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Gaining and growing muscle is not that hard but you must consider your nutrition as well. Irrespective of your interest in muscle growth or bodybuilding, nutrition plays a highly important role in your quest to gain muscle or simply if you want to be fit. Muscle growth occurs when the muscle fibers are increased and adequate nutrition such as abundant protein intake, supports the desired muscle growth.
Many experts agree that if you don’t watch your nutrition and choose the right foods that it is likely for you to have poor results. For you to achieve the body you want, gain muscles and feel your healthiest you must have the right nutrition.
Following are some simple nutritionist-approved tips which can help guide you through the process of gaining muscle;
Don’t Eat High Carb Every Day
For most of us, carbohydrates are the sustenance we need to get through the day. So, if you’re someone who eats a lot of carbs, it’s worth switching the processed, white kind for the healthier brown, whole grain alternatives. Carbohydrates stimulate the hormone insulin. If you have too much too often and you lose sensitivity to insulin, it makes it harder to build muscle and easier to gain fat.
Keep your insulin sensitivity at a good level by cycling carbs – spend a few days a week on reduced or lower carbohydrates. Make sure this does not result in low-calorie intake by increasing fat intake on these low carbohydrate days. Then when you do choose to eat carbohydrates opt for healthier choices like whole grains, sweet potatoes, and wild rice.
Get Adequate Protein
You need a good daily protein intake to grow. So by far, one of the most important nutritional tips for gaining muscle is to eat as much protein as you can. It’s best to get your protein at different intervals throughout the day, and in particular straight after your workout.
Instead of eating heavy meals twice a day, eat small amounts every 3 to 4 hours and make sure all your meals have an adequate amount of protein content. Good sources of protein include food products like fish, chicken, eggs, beef, turkey and dairy products. Getting 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight would be a good starting point, although different people need different amounts. The more muscle you carry and the more intense your training, the more you may need.
Drink Water
How many times has your doctor encouraged you to drink a good amount of water? Water is your friend. Your muscles are made up of 80% water. Drink a lot of it. Apart from other benefits, drinking lots of water is like making your body suitable for good muscle growth. In ideal conditions, drinking at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day is suggested.
Eat More Regularly
The average man needs 2,800 calories per day, and women need 2,000, but if you are trying to gain muscle, you’ll need more than that. You need to increase calories to build muscle accordingly with your workout, so you may need to increase how many meals you eat each day. If you do not, you may be eating 1,500 calories per meal. Many people find that they simply can not digest so much food in one session to effectively absorb the nutrients. Eating more food regularly in smaller portions can help.
Steer Clear of Junk Food
This is the hardest part, because who doesn’t love a cheeky maccies once in a while, but staying away from junk food will make sure that you avoid the kind of gains that you don’t want. You can’t expect to build muscle if your diet consists primarily of fast foods like chips, French fries, and cookies. Remember that you need a significant amount of protein to build your muscle, as well as carbohydrates and healthy fats.
Fried foods like those sold at many fast food restaurants are full of trans fatty acids which will not only be worthless for your attempt to build muscle but will also raise your chances of getting heart disease down the road. Foods high in refined sugar will also hamper your muscle building efforts. Excess sugar can lead to weight gain and obesity, so it doesn’t give you the nutrition you need for muscle gain. Instead, excess sugar can make it more difficult to achieve your muscle building goals.
If you want to maximize your muscle gaining efforts, stick to whole nutritious foods like protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. To make it easier to find the best meal plan for your muscle building goals it can be helpful to find a nutritionist that can work with you to optimize your nutrition. Then, remember to stay away from the junk food, and you’ll be doing your muscles favour.
