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Bodybuilding Tips: Eat Right to Build Muscle
by Bernie Latton
http://www.rhonebodybuilding.com

After a number of bouts with the press about the use of
steroids and other drug enhancers to help build and define
muscle, the bodybuilding world is on a crusade. There's a
renewed emphasis on 'all natural' bodybuilding - the art
of sculpting bodies and building muscle without using
drugs.

One of the most important tools in the all natural
bodybuilder's arsenal is diet. This should come as no
surprise to any fan of bodybuilding - or any other sport
that requires hard training. What and when and how to eat
has always been part of the lore of training. Many a young
man recalls his coach's advice to eat chow down on the
steak to help build strong muscle.

While the importance of protein in a bulking up diet hasn't
changed, it's now only one of many recommendations for diet
and nutrition while you're trying to build your body. The
focus these days is on total nutrition - a healthy balance
of proteins, carbohydrates and other essential nutrients.

Instead, experts suggest splitting your calories over six
meals, spaced out over the course of the day. Your first
meal should be immediately after rising, your last about an
hour before bed.

Each meal should include one portion of protein and at
least one portion of carbohydrate. You'll also need to
readjust your concept of a 'portion'. For the purposes of
a bodybuilding diet, a portion is about the size of your
fist. This will help account for the difference in caloric
needs between a small person and a larger one. Smaller fist
equals smaller portion - but one portion is one portion.

Carbohydrates are the fuel your body uses for energy. They
break down to two overall groups - simple carbohydrates
like glucose, sucrose and other sugars and complex
carbohydrates like pasta, rice, beans and grains. Every
meal you eat should include one serving of a complex
carbohydrate. At least three meals a day can contain a
source of simple carbohydrates like fruit.

Fats have an undeservedly bad reputation in weight loss and
nutrition circles. Your body needs some fat in order to
build and repair itself. The trick is in eating the right
fats in the right amounts. Fats break down into three
types - saturated, mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated.
The unsaturated types are the kind you want in your diet.
They add essential fatty acids to your diet that you can't
get anywhere else. Fish is one of the best sources.

Vitamins are found in most things that you eat, but the
most important of them come from grains, fruits, vegetables
and legumes. When you're working on building muscle, you
need to include good sources of vitamins C, K, A and all
the B's. Include 1-3 portions of vegetables, fruit and
grains in all your meals.

Your body also requires minerals - non-organic compounds
that are found in plant and animal foods - to process and
rebuild itself. Calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and
zinc are just a few of the minerals that your body needs in
order to function properly. The only way to be sure to get
all the minerals that you need is to eat a varied diet, or
to take a mineral supplement that includes the recommended
daily allowance of all the minerals your body needs.

One last thing your body craves isn't officially a
'nutrient'. It's water, the substance that makes up almost
2/3rds of your body's mass. There is a formula to determine
exactly how much water your body needs daily for optimal
performance, but you don't have to get that involved.
Simply drink 2-3 8 ounce glasses of water with each meal.
And speaking of meals, you should be eating six of them per
day rather than three. By splitting your caloric intake
over the entire day, you keep your body working all the
time.

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