Ok, this thread is written for those who dont have a clue on how to prepare a decent nutrition plan for a bodybuilding lifestyle.
I want to make 1 thing clear right now.....Its what you eat that makes you grow period!!!!!
Training and indeed steroids(if thats the route you choose) do play a major part in building that massive physique we desire, but without the correct nutrition we wont get very far at all!!
So the point of this post is really to outline a few basic rules for a newbie to adhere to, so that they all have a good idea of what foods to eat, how much and when to eat.
I will write another thread on more advanced nutrition tequniques soon.
Firstly we need to know how many kcals we need to grow or maintain our muscle tissue. To do this we need to know what macronutrients are, and how many kcals they contain.
Protein 4kcals per gram
So what is protein and what does it do?
Protein is made up of amino acids. These amino acids are what our bodies require to exist, to build muscle, skin, bone, hair...the list goes on. When we eat protein our body breaks it down into amino acids and uses them as and when it needs them, for what ever it requires.
For our interests its building muscle so we need to make sure that we have an abundance of amino's to satisfy our bodies needs, so that we have enough to grow bigger!
We do this by eating quality protein sources at regular intervals. This is so that our body doesn't turn catabolic and start to break down its hard earned muscle due to not being fed regularly!! In short, if we dont eat enough protein, we shrink!!!
The amount we need to eat in each meal depends on A.. the amount of meals, and B.. the lean mass we hold. The bigger we are the more we need in a day and the more meals we eat the less we need in each meal.
Some good protein sources are
Red meat
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Whey powders
Milk
Soy
Nuts
Beans
Lentils
Human tissue has an individual string of amino acids as do all protein sources. Some are better than others for building muscle.
Whole eggs for instance, are near perfect for this purpose. We need not worry too much about amino spectrums as beginners, as long as we are eating a variation of some or all of the above choices through the day.
Carbohydrates 4kcals per gram
Carbs are used as an energy source for our bodies. We need energy to go about our daily lives and if in abundance, carbs give our bodies the calories it needs to grow. This energy is stored in the muscles, as well as the liver as a substance called glycogen. Its muscle glycogen that gives our muscles the energy to perform. It also is what gives them that full look. Liver glycogen is what gives our bodies the energy to live out our day to day lives.
Carbohydrates are all different. Some have a low glycemic index, whilst others are medium or high. What is the glycemic index (GI)?
The glycemic index is used to determine how quickly a particular food is absorbed and is principally used in reference to foods which are high in carbohydrates. The quicker the carb is absorbed, the shorter the burst of energy we get due to a sudden raise in blood sugar.
The slower the absorbtion, the lower the blood sugar and a long sustained amount of energy provided.
The higher the blood sugar, the more insulin the body provides to counter act that sudden raise.
So what will insulin do??
For the basic content of this beginners article, I wont go deep into insulin. Lets just say that insulin helps the uptake of all nutrients consumed. This means that while protein is stored more efficiently, so are fats and carbs. This may make a person fat, and we dont want that!!!
Although low GI carbs are a better source of energy, there are still times that we can manipulate hi GI alternatives such as before, during and after a workout. We need fast energy to train and a spike of insulin post workout PWO will obviously be handy to absorb protein when we need it most .
What happens if we eat high GI carbs all day long such as chocolates, sweets, sugary drinks?
Well it doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that body fat may increase, but what else can go wrong??
If you think about it, high GI sugars raise blood sugar, which the body produces insulin to lower again. Now when this happens our blood sugar takes a nose dive which has the opposite effect and makes us feel tired and low. We then start to crave sugar again in order to raise those blood levels. Can you see what is happening here? Yes, we are on the slippery slope of raising and lowering our blood sugar which in turn makes us feel up and down in energy and mood! Anyone ever experienced this?? I think so!
So we can see that a long sustained release of energy is better for keeping our blood sugar stable, which is done by eating low GI carbs.
Examples of low/high GI carbohydrates are hard to put forward as there is a vary long scale of variables. The best thing to do is buy a book on GI which you can get in any good bookstore.
Alternatively you can find a GI database as well as learn more on GI at this link
The Glycemic Index
One last point regarding GI
The GI of any given food is affected by a number of other variables. Fats, fibre and protein consumed with carbs slows down the absorbtion considerably. In fact, hi GI foods will slow quite a bit if eaten with low GI foods. This leads us to the fact that its good to eat well balanced meals containing protein, fibre and fats to keep our blood sugars stable.
Fats 9kcals per gram
Fats are also an energy source which some people prefer to carbohydrates
A further point to note is that fats will not spike insulin levels.
There are 5 different types of fats, all of which are beneficial in optimum health, some more than others.
saturated fats
polyunsaturated fats or omega 6 poly's
monounsaturated fats
trans fats*
omega 3 fish oils, a type of poly
*should be kept restricted as can lead to heart disease and cancer if taken in abundance.
Ok, again I wont confuse the issue here as it is a beginners article so I will only state that which applies to our beginners diet.
If we are using carbohydrates as our main energy fuel, we then need to keep fats to a moderate level. Although a small amount of all the above fats are needed, we as bb'ers should eat mainly monounsaturated fats i.e.
avocado pears
rapeseed oils
olive oils
and omega 3 oils
salmon
trout
mackerel
sardines
pilchards
tuna (to a lesser degree)
There are also some good omega oil blends on the market such as udos choice or Holland and Barrett optimum oil blend. Note that vegetarians cant have the fish oils that the above oils contain so flax seed oil would be a good choice for them.
The fats that come naturally in foods such as eggs and meats are ok as long as they are not over eaten.....the only one that possibly could be over eaten would be eggs.
If you are using fats as the main source of energy then more than moderate amounts can be consumed as long as carbohydrates are kept down somewhat.
So what should I use as my main source of fuel for energy??
This is a complicated question as we are all so different. There are technical computerised machines which measure our co2 levels that can determine our exact ratios of fats and carbohydrates needed as an individual but again, this is more advanced than we need to concern ourselves with as beginners.
I feel that trial and error is the best way to learn about our bodies and so what better than to try all the options for a period of X amount of time and see what suits us best?
Low fat, high carbs
Low carbs, high fat
Even a mix of the two (my favourite option)
I feel that if the low/zero carb, high fat route is the one you wish to follow then at least one carb meal a day is needed. Alternatively, some go for a "clean carb up" day once a week, finding it good to replenish depleted glycogen stores.
The ratios we eat will effect the amount of meals necesary in any given day. We already know fats and fibre slows the absorbtion of carbs we eat, but it also slows the whole meal down. So if we eat high fat and low carbs, we need not eat much more than 3 or 4 meals a day (as long as sufficient protein is present). On the other end of the sclae a high carb, low fat meal requires as many as 6-8 meals with moderate protein in each portion.
Other key things to remember when formulating our diets are
To drink plenty of fluids a day (2-3 litres)
Keeping hydrated is a must for optimum performance as an athlete as well as keeping in good health.
And eat plenty of fibre
Fibre comes naturally in countless foods but fruit, veg , nuts, beans and pulses are some of the best sources of fibre and some or all of the above should be incorporated daily in your nutrition plan.
An example daily food intake would look something like this
Meal 1
whole eggs
oats
Meal 2
chicken
basmati rice
fruit
Meal 3
tuna
salad
olive/flax oil
nuts
Meal 4
Baked beans
wholemeal toast
serving of whey
Meal 5 PWO
whey in water
glucose powder OR
maltodextrine powder
Meal 6
steak
jacket potato
green veg
So now we know what to eat and when to eat it, how much do we need to consume for optimum growth with minimum body fat BF?