3 Good And Bad Bodybuilding Foods
Eating for muscle gain is confusing for newbies. Internet and books are filled with advice from self-proclaimed 'experts' who have never been seen at the gym. This is unfortunate as eating right is a critical part of bodybuilding. Screw it and you won't get big. Get it right and it's an invaluable tool in supporting your progress.
To make your journey to your dream body a bit easier in this article I'm going to cover three good and bad foods. It goes without saying that you should avoid the bad foods and fill your plate with the good foods.
Let's start with the bad guys.
Bad Bodybuilding Foods To Avoid
High fat/high carb foods
This is the dietary sin that made America fat (that and people being too lazy to exercise). Foods that are both high in fat and carbohydrates (usually sugar) are the worst thing you could put into your body.
They promote the worst possible outcome: simultaneous high blood sugar and fat levels. Excessive blood fats can inhibit insulin from working and promotes even higher blood sugar levels. This is a recipe for insulin resistance and permanent fat gain.
The problem is that these foods are everywhere, and they are tasty. Some example are: pizza, pancakes, ice cream, cookies, hamburgers and fried food. And the one evil to rule them all: The Mighty Glazed Donut!
Not only are these foods high in calories, but they also almost no nutrients. So your body will soon crave more food to meet your nutrient needs.
Fruit juices and sodas
These foods can be summed in three words: sugar, sugar and sugar. Fruit juices contain all the bad things of fruits (namely sugar) and only few of the good things.
Fruit juices and non-diet sodas also have no fiber to prevent sugar from rushing into your blood. So the result is that your blood sugar levels skyrocket, and over time this promotes insulin resistance and fat gain.
Fruits are good (in moderation), fruit juice is bad.
White bread, pasta and bagels
These things are almost as bad as pure sugar is. In fact as far as your body is concerned they are almost identical. White breads have none of the goodness of whole grains as most nutrients have been refined out. Yet they have all the downsides of wheat, allergic and insulin promoting.
Eating these foods is a recipe for insulin resistance and fat gain.
OK, that covers the bad foods. Let's move on to looking at what you should eat.
The Good Bodybuilding Foods
Old fashioned oatmeal
The good old oatmeal is the carbohydrate of choice for many bodybuilders. And for a good reason. It contains slow acting carbohydrates to fuel your workouts. It's also packed with lots of fiber goodness and even surprisingly lot of protein.
So oatmeal is good, but stick to 100% natural rolled oats. The stuff you buy should have oats and only oats. Anything else just ruins it. Especially those flavored instant oatmeal packets. Stick to the good stuff and don't spoil it with anything extra.
Tuna and other fish
Tuna is the protein of choice for most bodybuilders. It packs 13 grams of extremely high quality protein in just two ounces. So it's an easy way to get your protein. Furthermore, tuna is highly in essential and healthy omega 3 fatty acids. These combat inflammation and reduce insulin resistance.
And in case you get bored eating tuna that tastes like cat food, you can check out other fish also. They are equally good for your muscles: especially salmon.
Eggs
Massively nutritious and packed with easily assimilated protein. Do I need to say more?
Eggs are easy to cook and taste delicious. That's why they are a staple in many bodybuilding diets. And should feature highly in your diet also.
But remember that just because Rocky sucked on raw eggs doesn't mean you should do it too. Cook your eggs to avoid Salmonella.
