The foods that are suitable for bodybuilding and muscle gain are not particularly the same foods that you would choose for weight loss.
They have a different purpose, and their primary function is to promote muscle growth.
Protein and Nitrogen Balance
One of the most important components of the bodybuilding diet is protein. To promote building muscle in your body, having a positive nitrogen balance is necessary.
The nitrogen level in your body is an important indicator for bodybuilding.
You want to have a positive nitrogen balance because it indicates that your body is able to grow muscle. Negative nitrogen balance means that your body is losing muscle. Neutral nitrogen balance means that it is neither building nor losing muscle.
If you wish you can measure the nitrogen level and adjust your diet accordingly.
How to have a positive nitrogen balance?
You need to consume enough protein, which also depends on the amount of carbohydrate you eat. How much is enough?
This video by Thomas DeLauer is a great explanation of the nitrogen balance.
Apart from achieving positive nitrogen balance, your bodybuilding diet should also aim to achieve low inflammation level.
In order to achieve low inflammation and positive nitrogen balance, your diet should include complete proteins (explained in the video), healthy fats (including omega 3 fatty acids), a full range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
In healthy recipes below, I have focused on healthy sources of protein. Additionally, I tried to find foods that are healthy and are a natural source of vitamins, antioxidants, and omega 3 fatty acids. I deliberately added salads here because we often tend to forget how important vegetables are for building muscle.
Some of the recipes below will include sugar or vegetable oil like rapeseed or sunflower oil. Please don't use it.
Don’t use sugar and replace any vegetable oil with an extra virgin olive oil.
1. Salmon & Spinach With Tartare Cream
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Both salmon and spinach are great for muscle gain. Salmon is a complete protein (which means it contains all the essential amino acids) and has a lot of omega 3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation. The spinach is full of vitamins and antioxidants.
The preparation time for this one is just 15 min, but cooking time is 2 hours. It is time-consuming, but you can eat it at least for a few days after you make it. Please ignore adding sugar in this recipe. It is not necessary for building muscle and not healthy for you.
3. Chicken, Broccoli & Beetroot Salad With Avocado Pesto
This is a great salad for you. It includes broccoli which helps boost your testosterone level. Apart from that it has chicken which is a good and cheap source of protein.
If you are eating dinner you can have this salad as a side. You can have this salad during your lunch time as well. It is great for muscle gain.
This is a very nice salad because it has eggs and is easy to prepare. Eggs are amazing when it comes to muscle building. If you buy organic eggs they tend to have more vitamins and up to 2 times more omega 3 fatty acids, then regular eggs. Add olive oil instead of rapeseed oil.
This is a very nice lunch idea. It can be a great snack as well. Apart from eggs, it has garlic, courgettes, and tomatoes. I would not limit this recipe just to summer! Easy to prepare and cook.
Any seafood is amazing for muscle building. Seafood is a good source of complete proteins and healthy fats. Some consider seafood to be one of the healthiest sources of protein.
This recipe is easy to prepare. One of the advantages of the seafood is the ease of preparation. If you buy a frozen seafood mix, apart from opening the bag and heating it up there is not much more left to do.
The cod is a nice alternative to salmon. It is very healthy and loaded with protein. Having a lot of protein, it will help you build muscle. Apart from that, cod is a reach source of vitamin B12, selenium and omega 3 fatty acids which will boost your heart health. Strong and healthy heart is important if you plan on gaining muscle.
Seafood, celery, carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, tomatoes, and chili. This soup is a Mediterranean recipe. I like the fact that soups really make you warm. It is a great food if you live in a colder climate like I do, especially in winter.
Are you a fish pie fan? They take longer to prepare but I but the taste amazing. This pie uses creme fraiche and cheese instead of a time-consuming roux-based sauce, making this recipe easier.
BBC claims that this recipe takes only 2 minutes of preparation. That is super fast. Quick and easy doesn't mean that it's not tasty! Chicken is a very good source of protein and is highly recommended by many bodybuilders.
Oatmeal is very good for you and oats are one of the healthiest sources of carbohydrates available. Avoid instant oats because they are the least healthy option. This breakfast option is very nice because it has almonds which are a good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. This recipe includes adding a protein powder. If you don’t have one, add milk instead of water.
A classic breakfast and one of my favourite foods to start a day with. I prefer a fat based breakfast over carb based one because it keeps me full for longer. Bacon can be less healthy because it tends to have unnecessary preservatives, that we don’t want.
If you want to avoid that go for a pork belly instead of bacon. It tastes almost the same as bacon, but it is free from additives.
Some of the recipes in here are easier, some are harder. Every food in there is either full of proteins or full of vitamins. There are a few recipes that have more carbs and a few that have fewer carbs.
Use the recipes as an inspiration. Don’t be afraid to include more fish and seafood in your diet. After 2 or 3 weeks of eating fish and seafood more then twice a week you may start noticing health benefits. You will have more energy and increased level of motivation.
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Original article and pictures take glguys.com site
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