron 10.4 mg
potassium 1,795 mg
Zinc 3.67 mg
total fat 0.850 g
saturated fat 0.219 g
cholesterol –
sodium 16.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

191
Recovery for Athletes

Mango
For healthy and beautiful skin

Fully grown mango tree yields about 20

thousand fruits a year, and since this tree
can live more than one thousand year, it’s
likely it’ll produce more than 2 million
fruit.
Mango is the fruit with greatest vitamin A
content, which is very important for skin
and mucous protection. Sixteen types of
carotenoids responsible for vitamin A ac-
tivity have been discovered in mango.
These carotenoids are powerful antioxi-
dants that neutralize free radicals activity –
molecules responsible for cell degenera-
tion. Besides vitamin A, mango is rich in
two other most potent antioxidants – vita-
min C and E. The second one is especially
important for reproductive organs.
This fruit is very useful in improving blood
circulation in limbs, which is very impor-
tant to athletes, and is also quite useful in
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 Food as a recovery factor
maintaining proper blood pressure. Mango
can aid diabetics since it keeps blood sugar
in check.

MANGO - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 65.0 kcal
protein 0.510 g
carbohydrates 15.2 g
fiber 1.80 g
Vitamin A 389 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.058 mg
Vitamin B2 0.057 mg
niacin 0.717 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.134 mg
folate 14.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 27.7 mg
Vitamin e 1.12 mg α-te
calcium 10.0 mg
phosphorus 11.0 mg
magnesium 9.00 mg
Iron 0.130 mg
potassium 156 mg
Zinc 0.040 mg
total fat 0.270 g
saturated fat 0.066 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Foods for the eyes

More than million neural cells of retina
send information to brain every second.
Eye muscles are constantly moving and
they perform three vital functions: 1) ex-
ploration of the field of vision, 2) opening
and closing of the pupil according to the
light available, 3) changing of the curve of
the lens of the eye, depending on the dis-
tance of the viewed object, in order to
sharpen the image.
To carry out all these important and com-
plex functions, eye needs a small amount
of oxygen and a few other substances that
can be found in foods: 1) Vitamin A – nec-
essary for the formation of rhodopsin –
light-sensitive pigment found in retinal
cells; 2) Carotenoids – prevent macular de-
generation of the retina; 3) Vitamins C and
E – antioxidant found exclusively in plants.
They prevent cataracts and vision loss.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Carrot
For strong eyes

Carrots and alfalfa greens are the greatest

sources of vitamin A in nature.
Three most significant substances found in
carrot are: 1) carotenoids, of which the
most notable is beta-carotene, which the
body transforms into vitamin A. They are
very important for retina function, espe-
cially in low light and night situations. They
also vitalize skin and mucosa of all organs
in human body. 2) carrot fibers help regu-
late intestinal function and soothe the in-
testinal mucosa. 3) carrot essential oil is
very active against intestinal parasites.
This vegetable is also very useful in pre-
venting disorders of retina and eyes in gen-
eral, skin disorders, excess stomach acid,
colitis and cancer.
Best way to consume carrots is in salads,
with other vegetables, or in form of a

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squeezed juice, combined with apple and

red beet.

CARROT - Composition per 100 g of

raw edible portion
energy 43.0 kcal
protein 1.03 g
carbohydrates 7.14 g
fiber 3.00 g
Vitamin A 2,813 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.097 mg
Vitamin B2 0.059 mg
niacin 1.11 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.147 mg
folate 14.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 9.30 mg
Vitamin e 0.460 mg α-te
calcium 27.0 mg
phosphorus 44.0 mg
magnesium 15.0 mg
Iron 0.500 mg
potassium 323 mg
Zinc 0.200 mg
total fat 0.030 g
saturated fat 0.020 g
cholesterol –
sodium 35.0 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Spinach
Protects the retina

Spinach is the most nutritious leafy green

vegetable. It’s very rich in lutein and zeax-
anthin, carotenoids that prevent vision loss
due to degeneration of macula (small yel-
low spot, about 2mm wide, located in the
middle of retina, corresponding to the area
of the highest visual activity). Although
these two carotenoids do not transform
into vitamin A, they are still very powerful
antioxidant that protect the sensitive parts
of the retina. Those who want to preserve
their sight should regularly eat spinach, es-
pecially those over the age of 50.
High iron content (higher than that in
meat), as well as abundance in other min-
erals, make spinach very useful for bone
marrow blood cells production. Spinach is
recommended for those who are physically
active and children, who need strength and
energy. Pregnant women should find spi-

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nach very beneficial, because of its high B9

content which prevents fetal malforma-
tions.
SPINACH - Composition per 100 g of raw
edible portion
energy 22.0 kcal
protein 2.86 g
carbohydrates 0.800 g
fiber 2.70 g
Vitamin A 672 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.078 mg
Vitamin B2 0.189 mg
niacin 1.37 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.195 mg
folate 194 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 28.1 mg
Vitamin e 1.89 mg α-te
calcium 99.0 mg
phosphorus 49.0 mg
magnesium 79.0 mg
Iron 2.71 mg
potassium 558 mg
Zinc 0.530 mg
total fat 0.350 g
saturated fat 0.056 g
cholesterol –
sodium 79.0 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Apricot
For beautiful and sparkly eyes

The most important component of apri-

cots is beta-carotene or provitamin A,
which our bodies transform to vitamin A.
Thanks to this substance, together with
numerous minerals and vitamins, apricot
aids vision, giving sparkle and beauty to the
eyes that are characteristics of good health.
It prevents dryness, irritation and itching
of the front membrane of the eye, as well
loss of visual acuity and night blindness.
It has been established as a fact that a good
combination of vitamins, minerals and
other chemical substances present in nat-
ural foods increases their effect. Apricot is
an excellent example since it prevents skin
and mucous infections, chronic pharyngi-
tis, sinusitis and eczema. This fruit is very
beneficial in cases of depression, nervous-
ness and loss of appetite. Dried apricots
are an excellent source of proteins and

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Recovery for Athletes

iron. They are great for blood and they also

alkalize the body.

APRICOT - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 48.0 kcal
protein 1.40 g
carbohydrates 8.72 g
fiber 2.40 g
Vitamin A 261 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.030 mg
Vitamin B2 0.040 mg
niacin 0.850 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.054 mg
folate 8.60 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 10.0 mg
Vitamin e 0.890 mg α-te
calcium 14.0 mg
phosphorus 19.0 mg
magnesium 8.00 mg
Iron 0.540 mg
potassium 296 mg
Zinc 0.260 mg
total fat 0.390 g
saturated fat 0.027 g
cholesterol –
sodium 1.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Foods for the

reproductive system
It is a well-established fact that nutrition is
one of the main factors in the emergence
of reproductive organ disorders. Tobacco,
caffeine and alcohol consumption are the
most common causes of impotence. Diet
rich in fruits, vegetables and whole-grains
contribute to the maintenance of sexual
potency better than any other food or
chemical product. Prostate problems are a
common occurrence in men. They can be
successfully treated by altering the diet.
Those who don’t get enough fiber through
nutrition (only plants have fiber) are very
prone to reproductive disorders. Women
who have constipation are more prone to
cysts and breast fibromas. Irregular and
painful menstruation can be prevented by
improving diet and eating more plants that
contain chemical compounds that act as
hormones and regulate the menstrual
cycle.
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Recovery for Athletes

Tomato
Protect the prostate

Prostate products are part of the seminal

fluid and are very important for the
process of ejaculation, erection, spermato-
zoid mobility and they also protect repro-
ductive and urinary tract from infection.
Tomato is the richest source of lycopene,
a carotenoid that protects prostate cells
from oxidation and abnormal growth. Ly-
copene is present in testicles and adrenal
glands, and is essential to their proper
function. Tomato also affects cell growth
process and its antioxidant properties grant
him the ability to destroy free radicals.
Also, tomato alkalizes blood, promotes
renal function and neutralizes metabolic
waste. Due to its richness in minerals, vi-
tamins and antioxidant carotenoids, toma-
to stimulates immune system and has
anti-inflammatory effect.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Substances found in tomato prevent the

oxidation of cholesterol and thus prevent
narrowing and hardening of the arteries.

TOMATO - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 21.0 kcal
protein 0.850 g
carbohydrates 3.54 g
fiber 1.10 g
Vitamin A 62.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.059 mg
Vitamin B2 0.048 mg
niacin 0.728 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.080 mg
folate 15.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 19.1 mg
Vitamin e 0.380 mg α-te
calcium 5.00 mg
phosphorus 24.0 mg
magnesium 11.0 mg
Iron 0.450 mg
potassium 222 mg
Zinc 0.090 mg
total fat 0.330 g
saturated fat 0.045 g
cholesterol –
sodium 9.00 mg
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Soy
Wondrous legume

Research has shown that women in Japan

and China almost never experience me-
nopausal problems, and that men in these
Asian countries have better reproductive
health and lower cholesterol levels. The
reason for this lies in their diet – people in
Far East eat soy every day.
Soy is the greatest natural source of pro-
teins. It contains 36.5% of proteins, unlike
meat that contains 20% and eggs that have
12.5%. These proteins are easily digestible
and absorbed.
Abundance of lecithin grants soy the abil-
ity to successfully purify blood vessels
from excessive fat. It contains large
amounts of B group vitamins and vitamin
E. There is five times more iron in 100g of
soy than there is in meat. Also, this
legume’s calcium content makes it an ex-
cellent food for the bones. Soy is good for
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 Food as a recovery factor

intestine, since it fiber content promotes

bowel movements.

SOYBEAN - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 416 kcal
protein 36.5 g
carbohydrates 20.9 g
fiber 9.30 g
Vitamin A 2.00 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.874 mg
Vitamin B2 0.870 mg
niacin 10.5 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.377 mg
folate 375 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 6.00 mg
Vitamin e 1.95 mg α-te
calcium 277 mg
phosphorus 704 mg
magnesium 280 mg
Iron 15.7 mg
potassium 1,797 mg
Zinc 4.89 mg
total fat 19.9 g
saturated fat 2.88 g
cholesterol –
sodium 2.00 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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Recovery for Athletes

Foods for infections

The body is in a constant struggle against
microorganisms and foreign substances
that attack it. The immune system defends
us through recognition and destruction of
all kinds of microorganisms and foreign
substances that are potentially dangerous,
and those are primarily all other living cells,
chemical products, dust, and degenerated
cells that can cause diseases if they are let
to develop.
Adequate nutrition stimulates immune sys-
tem function. Vitamins A, C and E are
necessary to immune system because they
act as antioxidants and microelements iron,
zinc, copper and selenium.
Improper nutrition (scarce vitamins and
trace elements), stress and certain type of
medicaments (i.e. chemotherapy) have a
very bad effect on our immune system.
Below we’ll say something about types of
food that are good for the immune system.

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 Food as a recovery factor

Orange
Abundance of vitamin C

Orange is richer in vitamin C than any

pharmaceutical product. In addition to vi-
tamin C, orange also contains 170 phyto-
chemicals that enhance the effect of
vitamin C and complement it, thus em-
powering the immune system. Also, they
increase the production of an antiviral pro-
tein (interferon) that the body produces by
itself.
Apart from vitamin C, orange contains
three most powerful antioxidant: provita-
min A, vitamin B9 and quercetin (a type of
flavonoid or vitamin P) that mightily pro-
tects our body. High fiber content makes
orange good in lowering cholesterol and
battling digestive problems.
This fruit also stimulates gallbladder excre-
tion, makes blood more fluent and im-
proves circulation, especially towards brain

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Recovery for Athletes

and heart, which need a steady supply of

blood.

ORANGE - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 47.0 kcal
protein 0.940 g
carbohydrates 9.35 g
fiber 2.40 g
Vitamin A 21.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.087 mg
Vitamin B2 0.040 mg
niacin 0.432 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.060 mg
folate 30.3 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 53.2 mg
Vitamin e 0.240 mg α-te
calcium 40.0 mg
phosphorus 14.0 mg
magnesium 10.0 mg
Iron 0.100 mg
potassium 181 mg
Zinc 0.070 mg
total fat 0.120 g
saturated fat 0.015 g
cholesterol –
sodium –
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

Kiwi
Strengthens the immunity

Richness in vitamin C make this fruit, to-

gether with numerous other vitamins and
minerals, one of the strongest tools for im-
provement of the immune system, much
stronger that any pharmaceutical product.
Kiwi is one of the fruits richest in miner-
als, especially potassium, magnesium and
iron. It also contains significant amounts
of copper, which in combination with vi-
tamin C facilitates iron assimilation.
To give a better idea how nutritious kiwi
really is, consider the fact that it contains
17 times more vitamin C, 6 times more
magnesium, 5 times more proteins and
double the iron than an apple. It enriches
the blood and prevents anemia. Research
show that athletes who eat kiwis show a
24$ increase in strength over the control
group who doesn’t eat it. Eating at least a
kiwi a day is very useful in preventing any

209
Recovery for Athletes

kind of infection, as well as for its treat-

ment.

KIWI - Composition per 100 g of raw

edible portion
energy 61.0 kcal
protein 0.990 g
carbohydrates 11.5 g
fiber 3.40 g
Vitamin A 18.0 μg re
Vitamin B1 0.020 mg
Vitamin B2 0.050 mg
niacin 0.500 mg ne
Vitamin B6 0.090 mg
folate 38.0 μg
Vitamin B12 –
Vitamin c 98.0 mg
Vitamin e 1.12 mg α-te
calcium 26.0 mg
phosphorus 40.0 mg
magnesium 30.0 mg
Iron 0.410 mg
potassium 332 mg
Zinc 0.170 mg
total fat 0.440 g
saturated fat 0.029 g
cholesterol –
sodium 5.00 mg
I I I I I I III I I I I I I II I I I I
1% 2% 4% 10% 20% 40% 100% 200% 500%
% Daily Value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
provided by 100 g of this food

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 Food as a recovery factor

A couple of information about

nutrition
We’d like to point out the fact that im-
proper nutrition is the leading cause of ill-
ness and death in modern civilization, as
well as the leading cause of sport injuries,
since it prevents athletes to fulfill their po-
tential. When a herbivore, such as man,
eats foods of animal origin, and other
processed foods full of chemical toxins,
his body will get poisoned and acidified,
making it more susceptible to diseases and
injuries.
It’s good to know a few more details re-
garding nutrition. It would be ideal if one
would have tree meals a day, without
snacks. All organs need to rest and stom-
ach is no different. It would be best to have
an energetically strong breakfast, and than
have at least a five-hour long break until
the next meal. Nothing should be eaten
during this period. It is desirable, however,
to drink only clean, non-carbonated water.
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Recovery for Athletes

Any juice, tea, snack or food disturb the

balance of digestive tract and their rest.
Lunch should also be very energetic, at
least five hours after the breakfast, while
the dinner should, according to the same
principle, be taken five hours after lunch.
Dinner should be light, easily digestible, so
that one could go to sleep with an empty
stomach, thus letting the body rest instead
of digesting food. For dinner, we recom-
mend having fruit or (vegetable or fruit)
salad.
It would be advisable to go to sleep a few
hours after the dinner. If this doesn’t hap-
pen, the body starts seeking food.
Eat a lot of garlic, since it’s the most pow-
erful natural antibiotic, and use hot pepper
in meals because it promotes circulation.
The water should be drunk before meals,
and at least an hour after the meal, so that
the stomach acid function wouldn’t be dis-
turbed.

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 Food as a recovery factor

If you drink juices, do that at least ten min-

utes before the meal, and not during and
immediately after the meal. Fruit juice can
be consumed before a fruit based meal.
The same applies to vegetables.
It’s best to avoid mixing fruits and vegeta-
bles in one meal since this can create com-
pounds that cause swelling and diarrhea.
Sour apple is an exception and it can be
used in vegetable juices, while green veg-
etables may be mixed with fruits.
We shouldn’t bother ourselves too much
with vitamin B12, since intestinal and bac-
teria in our mouth produce it, and a healthy
nutrition and lifestyle encourage beneficial
bacteria activity and sufficient production
of this vitamin.
Nutrition during the match and between
two matches. During the game, and in
short breaks during the match, we don’t
recommend taking solid food, but only
freshly squeezed juices and spicy cayenne
pepper diluted in juice or water. Juices re-
quire almost no digestion and they directly
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Recovery for Athletes

go into the blood stream, thus saving the

energy that would be used in digestion. If
juices are chosen properly, they regenerate
and revitalize body almost immediately.
Juices are best in 2.5-5 dl doses. Some of
them are:
- juice of a couple of carrots and an apple
- juice of 50% carrot, 30% red beet, 20%
apple
- apple juice
- orange juice
- grape juice
Naturally, we are free to choose the com-
bination of plants which we’ll use to make
the juice.
Hot pepper is a powerful tool for circula-
tion and stamina improvement. Dip 60
drops of hot pepper tincture in 2 dl of
water or one teaspoon of hottest pepper
you’ve got on hand.
Juice and hot pepper solution can be pre-
pared before the match and kept in sealed

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 Food as a recovery factor

bottle, and even better, in a thermos or re-

frigerator.
Massage during game breaks, as well as
hot/cold showers also improve circulation
and encourage faster blood flow and thus
facilitate nutritive delivery and other phys-
ical agents. Hot/cold treatment consists
from 7 series of hot and cold water show-
ers.
At the end of this chapter, we’d like to em-
phasize that virtually all processed prod-
ucts found in stores, usually sold in bags
and bottles labeled “100%”, “integral”,
“natural” are very harmful, since they only
give a short-term sense of satisfaction and
satiety, but dramatically harm our health
and ability to achieve top results.

215
Physical rest as
a recovery factor
Pouring a bucket of water on our head
would let the body get some water through
skin, but the feeling of thirst wouldn’t be
quenched and the body would dehydrate.
This can be compared to a situation in
which a soccer coach wouldn’t let the best
players play until the second half. Surely,
the result wouldn’t be as good as if the best
players played from the beginning.
The same is with sleeping. If a man goes
to sleep after midnight, his body cannot
adequately rest, and his abilities and health
are greatly endangered.
Going to sleep after midnight is the same
as pouring a bucket over your head – it
doesn’t satisfy the need for water, nor does
it satisfy the need for rest. Going to bed

216
 Food as a recovery factor

before midnight is equivalent to the situa-

tion in which the first squad plays from be-
ginning. It’s safe to say an hour of sleep
before midnight is worth two or three
hours of sleep after 12 pm. Simply put,
going to sleep after midnight and sleeping
longer cannot make up for the loss of en-
ergy and rest.
A good analogy would be if a junior team
played the first half of a match. It would
be difficult if not impossible for the sen-
iors to compensate the several goal differ-
ence from the first half.
Recovery centers pay a lot of attention to
physical rest. Healthy diet isn’t enough for
a person recovering from injury. It is nec-
essary to completely satisfy all needs a
human being has, and one of them is phys-
ical rest. In these centers, all activity ceases
at about 8 pm. The lights go off at 9 pm
and everybody should go to sleep (of
course, the visitors are free to disregard the
recommended house rules, but this will

217
Recovery for Athletes

dramatically impact their recovery pro-

cess).
A work day in such a center would look
something like this:
- 5:30 - waking up
- 5:30 to 6:00 - washing, dressing
- 6:00 to 6:30 - brief group discussion with
doctor or trainer to present the work plan
of the day, as well as a brief motivational
speech to encourage the residents to con-
tinue practicing healthy lifestyle.
- 6:30 to 7:30 - breakfast
- 7:30 to 8:00 - break
- 8:00 to 12:00 - a walk in the nature, out-
door exercise, socializing and lectures on
health topics
- 12:00 to 12:30 - break and prepare for
lunch
- 12:30 to 13:30 - lunch
- 13:30 to 16:00 - break and leisure
- 16:00 - 18.00 – a walk in the nature, out-
door exercise, socializing and lectures on
health topics

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 Food as a recovery factor

- 18.00 - 18:30 - break

- 18:30 to 19:30 - dinner
- 19:30 to 20:00 - preparation for the end
of the day
- 20:00 to 21:00 - cessation of all activities
- 21:00 - the lights go off and it’s time to
sleep
Note that this is a pattern of the majority
of living organisms in nature.
With this approach, the body enters a
healthy rhythm that has an extremely ben-
eficial effect on the recovery process. After
7-10 days living on this regime, the body
completely develops healthy habits that
manifest themselves through increase of
energy and endurance of the athlete or any
person practicing them.
It would be great if athletes could apply
this recovery plan in their everyday life.
Training and activity regime dictated by the
club they are playing for may, to some ex-
tent, disrupt the implementation of this
plan.

219
Recovery for Athletes

However, with a little persistency and dis-

cipline, every athlete can adopt and imple-
ment this program almost completely, thus
completely recovering and strengthening
his body for the upcoming efforts.
A strong character is necessary to achieve
great results in any field. In sport, the char-
acter is very important, not just for train-
ing, but in other areas of life also. This is
especially the case in professional sport
where there is little difference between top
athletes and often, it’s the quality of rest
between the matches that determines
who’ll be the winner. For this reason, it’s
very important to show disciple after train-
ing and games, in the field of recovery.
Surely, it’s not easy to be the oddball and
avoid night parties, alcohol and junk food,
something usually found in high-end clubs
and restaurants. But, if an athlete wishes
the top results, then he has to be best dur-
ing the training, but also afterwards. Train-
ing without necessary recovery won’t have

220
 Food as a recovery factor

the same effect as training with adequate

rest.
When speaking about night rest and sleep,
it is necessary to reiterate to role of hor-
mone melatonin, secreted in our brain by
pineal gland. This hormone has multiple
functions in our body, and one of the most
important is his regenerative and rejuve-
nating power.
It’s important to note that the secretion of
melatonin begins and stops depending on
the light and dark signals that travel from
eye via optic nerve to brain, where they
give the signal to pineal gland to start or
stop producing melatonin. Dark signal sig-
nals the increase in melatonin secretion
and that’s why it’s important to sleep in a
completely dark room.
Combined with other biological mecha-
nism in our body, dark signal at sunset is
the ideal time for maximum production of
this important hormone.

221
Recovery for Athletes

Also, it’s worth mentioning that daily mod-

erate exposure to sunlight stimulates the
production of melatonin during night. The
room in which we sleep should not be too
hot, since sleeping in a cooler room is
much better.
Physical rest doesn’t include just night
sleep in an appropriate time. It includes
daily activities that help us to physically rest
and regenerate. Breaks between two meals,
breaks between training, time we spend
with our family and friends, are also an im-
portant aspect of recovery.
It’s also very desirable to have a little walk
after the meal, thereby facilitating and ac-
celerating digestion process. Training
should not be done immediately after meal;
moreover, one should wait at least two
hours.
We already mentioned that break between
meals should be at least five hours, which
also is a form of rest important for the re-
covery of digestive tract and body in gen-
eral.
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 Food as a recovery factor

Finally, the spiritual rest is the apex of the

recovery process and we’ll say more about
that in the next chapter.

223
The spiritual rest as
a recovery factor
Since man is not just a physical being, but
a spiritual as well, he needs a spiritual rest
as much as physical. We can even say that
spiritual rest is more important than phys-
ical, since motivation and spiritual power
factors are able to move a weaker body on
to a higher level that a person with
stronger body, but weaker spirit, could at-
tain.
In order for a person to spiritually rest,
he/she needs to have adequate goal in life.
In other words, it is necessary that one’s
life has a meaning so that he could be spir-
itually healthy.
Think of an athlete whose only aim in life
is to earn a lot of money and enjoy the ap-
plause and standing ovation of the roaring
crowd. Is great fortune able to satisfy one’s

224
 The spiritual rest as a recovery factor

spiritual needs? Mere money cannot do

that.
The most important human need is to love
and be loved. It’s better to live in a small
and poor house with someone who truly
loves you, than to reside in a glamorous
palace with hypocrites who love you be-
cause you’re rich. Of course, the best op-
tion is to be materially secure and have
those who love you and for whom is worth
living and sacrificing for near you.
Thus we once again come to the question
of the character. Character is something
that makes us train hard, to have a healthy
diet and to go to bed at an appropriate
time. On the other hand, character is
something that attracts others to us like a
magnet, others who are like us. This rule
doesn’t apply only in case of parents. Par-
ents generally love their children regardless
of their character. We can be free to say
that parents are the image of God who
loves people no matter what they are
doing. God and parents are very patient in

225
Recovery for Athletes

waiting for those whom they love to

change.
However, that’s not the case with many,
with those who aren’t our parents. Imagine
a young man who’s a successful athlete and
has a lot of money, and who is looking for
company, someone who’ll he take into
night clubs to drink with and “enjoy”, or
girl with whom he could have a one night
stand, without any obligations. This type
of “entertainment” usually includes alco-
hol consumption and possibly something
“stronger”, but in “moderate” doses, since
“everybody knows” that anything in small
amounts can’t possibly be harmful.
This young man certainly wouldn’t be able
to establish a closer relationship with a fel-
low athlete who goes to sleep at 9 pm, and
gets up at 6 in the morning and who is very
careful with what he eats and drinks. Not
to mention a girl that isn’t interested in
having an “adventure”, but wants to be a
wife and mother, to improve her physical
and spiritual health, who wants to live with

226
 The spiritual rest as a recovery factor

a man that isn’t interested in “partying”,

but one who invests his energy, time and
money in family and children.
In other words, the character of a person
determines who he/she will be friends
with, what places he/she is going to visit,
because that’s where those with similar in-
terests gather. Character is also a crucial
factor in choosing with whom we’re going
to live.
Sooner or later, everyone comes to in-
evitable conclusion that family and the
warmth of the family home are the most
beautiful things a man can create, spend
time and enjoy in. Family is an endless
source of true love from which one can
drink and be inspired. Warmth of family
love, care and attention of beloved spouse
and eruption of a child’s laughter, joy and
happiness because being with him/her is
the best spiritual food and the best source
of spiritual rejuvenation and recovery that
we can afford. That’s why those who live
with their family are much happier than

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Recovery for Athletes

those who are separated from their loved

ones because of the work. In other words,
if an athlete is forced to move to another
place since he signed for a new club, it
would be very significant if his family
could go with him. The separation from
one’s family, even a brief one that would
last a few days, is a visible loss in spiritual
sphere, dramatically reducing the ability to
spiritually recover, and thus the potential
to achieve top results on the sports field.
Man’s spiritual being is designed so that the
heat of the parental home is a spiritual in-
vigoration until about he’s 18 years old.
After that, in man, regardless of the sex, a
desire for another aspect of the family
warmth beings to get stronger, one which
is related to the need for a spouse and chil-
dren.
Those who do not have a proper home ed-
ucation direct this need towards seeking
temporary partners and relationships,
where they are spiritually and emotionally
consumed, damaging both their spiritual

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 The spiritual rest as a recovery factor

and physical health. Consequently, their

work abilities are drastically reduced, espe-
cially if their job requires maximum phys-
ical and mental readiness, as is the case
with professional sports.
Abilities of an athlete who “broke up”
with his girlfriend a day earlier are going to
be seriously reduced. Let’s take a step back
and analyze the abilities of an athlete that
has a “relationship” and an athlete that
doesn’t want temporary relationship, but
seeks to get married and have family.
The first person in this example will per-
haps say that he also wants marriage, and
that he only dates girls so that he could
find a person that suits him best. This ap-
proach is reminiscent of a military amateur
that plans to cross a minefield without a
map of the minefield and without an ex-
pert guiding him through the dangerous
maze. Experience has shown that persons
who enter into pre-marital relationships
and change their partners experience great
spiritual injuries and trauma, and such a re-

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lationship rarely results in a successful mar-

riage.
Research among young people has shown
that the thing that hurts them most is the
break-up with partner (death of their loved
ones is on the second place). We can safely
say that pre-marital relationships and part-
ner changing is a way of causing pain to
oneself with unforeseeable consequences.
Perhaps the most serious consequence of
such relationships are the children that get
to live with only one parent (due to break-
up or divorce), which particularly affects
the parent that won’t be able to live with
his child(ren) - almost always the father.
And in the same way the idea of going
early to bed is not popular, neither is the
traditional concept of marriage and family.
But, it remains successful and effective yet
still.
When we buy a dog or any other animal,
it’s normal to check its pedigree and con-
sult animal experts. Up to few decades ago,
the same rules applied in selection of the
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 The spiritual rest as a recovery factor

spouse, which resulted in good marriages,

strong families and good and healthy chil-
dren. Young people consulted elder and
more experienced people (usually parents)
and analyzed the potential spouse’s family
very carefully, as well as the physical, health
and character traits.
In the same way one is free to eat what he
chooses to and sleep when he/she wants
to, a person is allowed to marry anyone
whom he/she chooses. What interests oth-
ers and what matters in both sport and life
in general are the results. In sport, the most
important thing is who won the game, and
not whether the champion has five chil-
dren, when he goes to sleep and what he
eats. Lifestyle can be a conversation topic
among colleagues, friends and journalists,
but the real champions have something
that differentiates them from the others. A
champion might distinguish himself by
training more, but if he’s different from
the rest in other segments that very much
influent his abilities, than his chances of

231
Recovery for Athletes

achieving top results will be significantly

increased. The quality of spiritual recovery
is of the utmost importance in this con-
text.
One can use his free time, meant for spir-
itual recovery, to play computer games,
watch television and listen to music that
excite his mind and inflame passions, but
this only has a short-term effect that will
be pleasurable at first, but end in spiritual
draining and depression.
The spiritual being of every man is de-
signed so that the maximum of his/her
abilities is realized by being part of some-
thing more important, and that is investing
into people that truly love us, just the way
we are, and not because we have money or
are a champion of any sort. Such love can
only be given by family and friend who
share the same spiritual value system as we
do.
It’s important to note that family and
friends can’t be found on the street. They
are created and built. By building our own
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 The spiritual rest as a recovery factor

character, we recommend ourselves to

other people, and most importantly, we
recommend ourselves for our future
spouse. Without a good spouse we can’t
have what is most valuable in the entire
universe, the reason that God created this
world, and those are the children.
Children that come from such a healthy
marriage are the greatest joy and happiness
that one can experience in a lifetime, and
the greatest source of spiritual rejuvena-
tion and recovery there is. That is why
those who have these beliefs have a greater
chance of becoming champions.
On a molecular level, when one is with his
spouse and children, specific mechanisms
are triggered that regenerate, refresh and
strengthen. Secretion of hormone of hap-
piness, regeneration and rejuvenation reach
their maximum in these situations.
On the other hand, participating in activi-
ties that excite our spirit will start a number
of processes that disrupt the function of
our cells and damage them. Unfortunately,
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Recovery for Athletes

most athletes practice the latter concept,

and their proneness to injury and illnesses
is much greater.
Sooner or later, everyone comes to the
same conclusion as to what is best for us.
Pain and injuries are the mechanisms that
prevent us from self-destruction. They
don’t only signal that we need a time-out,
but also encourage us to think why the in-
jury occurred in the first place and what
can be done so that it wouldn’t happen
again.
In the next chapter, we’ll say something
about recovery from physical injuries and
how to get back on the path of health and
success.

234
 Part II

Recovery of injured
athletes
236
 A plan for body
recovery
In majority of cases, the cause of injury in
most athletes isn’t the bad tackle, but a lack
of preparedness. And we don’t refer to a
lack of training, but rather the body’s in-
ability to withstand great strain. This weak-
ness stems from a lack of recovery, caused
by improper diet and inadequate physical
and spiritual rest.
As mentioned, unhealthy diet leads to acid-
ification of the body and lack of nutrients
that cells need, rendering the body weaker
and therefore more prone to injury. A simi-
lar pattern occurs in cases of muscle and
other body part injuries.
Once the injury occurs, it’s not enough just
to return the injured bone back to its place,
remove a bad innervation of the spine and
strengthen a muscle or a bone with balms.

237
Recovery for Athletes

It’s necessary to cleanse and strengthen the

body and bring it to a state of high resist-
ance to injury. If one has a strong and well-
bred, properly trained body, the risk of
injury is very low, almost impossible.
The process of an injured athlete recovery
consists of three steps:
1) The physical rehabilitation of injury,
which usually consists of relocating the in-
jured bone, group of bones or vertebrae
to its original position.
2) Commencement of the injured body
part regeneration process using adequate
balms and healthy diet.
3) Strengthening of the injured part of the
body, after the completion of the regener-
ation process, through appropriate train-
ing.
In the next chapter, we’ll talk about physi-
cal rehabilitation of injuries and regenera-
tion using balms, and below we’ll give you
detailed instructions on how to regenerate

238
 A plan for body recovery

the body through proper nutrition and

cleansing.

Cleansing the body

By “cleansing” we mean the physical re-
moval of toxins from body and use of the
best nutritional and medicinal ingredients
that strengthen, heal and regenerate the
body.
Step 1. Any serious cleansing program
starts with colon cleansing. The colon is al-
most always filled with residual processed
foods that rot in it and create a toxic envi-
ronment in the body. This happens with al-
most everyone who has an animal-based
diet, and so does the vast majority of ath-
letes.
The easiest way to clean the colon is by
drinking a liter of warm water with one
squeezed lemon and one tablespoon of sea
salt.

239
Recovery for Athletes

This salt water is drunk in the morning,

after getting up, and it’s recommended to
drink it within a period of 5-10 minutes.
Naturally, this water isn’t very tasty, but a
few minutes after drinking it, it starts
bowel movements, several, in a short pe-
riod of time. In this way, the colon will be
thoroughly cleaned.
The cleansing process of the colon can be
repeated up to five days in a row. (Cleans-
ing with saltwater should be avoided if the
person has heart of kidney problems.)
In rare cases, the salt water will not in-
stantly cause bowel movements. This hap-
pens in patients who suffer from “lazy”
intestinal muscles, a condition rarely occur-
ring in athletes. If this is the case with you,
use herbal formula “Intestine 1”, made
from Senna plant, which stimulates the
bowels and their discharge.
Once drinking saltwater portion of detox-
ification portion is finished, start drinking
squeezed juices once every hour a day in

240
 A plan for body recovery

2.5 dl doses. Two to four liters of squeezed

juice is drunk per day and no food is con-
sumed. Apart from juices, one can only
drink pure non-carbonated water in any
amount preferable. Squeezed juices are
drunk at least five days and better yet, 10
days. In severe injuries, we recommend up
to 30 days.
While drinking juices, the person won’t be
hungry, and the purpose of juice fasting is
to use energy, not on digestion, but rather
on cleansing and strengthening the body.
Juices require almost no digestion and go
directly into the bloodstream, thus preserv-
ing energy.
The best juices for cleansing and strength-
ening the body are:
- Juice made from a couple of carrots and
an apple
- Juice consisting of 50% carrot, 30% red
beet and 20% apple
- Juice made from a few apples
- Juice made from several oranges
- Grape juice
241
Recovery for Athletes

In cases of intestinal inflammation or di-

arrhea, it’s recommended to drink juice
three times a day, adding a teaspoon of
charcoal (activate) in powder or tablet,
since it is a powerful tool for absorbing
toxins and excreting them from body.
It is also recommended to add a teaspoon
of young barley grass in powder during the
juice drinking phase of detox program.
Young barley grass is known as a great
source of nutrients – greater than any
other type of food.
Juices are drunk slowly, sip by sip, swirled
in mouth and then swallowed.
After finishing the drinking juice portion
of the program, we go fully raw and eat
three meals a day. Some of the recipes for
preparing delicious raw plant dishes are in
the appendix of this book.
It’s highly recommend to use herbal prepa-
rations (tinctures), made from medical
plants, for at least two weeks (and if nec-
essary, even a month) during the recovery

242
 A plan for body recovery

process. These preparations are concen-

trated medicinal ingredients of best thera-
peutic herbs.
Generally, it’s possible to use almost every
plant in form of tea, tinctures and lining.
In the case of tea, the plant is put in hot
water and therapeutic substances from
herb enter hot water which is then drunk.
In tinctures, a herb (or a few of them) is
put in blender, alcohol is added and the
whole mixture is blended so that the alco-
hol would reach the smallest bits of the
herb thus more powerfully extracting ther-
apeutic substances than hot water.
In tinctures, the concentration of medici-
nal compounds is incomparably higher
than in tea and is must, therefore, be con-
sumed in droplets or poured into the juice
or water.
Standard cleansing program includes the
following tinctures:
- Immuno – boosts immunity
- Liver & gall – cleanses these two organs

243
Recovery for Athletes

- Kidneys & bladder

- Detox – cleanses the entire body, espe-
cially blood
- Antibiotic – cleanses body from harmful
bacteria
- Circulation – encourages blood flow and
nutrients and other vital agents therefore
Tinctures are usually drunk three times a
day – morning, noon and night, in 2-3
minutes intervals. First, mix one of the
tinctures with 0.5 dl of water or juice. Re-
peat this procedure with different tincture
every few minutes.
During the day, it’s recommended to take
hot & cold showers to improve circulation.
The body is first exposed to hot water
(shower) for a minute, immediately fol-
lowed by a one minute long cold shower.
This procedure is repeated 7 times (a total
of 14 reps) and can be applied several
times a day.

244
 A plan for body recovery

Massage is also very useful in improving

circulation. This is a simple procedure than
anyone can do – simply pressing and mas-
saging parts of the body will do the job.
We recommend using brush for massage
and body cleansing. This brush can also be
used before and after showering.
Liver and kidney cleansing can also be
done using juices.
Liver detoxification using juices. This
treatment consists of drinking juices in the
morning, during a period of seven days:
- 250 ml squeezed juice (lemon, orange,
grapefruit and tangerine)
- 250 ml of water
- 1–4 cloves of garlic
- 1-4 teaspoons of olive oil
- 2.5 cm of ginger root (if any)
Day 1. Add 250 ml of the abovemen-
tioned juice, 250 ml of water and one clove
of garlic and just a teaspoon of olive oil

245
Recovery for Athletes

(with 2.5cm of ginger root, if any). Every-

thing is blended and drunk.
Day 2. The next morning, use the same
mix and add two cloves of garlic and two
teaspoons of olive oil.
Day 3. Increase the dosage to three cloves
of garlic and three teaspoons of olive oil.
The next day, the dosage should be four of
each and this maximum dose should be
drunk until the seventh day.
After this seven-day period, we start the
kidney cleansing procedure.
Kidney detoxification using juices. This
treatment consists of drinking juices in the
morning, during a period of seven days:
- 1-2 squeezed lemon
- 0.5-1 liter of water
- 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper
- Honey, maple syrup (optional)
In cases of sever liver damage and immune
system weakening, it’s necessary to use cof-
fee enema and hot bath enema method.

246
 A plan for body recovery

Coffee enema. This method is used for

liver cleansing through colon wall. Add
three teaspoons of coffee (about 45 g) in
a liter of boiling water and cook for 15
minutes. Then, 2.5 dl of this coffee is di-
luted with 7.5 dl of tap water, resulting in
one liter of diluted coffee.
This solution is inserted into colon using
appropriate equipment (enema equipment
can be purchased in any pharmacy). A per-
son lies laterally and slowly, using tap on
the tube, inserts the whole content into the
large intestine. Tip of the tube is smeared
with Vaseline to make it easier to penetrate
the colon. It takes at least 12 -15 minutes
to lie on the right side until the coffee so-
lution cleanses the liver through colon wall.
This procedure can be applied a few times
a day.
Hot tub. This method is used to artificially
increase the body temperature, thus stim-
ulating the immune system. Water should
be as hot as possible. Put a handful of hot

247
Recovery for Athletes

pepper, the hotter you can find. Also, pre-

pare a liter of hot tea and put near the tub.
Person using this treatment should smear
his nipples and genitals with Vaseline to
protect them from hot pepper.
Once the person lies into tab, hot tea
should be drunk, thereby artificially heat-
ing tour body, both internally and exter-
nally. It’s a well-known fact that by
increasing body temperature by one de-
gree, white blood cells (immune system
agent) increase their speed up to four
times, thus facilitating the elimination of
germs and microorganisms. Raising the
body temperature by two degrees increases
the speed of white blood cells exponen-
tially (16 times).
The patient should stay in the tub as long
as possible, 10-20 minutes. It would be
good if someone was with the person tak-
ing the treatment, aiding it by rubbing a
cold towel on his forehead.

248
 A plan for body recovery

After the person starts feeling uncomfort-

ably, water should be drained and the pa-
tient is to take a brief shower with
somewhat cold water, put on some clothes
and lie in bad, tucked with several blankets
to make him/her warm and cozy. The pa-
tient should rest for 45-60 minutes.
This treatment can be used as needed, usu-
ally once a day.
In short, detoxification program would
look something like this:
1. Colon cleansing in the morning, 1-5
days.
2. After that comes the juice drinking,
every hour during the whole day in 2.5dl
doses. Person is free to choose the dose in
accordance with their own abilities. Juices
are drunk 5-10 days, and in severe cases,
up to 30 days. Fasting on juices won’t make
the faster hungry.

249
Recovery for Athletes

3. With the first juice from the morning,

tinctures are taken three times a day: in the
morning, noon and night, in accordance
with the instructions on the bottle. Tinc-
tures are taken for at least two weeks, even
longer if necessary.
4. At the same time periods – morning,
noon and evening, the patient is to take a
teaspoon of young barley grass powder.
Young barley can be used anytime, even
after the healing is complete, since it is the
only dietary supplement that is naturally
balanced (unlike vitamin and mineral pills).
5. After the juice fast is over, the patient
starts eating raw food, three times a day.
Juices may still be drunk, but only before
the meal. If the meal consists of fruit, we
recommend drinking fruit juice. The same
applies in the case of vegetable-based dish.
In the next chapter, we’ll say something
about physical rehabilitation of injuries

250
 A plan for body recovery

and regeneration program using balms and

adequate training.

251
Natural treatment
of injuries
The main causes of sport injuries are un-
healthy lifestyle of athletes (especially un-
healthy nutrition) and inadequate training.
By switching to a healthy diet, proper rest,
stress management and quality training, as
well as with an appropriate attitude to-
wards life and sport, it is virtually impossi-
ble to get injured.
Below, we’ll elaborate on natural rehabili-
tation techniques, including most severe
ones. These are all non-invasive techniques
(without use of surgical equipment) based
on massage techniques and use of me-
chanical aids, as well as special natural
balms.
All balms used during treatment are 100%
natural and safe for any anti-doping test.

252
 Natural treatment of injuries

During after the implementation of tech-

niques for eliminating physical injuries, it’s
necessary that the patient is on the body
detoxifying program, as described in the
previous chapter. After the period of phys-
ical inactivity, due to the recovery and re-
generation of the injured part of the body,
it’s best to spend some time in a recovery
center where the patient would undergo
adequate recovery program under the su-
pervision of qualified persons.

Foot Injuries
Types of foot injuries are: bone and liga-
ment, tendon, corn and ingrown nail in-
juries.
Types of bone injuries are: sprains, frac-
tures and deformities (flat feet and
bunion). If a sprain injury is treated in the
first two to three days, the foot is adjusted
in a special way, special balm is smeared
and after seven days the person is ready to
train again. If the injury hasn’t been treated
in time, it is necessary to specially prepare
253
Recovery for Athletes

foot in period of 24 hours, after which the

foot can be adjusted in particular way, and
is special balm is smeared on the leg, used
to regenerate the ligaments.
The duration of recovery process depends
on the damage level ligament has suffered.
There are first and second degree ligament
sprains, and third degree, or ligament tear-
ing. Torn ligament recovery process takes
6 to 7 weeks without surgery and post -
operative process, so that the person in-
jured can immediately afterwards continue
the training process.
In case of fractures, injured bones are ad-
justed using special method, special splints
and balms, that are changed every three
days, are placed, seven to 10 times, after
which the injured person can enter the
training process.
Flat feet can be acquired and congenital.
In case of acquired flat feet patient is usu-
ally recommended to do specific exercises
and proper nutrition, and very often the
cause of flat feet is a spinal injury and in-
254
 Natural treatment of injuries

adequate innervation, which can be elimi-

nated through special massage techniques.
In case of congenital flat feet, ankle bone
dislocates the heel bone and pushes it
backwards. Bones are returned to its orig-
inal position using special method, and
special balm and splint, changed every
seven days, are placed underneath and on
the side of the foot. Depending on the
type of deformity, recovery takes 3 to 7
weeks.
The cause of bunions can be inadequate
nutrition and spinal problems (innervation
problems). Recovery process aims to solve
the problem of innervation, and then the
focus is changed to preparation of the af-
fected area during the period of 24 hours.
Bunions are adjusted and special balm and
splint are placed to remove articular defor-
mities, and also to tighten loose ligament,
which led to bunion disorders. Balms are
changed every 7 days, and the recovery
process takes 6 to 7 weeks.

255
Recovery for Athletes

Tendons connect muscles to bones. There

are tendon injuries of first, second and
third degree. The most common injury is
the Achilles tendon injury. Depending on
the severity of the injury, Achilles tendon
recovery process lasts between 6 to 7
weeks, even when tendon is torn (third de-
gree) and when the distance between the
broken parts is greater than 5 cm.
The third degree injury is treated by
preparing foot during the 24-hour period
and then, using special method (manual
technique), tendon is connected, special
balm and splints, changed every seven days
over a period of 6 to 7 weeks. are placed.
Then the person is ready to enter normal
training process.
The problem with blisters is solved by
wearing thin wool socks that will prevent
the formation of blisters. It’s best to buy
these socks at a local store.
The main cause of ingrown nails is im-
proper nail cutting. Nails should be cut
straight, not in a semicircle. In case of in-
256
 Natural treatment of injuries

grown nail, it is necessary to sand the mid-

dle of the nail as wide as possible, from the
fingertip to nail base. Nail rasping should
be done very carefully to ensure that the
nerve is not damaged, but deep enough to
naturally narrow the nail so it could grow
properly. This treatment can be carried out
individually or in a local pedicure. Ingrown
nail parts are often festered and can be dis-
infected by natural means, and ventilated
to stay dry (or using a cold hairdryer). After
rasping the nail and its disinfection, sore
spot is no longer pressured and patient can
immediately continue training.

Ankle injury
There are first, second and third degree in-
juries. Pulled ligament or ligament and
bone rupture are some forms of ankle in-
jury. The conventional method of treating
stretched ligament is healing, but it still re-
mains stretched and his recovery in such a
way can’t neither be achieved through
training, so the tendency for injury renewal
257
Recovery for Athletes

is very high, which can become a big psy-

chological problem, in form of constant
fear of injury.
Our method of treating second and third
degree injuries consist of preparing the
feet in a period of 24 hours, in case of old
injury. After that, the wrist is adjusted, spe-
cial balms and splints are placed, and the
patient cannot stand on injured leg, but has
to move using crutches for 6 to 7 weeks.
Balms are changed every seven days. After
a period of 6 to 7 weeks, patient is ready
to continue training process.

Knee injury
The most common knee injuries are those
of the meniscus, cruciate ligament and
other ligaments injuries, damaged knee car-
tilage, ligament distortion and knee frac-
ture. All these injuries lead to the
formation cysts and appearance of water
in the knee.

258
 Natural treatment of injuries

In the treatment process, the knee is first

prepared in a period of 24 hours. After
that, the knee is placed into correct posi-
tion, and special balms are placed depend-
ing on the severity of the injury. In case of
meniscus injury, the focus of balms is on
meniscus, or if we’re dealing with ligament
injury, especially cruciate ligament distor-
tion (third degree injury), then balms are
focused on ligaments. After that, the
splints are placed. The injured person
should not stand and is going to have to
use the crutches for 6 to 7 weeks. After this
period, patient can immediately enter the
training process. All knee injuries are
treated in the same way, including those
most severe.

Groin and hip injuries

In case of groin injury, the patient has to
lie in bed for three to four weeks, depend-
ing on the severity of the injury. First, hip
joint is adjusted, and then the patient is put
in a recumbent position for groin regener-
259
Recovery for Athletes

ation. The knees are adjusted using special

method and special balms, changed every
5 days, are also placed. After this period of
treatment, patient can enter the training
process. In this way, the most difficult
kinds of groin and long lasting injuries are
completely solved. In cases of mild groin
injury, healing process takes up to seven
days.
In the case of hip dislocation or fracture,
or the femoral head injury, hip joint and in-
jured bone are first adjusted, and then spe-
cial balms are placed, while knees are
adjusted in a special way. The patient needs
to be lying down. Balms are changed every
three day, and the patient stays in bed for a
month- month and a half, depending on
the severity of injury. After this period, the
patient is ready to enter the training
process.

Abdominal hernia
This problem is solved by applying special
balms that regenerate severed muscles.
260
 Natural treatment of injuries

Balms are changed every three days. Re-

covery process takes one to three weeks.

Hand injuries
Hand injuries are usually dislocation or
wrist fracture. In addition, ligament injuries
are also frequent (first, second and third
degree) and nerve injuries (which are usu-
ally associated with spinal problems).
Treatment is conducted by adjusting the
injured wrist, placing special balms and
splints. Balms are changed 5 to 7 days, and
the healing process takes 5 to 7 weeks, de-
pending on the severity of the injury.
Problems with the nerves (fingers numb-
ness) are solved by eliminating the cause
of hand, elbow, shoulder or spinal prob-
lems.

Elbow injury
There are a variety of elbow injuries. The
most common are ligament injuries (first,

261
Recovery for Athletes

second and third degree) and a nervous

condition that often leads to so-called
“tennis elbow".
Ligament injuries, including elbow liga-
ment tearing, are treated by adjusting the
injured part, followed by placing special
balms and splints. Balms are changed every
seven days and healing process takes 6 to
7 weeks, depending on the severity of the
injury.
In case of "tennis elbow", we first treat
cervical spine area which innerves the
elbow, and then the ailing elbow is treated
using particular method, after which we
place special balms. Patient can continue
training process after seven days.

Shoulder injury
Shoulder is the most mobile joint which
often gets hurt. The most common are lig-
ament injuries (first, second and third de-
gree) and nerve problems. Ligament
injuries are resolved by adjusting the in-

262
 Natural treatment of injuries

jured area and setting up special splints and

balms. Balms are changed every 6 to 7 days
during 5 to 7 weeks. Thereafter, the person
is ready to continue training.
In case of nerve problems, cervical spine
area and shoulder nerves are treated.

Muscle injuries
All muscle injuries, such as strains, crack-
ing, bruising, old and new scars, are treated
by rubbing special balms, for each type of
injury, into skin. The treatment lasts for up
to seven days.
Spinal injuries
The most common spinal injuries are
nerve entrapment, disc injuries and spine
deformities. Other organ problems are
often related to those of spine. All spinal
problems are successfully solved using spe-
cial techniques, and healing process lasts
from one to seven weeks, depending on
the severity of the injury.

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Recovery for Athletes

Sports equipment
To increase stamina and prevent injury, we
recommend: sports wool socks, cotton
shirts and testicle garments.
As noted above, sports woolen socks pre-
vent blisters. These are made from thin
wool, and they look just like cotton socks
that athletes wear.
Cotton T-shirt needs to be wear close to
body, under the shirt, to absorb and evap-
orate sweat so it doesn’t pour down the
body. In this way, the process of body de-
hydration is slowed down.
Testicle garments are just elastic under-
wear, similar to cycling shorts, which pre-
vent testicle falling.

264
 Appendix

Food recipes
for recovery
The best recipes are those which are easi-
est. The problem is that modern man is
not accustomed to eating simple and qual-
ity food, so it’s necessary to develop posi-
tive habits and that is the hardest thing in
the world.
The easiest recipe for preparing food is
soaking the grain in water for a several
hours to swell. Grains which swell quickest
are oats and barley. All that you need to do
is to soak 500 grams of oats (or barley) in
water, spill the water in which the grains
are, rinse them and leave them moist in a
container or refrigerator.
The meal is prepared by adding 2-4 pieces
of chopped fruit (i.e. apple, pear, banana
and orange, or two bananas and two pears,
and so on) in the bowl. Next, add 4-8 ta-

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blespoons of swollen grains and 2-4 table-

spoons ground walnuts, almonds or hazel-
nuts in the bowl. Mix the entire content of
the bowl with a spoon, and add a bit of
cinnamon if preferred. And that’s it – the
meal is ready for consumption.
Vegetable-based meals are made according
to same principle. Instead of making a
fruit salad, you get a vegetable salad of
your choice. Add 4-6 tablespoons swollen
grains and 2-4 tablespoons ground wal-
nuts, almonds or hazelnut. Optionally, add
a bit of spice of your choice (salt, hot red
pepper, black pepper, basil, olive oil, etc.).
It’s important to know that the foods that
grant energy are grains and nuts. The
amount and type of ingredients can vary
depending on the person’s appetite. We
recommend adding a teaspoon of young
barley powder and various seeds.
These meals can be eaten with a spoon or
fork, but can also be blended and drunk
like a shake.

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 Food recipes for recovery

Therefore, blender can be used in prepar-

ing these meals, and those who want to
make ice creams, sauces, jellies… we rec-
ommend using juicers such as “Champion
Juicer” or “Omega”. These juicers have the
ability to produce various fresh raw veg-
etable products.
The best and the simplest ice cream (and
also the healthiest and most delicious) is
prepared by peeling 2-3 bananas, putting
them in a freezer until they are frozen.
Then, put them in Champion Juicer and
you’ve got a delicious ice cream. Preferably,
add strawberry juice or grounded nuts.
This way, any type of ice-cream can be
made using frozen fruit.
Those who wish can also buy dehydrator
and make vegetable patties without ther-
mal processing, such as pizzas, lasagnas
and other dishes made from raw vegeta-
bles. Plants are dried at a temperature of
40° C so that the nutrients would remain
preserved. Below are some the best raw
food recipes.
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SWEET DISHES

DATES AND MILLET DESSERT

Ingredients:
- 200 g of millet, soaked in water over
night
- 200 g of dates
- 400 g of fresh fruit, if desired
- 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
- honey if desired
- raspberries or strawberries for garnish.
Preparation:
Drain millet, grind dates in the meat
grinder, add millet with cinnamon and all
other ingredients. Stir, then garnish with
strawberries.

WHEAT RAFAELO BALLS

Ingredients:
- 200 g of wheat, soaked in water over
night
- 100 g raisins
- 1 teaspoon coriander

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 Food recipes for recovery

- 4-5 tablespoons ground walnuts

- honey, coconut flour or carob if pre-
ferred
Preparation:
Grind wheat and grapes, add all ingredi-
ents except coconut, mix well and shape
into balls. Roll in coconut.

FRUIT CUP WITH SPROUTS

Ingredients:
- 400-500 g of any fresh fruit
- 50 g of sesame
- 50 g of wheat sprouts or any other spro-
uts
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- a little nutmeg
- honey
Preparation:
Pound sesame in a mortar, spill the content
in a bowl, add coriander, nutmeg, honey
and mix everything. Mix the fruit with
sprouts, add pre-made sauce. Dip a bit of
lemon juice over the mixture.

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FRUITCAKE
Ingredients:
- 150 g of sunflower seeds
- 100 g raisins
- one orange peel
- 100 g of dates
- 4 tablespoons of ground almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground anise
Preparation:
Soak dry fruit in water overnight, drain
water and mix with sunflower in the meat
grinder. Add grated orange peel and anise
and knead dense dough while adding the
water. Make little balls and flatten them
into buns. Roll them in the grounded al-
mond and leave them in a warm place or
in the sun to dry out and become crispy.
Place fresh fruit on top of them.
Proposition:
Use strawberries or raspberries, and dip
some squeezed lemon over them.

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 Food recipes for recovery

A HEALTHY HALVAH
Ingredients:
- 150 g of sesame
- 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 4 tablespoons chopped raisins
- 4 tablespoons honey
Preparation:
Mix sesame with anise and coriander, grind
in nut grinder and pound in mortar. Add
the remaining ingredients and put them
into a bowl so that the mixture would re-
ceive form, and then cut into pieces.

MELON AND CAROB CAKE

Ingredients:
- 1/2 ripe melons
- 100 g of sunflower seeds
- 50 g coconut or freshly grated coconut
- 100 g figs
- 5 tablespoons of carob powder
- 2 pears

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Recovery for Athletes

Preparation:
Wash fruit, remove pits, cut into slices, mix
with sunflower seeds and figs, then grind
in a grinding machine. Add coconut and
carob, knead and make a loaf. Allow it to
sit a bit, then bake it and decorate the
pieces with sliced oranges.
Proposition:
Instead of oranges, you can use plums
filled with nuts, berries, or squeezed lemon
juice.

EDEN ICE CREAM

Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1 papaya or 1/2 cantaloupe
- 200 g strawberries
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts
- Pinch of nutmeg
Preparation:
Mash bananas and strawberries, add lemon
and mix with grated melon. Add almonds

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 Food recipes for recovery

and nutmeg and mix well. Put the mixture

into a bowl and leave it to cool.

PLUM JELLY
Ingredients:
- 20 ripe plums
- 20 pieces of walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 500 g blackberries
- 200 g of dried figs
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 dl water
Preparation:
Wash plums, remove pits. Sprinkle cinna-
mon onto walnuts and put them into each
plum. Place the plums into a larger jar or
bowl. Grind figs in meat grinder and then
add crushed blackberries. Add lemon juice
and 1dl water. Pour the juice over plums
and let it cool.

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Recovery for Athletes

EXOTIC FRAPPE
Ingredients:
- 2 bananas
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1-2 mangos
- 3-4 tablespoons of ground cashew nuts
- 3 tablespoons of wheat germ
Preparation:
Put all ingredients in blender, add water
and blend. Garnish with freshly chopped
mint.

MUESLI
Ingredients:
- 100 g of wheat germ
- 100 g of dates
- 200 g strawberries
- 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
Preparation:
Stir everything well.

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 Food recipes for recovery

DRIED FRUIT SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:
- 200 g of dried fruit (figs, grapes) soaked
in water overnight with 1 teaspoon of
fresh or dry ginger
- 50 g ground walnuts
- 2 crushed bananas
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Preparation:
Put the mixture in blender with a bit of
water and blend.

RICE PUDDING WITH BANNANAS

Ingredients:
- 100 g of rice, soaked in water over night
- 3 bananas
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Strawberries for decoration
Preparation:
Grind soaked rice and add squashed ba-
nanas and other ingredients. Decorate with
strawberries.
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Recovery for Athletes

STUFFED PEACHES IN
STRAWBERRY SAUCE
Ingredients:
- 7-8 peaches
- 150 g cashew nuts
- 100 g raisins
- 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
Sauce:
- 200 g strawberries
- 1/2 teaspoon mint
- 3 kiwis
- 1 tablespoon honey
Preparation:
Remove pits from peaches, grind raisins
and nuts, add nutmeg, and mix everything
with a few tablespoons of water. Fill
peaches with this mixture and stack them
in a bowl.
Sauce:
Mash strawberries and kiwi fruit, mix with
mint, add honey and sprinkle onto the
peaches.

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 Food recipes for recovery

MILLET BREAKFAST
Ingredients:
- 100 g of washed and dried millet
- 2 bananas
- 100 g raisins
- 2 tablespoons ground walnuts
- A bit of fresh mint and a pinch of dry
mint
Preparation:
Soak raisins in a glass of water. Grind mil-
let in a coffee grinder. Mash the bananas
and mix with millet, add the raisins with
water and leave it for 30 minutes. Garnish
with mint.

VEGETABLE DISHES

AVOCADO LUNCH
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 root and leaf of celery
- 100 g of wheat sprouts
- 3 tablespoons of sunflower seed

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Recovery for Athletes

- 2 tablespoons of spices
- 2 tomatoes
- salt
Preparation:
Peel the avocado and slice it. Slice celery to
sticks or grate it. Grind sunflower seeds
and add spices. Add a few tablespoons of
water. Mix with the vegetables and salt.

EDEN LUNCH
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1 broccoli
- 250 g Brussels sprouts
- 3 tomatoes
- 3-4 carrots
- 100 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3-4 leaves of fresh basil
Preparation:
Slice the vegetables, add walnuts, basil and
a bit of salt. Grind seeds and mix with the
spices. Add salt, a little water and mix until
the mixture becomes creamy. Pour over
the vegetables.

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 Food recipes for recovery

BROCCOLI IN CASHEW SAUCE

Ingredients:
- 1 broccoli
- 1 avocado
- a bunch of chives or 1 tablespoon of dry
one
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 fresh tomatoes
Sauce:
- 150 g cashew nuts, coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoons of spice with basil
- 2 teaspoons coarse minced or crushed
coriander
- salt
- water
Preparation:
Cut and mix vegetables and avocado. Add
salt and olive oil. Mix all ingredients with
cashew nuts, add water and stir until
creamy.

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Recovery for Athletes

NUTS IN AVOCADO SAUCE

Ingredients:
- 50 g chopped walnuts, almonds, hazel-
nuts, cashews
- 50 g of ground sesame seeds
Sauce:
- 50 g pine
- 1 avocado
- 4 tablespoons of spices basil
- salt
Preparation:
Place nuts in a bowl. Ground pine nuts in
mortar. Peel and mash avocado, mix it with
sesame seeds and add spice and salts.
Then, mix it with nuts. If desired, add two
fresh tomatoes.

RED BEET LUNCH

Ingredients:
- 2 fresh red beet roots
- 1 zucchini
- 1 leek
- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin oil

280
 Food recipes for recovery

- 3 tablespoons ground walnuts

- Bunch of parsley
- salt
Preparation:
Grate the beets and zucchini, add finely
sliced leeks. Add remaining ingredients and
mix well. Add salt.

FRESH SOUP
Ingredients:
- 200 g of cabbage and cucumber
- 4 tablespoons of wheat germ
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 2 tablespoons of ground sesame seeds
- salt
Preparation:
Finely grate cabbage and cucumber. Add
other ingredients, about a liter of water
and stir everything. Add salt and sprinkle
with parsley.

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Recovery for Athletes

CARROT - SESAME SALAD

Ingredients:
- 4-5 carrots
- 4 tablespoons of soy sprouts
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Bunch of garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
Preparation:
Grate the carrots, add the sprouts and a bit
of salt. Grind sesame, finely chop garlic
and mix. Add oil, salt, 2 tablespoons water
and mix and combine with carrots.

RED LENTILS LUNCH

Ingredients:
- 150 g red lentil, soaked over night
- 1/2 leek
- 1 tomato
- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Bunch of squeezed parsley

282
 Food recipes for recovery

- 2 fresh peppers
Preparation:
Finely chop vegetables and mix with lentils.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir
well. Sprinkle with parsley.

SPROUT STUFFED TOMATOES

Ingredients:
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 50 g of wheat germ
- 2 tablespoons spice with sage
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- Bunch of spring onions
- salt
Preparation:
Cut the top of the tomatoes. Gouge the in-
terior of tomato using tomato and place
them in a bowl. Add finely chopped oni-
ons and fill the tomatoes with other ingre-
dients. Serve on lettuce.

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Recovery for Athletes

BUCKWHEAT DISH
Ingredients:
- 2 cups buckwheat, soaked in water over-
night
- 1 sliced onion
- 2 red beets
- 2-3 carrots
- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dill
- salt
Preparation:
Put the buckwheat in a bowl, add onion,
grated carrots and red beets. Then, add
everything else. Mix well.

OATS SALT CAKE

Ingredients:
- 400 g of oats, soaked overnight
- 4-5 tablespoons of ground almonds
(hazelnuts and walnuts are also an option)
- 2 tablespoons spice with thyme and garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dill
- 3 minced carrots
284
 Food recipes for recovery

- 2 cut peppers
- Little cabbage, finely sliced
- salt
Preparation:
Finely grind oats, add almonds, spices and
salt. Stir well and put in a small rectangle
backing pan. Finely cut vegetables, add dill,
a bit of salt, place onto the cake. Cut into
pieces and eat with green salad.

LEEKS AND PARSNIP SOUP

Ingredients:
- 2 leeks
- 1 large parsnip root
- 2 cucumbers
- 200 g broccoli
- 3 tablespoons of seasoning with sage
- 50 g of wheat germ
- salt
- water
Preparation:
Grind vegetables, add spice, salt, water and
stir well. Pour onto a plate, garnish with
wheat germ.

285
Bibliography
- Proof Positive, Neil Nedley, M.D. Neil
Nedley, 1999.
- The China Study, Colin Campbell, Ph.D..
BenBella Books, 2006.
- Poison with a Capital C: A Case Against
Coffee and Other Brown Drinks, Agatha
M Thrash, Ph.D. NewLifestyle Books,
1991.
- Save Your Life, Richard Schulze, Ph.D.
(Edited by Sam Bicer). The University of
Natural Healing, 1994.
- Health Power, Hans Diehl, M.D. Review
& Herald Publishing, 2012.
- The Best Natural Recipes, Jovan Zi-
vanovic, Ph.D. The University of Natural
Medicine, 2013.
- Healing the Broken Brain, Elden M.
Chalmers, M.D. Remnant Publications,
1999.
- Mystical Medicine, Warren Peters, M.D.
Teach Services, Inc., 2012.
286
 Bibliography

- Depression: The Way out, Neil Nedley,

M.D. Neil Nedley, 2001.
- Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, Vance
Ferel. Harvestime Books, 2004.
- Healing by the Words (Video Series),
Shang Lee, M.D. New Life Institute.
- Eye See (Audio CD), Lorain Day, M.D.
Rockford Press, 2008.

287
About the Author
Dr. Milisav Nikolic was born on April
25th, 1957, in Cacak, Serbia. He graduated
at the Faculty for Physical Education and
graduated and got his PhD at the Institute
for Natural Medicine (INM), USA. He also
works as a professor at the INM.
He has black belt in karate, 7th dan. He’s
the first coach of Serbian fudokan team.
He won the European Championship and
the World Cup. He was the coach of the
German national team in karate.
He was an associate at the Sports Academy
in Belgrade. He published several scientific
papers from sports medicine. He was the
director of the sports academy, branch in
Cacak, as well as Sports Federation of
Cacak chairman. He is one of the founders
of Karate club “Borac Cacak” and the
winner of first gold medal in clubs history.

288
 About the Author

He is the author of books “Healing Won-

der” and “Nutrition for Athletes”. He led
a private clinic in Cacak for 12 years. He
achieved greatest results in the following
areas of medicine.
Noninvasive therapy for spinal injuries:
- Disc protrusion
- Prolapsed disc
- Extrusion disc
- Deformities
Noninvasive therapy for sports injuries:
- Cruciate knee ligament
- Meniscus
- Ankle
- Crotch
- Tennis elbow
- Shoulder
- Hand
- Flatfoot
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Muscles

www.drmilisavnikolic.com

289
 We Recommend
We recommend the best herbal prepara-
tion and tinctures based on original recipes
of Dr. Milisav Nikolic. They strengthen
the immune system, improve circulation,
strengthen the heart and brain, bring hor-
monal balance, cure problems with eye-
sight, treat skin problems, detoxify, etc.

www.drmilisavnikolic.com
290