Muscle building is a hard and slow process, but by eating the right foods you can ensure you don’t waste any time…
It’s likely you already know about calories (eating more than your body needs) and the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) to build muscle so I won’t bang on about how much you should be eating etc. in this article.
I will, however, say that getting the right kind of quality nutrients is all about eating the right kind of food. Don’t be fooled into thinking all calories are equal – there can be huge differences. That is why I have created this article for you.
Ok, the nutrients and the best foods to get them from…
Proteins
There are many sources of protein, but, what the muscle requires most of all is what is known as complete proteins – the ones which have all essential amino acids. The following list only includes complete proteins.
Egg
Milk
Cheese
Whey
Fish
Beef
Chicken
Carbohydrates
It’s important that you know carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of fuel. It will look to use carbohydrates first, and other nutrients second.
For bodybuilding, you need to make good use of complex carbohydrates. These are the kinds which are absorbed by the body slowly so sugar spikes don’t occur, and also, the risk of them being stored as fat is far lower than simple carbohydrates (sugar, etc.)
Brown Rice
Potato
Pasta
Fats
Essential fats are an important part of building muscle, and maintaining health in general. Dietary fats (saturated) play a particularly important role because they increase testosterone production, which is absolutely crucial to building muscle.
Fats have a bad rep, and this is mostly unfair and nonsense. Without fats, you’d die. Not to mention, you aren’t simply sitting on your backside eating such large amounts of fat, you are actively utilising them for building muscle.
Dietary fats (including saturated from meat, dairy, eggs, etc.)
Fish oil
Olive oil
Flax seed oil