PROTEIN

If there's one nutrient which can be classed as the most important to anyone wanting to gain muscle then it has to be protein.

Proteins are the main building blocks of all human tissue, protein is also used for the production of hormones, enzymes, red blood cells, antibodies, hair and fingernail growth and a whole host of other functions to maintain body chemistry and health.

Now if you're reading this then your main concern is building or maintaining muscle so you are going to have to stack up on protein.

How much protein do you need, well you will need at the very least 1gram of protein to 1lb of bodyweight slightly more would be better but if you aim for 1g to 1lb that would definitely get you growing.

70kg = 154lb would mean 154g protein per day, 230g protein per day would be even better

80kg = 176lb would mean 176g protein per day, 265g protein per day would be even better

90kg = 198lb would mean 198g protein per day, 300g protein per day would be even better

You get the idea, the higher protein of the two for each bodyweight is worked out at 1.5g per 1lb of bodyweight, this is a lot better!!

This would mean spreading your protein intake over 6 feedings per day, so for example if you weighed 80kg and had 40g - 45g protein each meal, at the end of the day that would be 240 - 270g protein per day, perfect!!!

Some of you might be thinking thats way too much protein, way above the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) now depending on what you read the RDA for protein is around a third of your bodyweight, so if you weigh 80kg then you'll need around 59g protein per day, this figure is based on sedentary adults and if you follow this guideline then you'll be taking in just enough protein to replace each days loss but most definitely not enough to allow for exercise (weight training) and the growth of muscle. 

So if ya want to grow protein's the way to go!!

Main Sources of Protein

Chicken

Turkey

Beef

Fish (Tuna, Salmon, Haddock,etc)

Whole Eggs

Egg Whites

Protein Powder (whey, micellar casein, egg albumin, milk protein)

Milk

Cottage Cheese

CARBOHYDRATES

One of the main jobs of Carbohydrates is to provide the body with fuel. So if you want to walk, run, play lift weights then you're going to need a regular intake of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source, carbohydrates can help with bulking up and building mass, but depending on what type of metabolism you have, eating too many carbohydrates can also make you fat, so watching your carbohydrate intake is a must.

If you're not gaining and you're eating enough protein (see above) then increase your carbohydrate intake, if on the other hand you're gaining too much weight (fat) then you need to decrease your carbohydrate intake.

There are two categories of carbohydrate, the simple carbohydrates which are digested in the system very quickly, a lot of these carbohydrates tend to be refined and packaged, things like sugar, fruit juices etc.

The other form of carbohydrates are the complex carbohydrate, now these digest and go through your system a lot slower and provide you with a steady release of energy.

Your diet should mainly consist of complex carbohydrates and the only time you would have any simple carbohydrates is first thing in the morning and straight after training.

Read The Labels

If the label lists sugar, sucrose, glucose in fact most things that end with the letters ose, corn syrup, white flour and these are at the top of the list then that product contains mainly simple carbohydrates.

Avoid these type of foods.

Another way at looking at carbohydrates is to look at their Glycemic Index or GI.

GI describes the difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels.

High Glycemic foods enter the bloodstream very quickly giving you a quick burst of energy, but can also be converted to bodyfat quickly too.

Low Glycemic foods enter the bloodstream a lot slower giving you a more controlled steady energy release.

Low GI  Helps you to lose and manage weight

Low GI  Improve diabetes management

Low GI  Keeps you fuller for longer and reduces hunger

Low GI  Prolong physical endurance

High GI Helps to re-fuel carbohydrate stores and recover

HIGH GI 70 and above

MED GI 56 - 69

LOW GI 55 and under

Below are a few examples of high and low GI foods

These are just a few of the GI's of a few foods, if you want to know more then check out further online.

FATS

Fats, the dreaded word to some people but fats are another vital and important nutrient in your diet, the right fats that is!!

Good fats are used for a whole host of functions that will improve your health, good fats help with the health of your heart, brain, skin, hair, good fats help with absorbing certain vitamins, help with recovery, concentration, stamina and muscle growth.

Monounsaturated ( Good Fats )

These help to reduce cholestrol, blood pressure and can also help with controling diabetes.

Found in foods like olive oil, peanut oil, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios.

Polyunsaturated ( Good Fats )

Help to reduce inflamations, tumor growth, boost your immune system.

Found in foods like Mackerel, Sardines, Herring, Salmon, Trout, Walnuts, Hempseeds, Flaxseeds

Saturated ( Bad Fats )

These raise cholestrol and increase the risk of heart disease and strokes.

Found in meats, whole milk, cheese, palm oil, coconut oil

Trans Fats (Bad Fats)

These are probably the worst of all, they raise bad cholestrol and lower good cholestrol and again raise the risk of heart disease and strokes.

Found in crackers, biscuits, shortening, margerine, hydrogenated oils and oils that have been subjected to heat damage during cooking.

We have some sample diets from customers, myself and staff if you want to check them out, click on Sample Diets