Since going Paleo my family has fallen even more in love with our grill. Paleo and grilling just work well together. The past couple of years I've even been stepping outside my grilling comfort zone more and more. Grilling things I'd never thought to have grilled before and trying new flavor combinations. I have to say I'm pretty thrilled with the results of most of my flavor experiments. In the past I'd never have thought to grill fruit, but it's amazing. Grilling fruit and adding it to traditionally savory dishes? Brilliant. Oh yes, and? New rule: every burger recipe for the rest of forever must contain grilled pineapple. OK, maybe more of a guideline. It's a seriously delicious combination though. This Smoky Grilled Pineapple Burger is always a crowd-pleaser at my house. It's not only Paleo, but Whole30, glutenfree, lower carb, and clean eating friendly. I promise you won't miss the bun! paleo, grilled pineapple burger, smoky...
BCAA stands for branched-chain amino acid. To get technical a minute, Wikipedia says:
A branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is an amino acid having aliphatic side-chains with a branch (a central carbon atom bound to three or more carbon atoms). Among the proteinogenic amino acids, there are three BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine and valine. The three proteinogenic BCAAs are among the nine essential amino acids for humans, accounting for 35% of the essential amino acids in muscle proteins and 40% of the preformed amino acids required by mammals.
BCAAs are a popular supplement in the fitness community. I've read claims from they help grow muscle to they help retain lean muscle when cutting calories. I recently read an interesting article on BodyBuilding.com, BCAAs: The Many Benefits of Branch-Chained Amino Acid Supplements. It's a really great read if you're not familiar with BCAAs.
Personally, I've taken BCAAs off and on for years and I do feel like I see a benefit in recovery and especially muscle soreness when I'm taking them. I try to take them when I'm upping my training, cutting my calories, or just doing a lot of strength training overall.
I used to be a big fan of the neon colored, koolaid-like flavored BCAA drinks. Though they were delicious, I began trying to avoid some of the ingredients in those types of supplements. Especially sucralose, aspartame, and artificial colors. So, I stopped taking them. And...noticed a difference.
I was super frustrated. I couldn't seem to find BCAAs that I considered clean. Then I found plain, unflavored BCAA powder. Hooray! Well, sort of. Plain BCAAs are clean and even cost less, but don't tend to taste great. After a while of choking them down with plain water (to me they taste sort of mediciney) I started experimenting with recipes to make them taste better.
For me, lemon seems to be the key to making plain BCAAs more palatable! My current favorite, super easy BCAA recipe is my BCAA Lemonade. All the benefits of BCAAs without the junk!
BCAA Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
20 oz water
1 serving Plain BCAA Powder
(whatever that is for you, I do 1 teaspoon)
(whatever that is for you, I do 1 teaspoon)
1 Tablespoon Organic Lemon Juice
or sweetener of choice (to taste)Directions
Put all ingredients in a shaker bottle
and mix well. To make a pitcher I triple or quadruple this recipe. I like to add fresh lemon slices to the pitcher.
I use BCAA Branched Chain Essential Amino Acids Powder by BulkSupplements (500 grams) | 100% Pure 2:1:1.I found it on Amazon. I use this brand because it's JUST BCAAs. Other plain powders I've found also have added B vitamins. Personally, I prefer just BCAAs.
and mix well. To make a pitcher I triple or quadruple this recipe. I like to add fresh lemon slices to the pitcher. I use BCAA Branched Chain Essential Amino Acids Powder by BulkSupplements (500 grams) | 100% Pure 2:1:1.
I found it on Amazon. I use this brand because it's JUST BCAAs. Other plain powders I've found also have added B vitamins. Personally, I prefer just BCAAs.
I take this intra-workout and sometimes pre-workout too. When I'm lifting a lot I mix up a pitcher and sip on it all day.
Have you ever tried BCAAs in your supplement routine?
