L-Glutamine

When it comes to supplements, I generally believe that if you are eating a healthy diet full of fruits and veggies than you will not need additional vitamins and supplements. The rare exception I have is for L-glutamine. L-glutamine is an essential amino acid that the body cannot create itself and it is stored in the muscles. When the body is placed under stress (like during exercise), L-glutamine stores are depleted. You can get this in your diet from plant and animal proteins such as beef, pork and poultry, milk, yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, raw spinach, raw parsley, and cabbage, but when you are placed under really high amounts of stress (including exercise) you may want to add this supplement to your routine.

On a normal day I probably exercise for four to five hours between bicycling from place to place, teaching classes and doing my own personal workouts. Some days I wake up and feel like every muscle in my body is exhausted, when I take L-glutamine I do not experience this. Athletes and non-athletes should consider taking this supplement as it does have a variety of benefits in addition to lessening recovery time.

These benefits include:
Prevents muscle breakdown
Helps produce new muscles through protein synthesis
Enhances immune system function
Improves mental sharpness
Expedites wound and burn healing. L-glutamine is very helpful post-surgery and for cancer and burn patients.
Boosts the body's production of growth hormones by over 400%
Promotes a healthy intestinal tract - has the ability to repair "leaky gut syndrome" without surgery and has a 92% cure rate for ulcers when used for four weeks.

Dosage is generally 5-10 grams and it comes in the form of chewables, capsules, and quick dissolving powders. Find the form that fits best in your routine and begin to feel the difference! Talk to a nutritionist or doctor for the best information specific to your needs.