As with any fitness individual or athlete, nutrition is essential for the building of a healthy body. Proper nutrition can help to optimize performance, improve strength, increase memory, improve endurance, reduce the risk of injury, and build mass. Nutrition is a must in any body building program. A well balanced diet and good weight training program will result in the body you've always dreamt of.
The first aspect of a nutrition program for body builders is the frequency of meals. Eating frequent, smaller meals will increase your metabolism and allow your body to burn more fat throughout the day. Changing your personal eating habits from three large meals a day to five or six smaller ones will have an immediate affect on your body. Create a plan that allows you to eat at three hour intervals or around those marks. You will also find that your energy will remain more constant throughout the day by incorporating this strategy into your nutrition program.
Secondly, it is absolutely critical that each meal you consume throughout the day is balanced. A balanced diet should follow 40% carbohydrates, 40% protein and the remaining 20% should contain fats. Carbohydrates fuel your body. If you don't eat enough carbohydrates during each meal your energy levels will spike and then plummet within the hour, leaving you sluggish and hungry. While some protein is necessary for muscle growth, it can have the opposite effect if too much is consumed. To create a balanced meal all you have to do is match the servings of carbohydrates and proteins, then cut that in half for your fat intake.
Carbohydrates are essential in a nutrition program for body builders because it gives them sustained energy throughout the day and also allow protein to be absorbed into muscle tissue to promote recovery and growth. Diets that are high in carbohydrates and low in fat have the reverse effect. This diet will essentially turn your body into a fat storing machine, completely reversing everything you have worked towards. A balanced proportion of carbohydrates should be divided between complex and simple carbohydrates. The complex carbohydrate is responsible for giving the body builder sustained energy and is found in foods like oatmeal, potatoes, and pasta. Simple carbohydrates are responsible for giving the body an instant burst of energy, and are found in foods like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.
Protein during each meal is responsible for healthy skin, hair, and nails. It can also aid in increasing your metabolism. Too much protein will result in a build-up of fat storage for body builders. A good rule of thumb for body builders to follow is to consume 1 to 1.5 grams of protein for every pound of lean body mass. Good sources of protein include eggs, turkey, chicken breast, tuna or a protein supplement.
Finally, a small amount of healthy fats in each meal will create a well rounded nutrition plan. By attempting to remove all fat from your diet, you will also be decreasing your metabolism and actually cause your body to store more fat. Good sources of fat come from peanut butter, olive oil, fish, and certain types of nuts.
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