Diet plan for bodybuilding

 The Best Bodybuilding Foods to Eat For That Dream Body

What you take in can make or break your gains when it comes to true muscle growth. 

  You'll need to eat more carbs and fewer fats before and after workouts to promote energy and muscle growth. If you're training to growth on size, you'll eat like this more frequently. And when you're hours removed from a workout, you'll limit carbs and increase fats, which will keep you on track to meet your fat-loss goals. 

  The foods you need to include in your diet to promote healthy growth of muscle mass, are easily available. It's common for weight lifters to use the low carb diet for weight loss for fitness. 

Here are 7 muscle-builders that you should know about. 

1.EGG WHITES:

There's a reason why every successful bodybuilder in the world incorporates egg whites into their diet. With a protein to fat ratio of 60:1, egg whites are unquestionably one of the purest forms of protein in the world. 

This magnificent muscle-building food also possesses an extremely high biological value - meaning that a large proportion of the protein absorbed from egg whites is readily utilized by your body for protein synthesis. Egg whites also contain very few carbohydrates and are a source of vitamins and minerals.

                                       Nutrient Values

            Food Calories Protein Carbs Fat Details

     Egg whites      50    84%    8% 0%

2. CHICKEN:

To pack on pounds of serious muscle, lean meats such as chicken and turkey breasts should be a staple in every bodybuilder's diet. Aside from providing an excellent source of high quality protein, they are also extremely low in saturated and trans fats.

                                                 Nutrient Values

                         Food Calories Protein Carbs Fat

                Chicken breast 172 48% 0% 48%

                         Turkey 119 73% 0% 22%

 

3. FISH:

Although the recurring theme so far has been to eat foods that are low in fat, fish is one exception to this rule. Of course you want to stay away from saturated and trans fats, but your body still needs essential fatty acids such as omega-3 to help support the muscle-building process. 

Cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, trout and sardines are an excellent source of protein and healthy fats. Canned fish packed in water also comes in very handy because it provides a quick source of protein when on the go.

                                             Nutrient Values

                         Food Calories Protein Carbs Fat

                       Salmon 116 69% 0% 27%

                           Tuna 116 88% 0% 6%

                           Trout 148 56% 0% 40%

                       Sardines 208 47% 0% 50%

 

4. BEANS & LEGUMES:

If you are serious about building muscle, you can't ignore the power of beans and legumes. When people typically think of bodybuilding foods, they immediately refer to various lean meats, but what they don't realize is that the bean is a delicious and highly nutritious source of protein and fiber. 

Fiber is essential to maintaining a regular and normal healthy bowel movement as well as proper insulin response - which is critical to muscle growth as both functions aid in absorption and use of various nutrients and supplements ingested by bodybuilders. 

Kidney beans in particular are a very popular choice as they provide nearly 14 grams of both protein and fiber per cup! That's why you should never ignore the power of the bean!

                                             Nutrient Values

                                 Food Calories Protein Carbs Fat

                      Kidney Beans 29 58% 57% 17%

                         Lima Beans 113 24% 71% 7%

                         Navy Beans 67 37% 78% 9%

 

5. LEAN RED MEAT:

Lean ground beef and cuts of red meat are excellent massbuilding food sources rich in protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins. Red meats have a high calorie per serving ratio, making it an excellent choice for hard gainers looking to pack on some serious size. 

However, because red meats do possess a higher level of saturated fats, they should not be consumed on an everyday basis. Lean red meats are best incorporated into a weekly diet of chicken, turkey and fish - adding a little variety to your weekly nutrition plan.

 6. Sweet Potatoes:

If you must have starchy carbohydrates in your diet, then sweet potatoes are the right choice for bodybuilding. First of all, the sweetness of sweet potatoes will help you get over cravings for sweet, unhealthy things. They also contain fiber that will help you feel full thereby decreasing the chances of snacking on unhealthy items. Best of all, sweet potatoes will provide you with the energy you need to work out hard so as to build and maintain the muscles you desire to have.

7. Healthy nuts and seeds:

Healthy nuts and seeds such as flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds and cashew nuts are excellent for weightlifters and low carb diets for weight loss. These nuts and seeds contain lots of healthy fats and fiber that are good for bodybuilding. 

The healthy fats help to keep your joints well lubricated and also cut down on unhealthy cholesterol in the body. Nuts and seeds in moderation are a healthy snack to eat to help keep hunger pangs at bay. The fats in nuts and seeds also act as a healthy source of energy. Eat them with fruits or low-fat yogurt for a healthy snack between meals.