Certain foods can help build muscle, replenish nutrients, and avoid fatigue. Protein is a key macronutrient, but a person also needs to eat carbohydrates to replenish glycogen and avoid fatigue. It also lists 30 foods with sufficient amounts of protein, including those suitable for a plant-based diet, and discusses additional health benefits these foods may have.

Eating the right foods can help someone build muscle, recover from training, and maintain their energy levels. The International Society of Sports Nutrition ISSN advises that consuming 1.

People performing high-intensity resistance training may benefit from up to 3 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. To build muscle optimally, individuals also need to consume enough carbohydrates. Carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores in the muscles and liver and help to avoid fatigue during training.

However, people who take part in high-volume training may require more than this. To support any training program, including resistance training, people need to eat a healthy diet that includes vitamins , minerals, and healthy fats.

They should also make sure they are adequately hydrated. Vitamins, minerals, and water help people perform well, recover from exercise, and maintain their general health. To optimally build lean muscle mass, it is also essential to create a calorie surplus by consuming more calories than a person burns.

The following are foods containing protein to help someone build muscle. Some also contain carbohydrates and fiber, while many others contain beneficial micronutrients. A boiled or poached egg contains 6. Eggs contain the amino acid leucine, which research indicates is essential for muscle synthesis.

A medium chicken breast without skin weighing g contains Chicken without the skin is a low fat protein source that someone can easily add to different meals and recipes. A cup of chopped turkey contains Like chicken, turkey is a low fat protein source that is adaptable to different meals and recipes.

Five ounces oz of Greek yogurt contains 12—18 g of protein. A person could add some carbohydrate-rich banana to their Greek yogurt for a healthy snack after training. Part-skimmed cottage cheese contains 14 g of protein per half-cup. Cottage cheese is also rich in calcium for healthy bones.

A g salmon steak contains Salmon also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have health benefits , including preventing muscle loss in older adults.

Tuna fish is a suitable source of omega-3 fatty acids besides their benefits for general health and inflammation. Research suggests omega-3 fatty acids may also improve muscle size and strength.

Tuna contains 7 g of protein per ounce. As long as individuals tolerate milk, it can be a healthy choice to boost protein and hydration after exercise. Dried beef or turkey jerky contains 10—15 g of protein per oz. Whey protein isolate powder contains 50 g of protein per 3 scoops. If someone tolerates whey protein powder, they can boost their protein intake by making shakes and drinks.

Soy protein powder contains around 25 g of protein per scoop. People who eat a plant-based diet may find soy protein powder a valuable addition to boost their protein intake.

They can add it to a smoothie along with some fruit and plant-based milk. Lean beef contains just over 23 g of protein per 4 oz. It also contains selenium , zinc, and iron, which are essential for energy and recovery. Fresh or frozen edamame beans contain 6 g of protein per half-cup. Adding them to a quick stir fry can make a healthy meal, perhaps with some other beans or chicken for extra protein.

One oz of dry-roasted edamame beans contains 13 g of protein, which is a suitable option as a quick and convenient snack. A review suggests that quinoa has an exceptional nutritional profile due to its:. The same review indicates that quinoa has a protein content of between 9. Chickpeas, which people also call garbanzo beans, are a suitable source of protein and carbohydrates.

A person can choose to eat chickpeas either dried and soaked, canned, or as a ready-made dish such as dahl. Canned chickpeas contain Hummus, which contains ground chickpeas, has 7 g of protein per one-third of a cup.

A cup of cooked brown rice contains 5. Combining brown rice with beans, chickpeas, or lentils gives a person on a plant-based diet a complete range of amino acids in one meal. Tofu is a suitable protein source for people eating a plant-based diet, containing When manufacturers prepare tofu with nigari, it is also an excellent source of calcium for healthy bones.

It contains milligrams mg of calcium per g. A half-cup of roasted sunflower seeds contains just under 14 g of protein, while a half-cup of roasted pumpkin and squash seeds contains around 18 g of protein.

Seafood, such as crabmeat, shrimp, and lobster, contains around 6 g of protein per oz. Seafood is a rich source of:. However, according to older research , people should be aware that some researchers link eating seafood with risks of toxicity, heavy metals, and pollutants.

One cup of peanuts contains nearly 41 g of protein. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 7 g of protein. Peanuts also contain mg of magnesium per cup, which research indicates may enhance exercise performance.

A cup of chopped shelled walnut halves contains Walnuts are also a suitable source of dietary vitamin E, which research indicates may protect the body against physical stress during exercise. Having muscles that are fuller due to more glycogen and water can also instigate muscle growth.

There's evidence that shows that having more water in the muscle fibers places a stretch on the muscle membranes. That stretch instigates chemical pathways that increase muscle protein synthesis, which can lead to greater muscle growth. The best way to fully replenish muscle glycogen is with high-glycemic or fast-digesting carbs.

These carbs make it into the bloodstream and to your muscle fibers almost as quickly as you ingest them. Research confirms that the quicker you get carbs to your muscles after workouts, the faster and better the muscle glycogen replenishment. One of the best sources of fast carbs is dextrose, which is glucose.

This form of sugar requires no digestion and is absorbed pretty much immediately into your blood stream. Corn syrup is essentially branched glucose molecules that are immediately broken down and absorbed.

Corn syrup is completely different from high-fructose corn syrup. White bread and white potatoes are also good sources since they're mainly starch, which is branched glucose molecules bound together that break apart rapidly upon ingestion. These fast carbs also spike insulin levels.

After a workout is the ONE time of day when you want to spike the anabolic hormone insulin. Research shows that insulin is critical for pushing creatine and carnitine into muscle fibers. Without a big spike in insulin, creatine and carnitine uptake are not optimal.

Insulin also helps amino acids, such as beta-alanine, BCAAs and the other critical ones from your protein shake, get taken up by the muscle fibers. And let's not forget about the glucose from those fast carbs, which insulin helps to gain entry into the muscle fibers.

For more info on these supplements, see Rule 8 below. Having fast carbs after workouts is a sweet treat that doesn't damage your diet. Whether you're trying to maximize mass gain or lose fat and gain muscle, you should be following a fairly "clean" diet. Meaning, donuts, French fries and ice cream aren't major staples in your nutrition plan.

When most of us stay fairly virtuous with our diets, we tend to miss such sugary treats. Having a dose of sweets in the form of dextrose, gummy bears, Pixy Stix or white bread with jelly is a great way to get your sweet fix in for the day and not only have it not ruin your diet, but actually enhance your results!

Why would you ever skip that? Some research shows that consuming a protein shake after workouts with or without fast carbs spikes muscle protein synthesis to an equivalent level. In other words, the studies concluded that adding carbs to a protein shake postworkout did not increase muscle protein synthesis any more than the protein shake did alone without carbs.

This has caused some experts to claim that you don't need carbs after workouts. Well, that's a bit extreme. It's true that you can still build muscle without having carbs after workouts. But I wouldn't recommend that unless you're in a very low-carb diet and have removed carbs from every other meal of your diet.

In fact, it's completely idiotic to eat carbs at other meals but avoid eating carbs postworkout. If you're eating carbs at any meal it should be the postworkout meal, when those carbs will aid recovery.

Some people worry that eating carbs postworkout will blunt growth hormone and testosterone levels after the workout. Here's what they don't understand: Growth hormone and testosterone levels rise during the training session and peak toward the end, depending on the workout.

After the workout is over the levels of theses hormones begin to drop sharply so that they're back to resting levels about minutes later. The release of these hormones have already peaked before you consume those carbs.

After the workout is over it's too late for the carbs to have a negative effect on hormone levels. Other people worry that consuming fast carbs after workouts will lead to diabetes. This is due to the media's demonization of all sugars. Yes, if you're eating sugar while sitting on your ass all day it will increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

But someone who trains regularly is already preventing the metabolic damage that leads to this. And right after a workout is when those carbs are going straight to the muscles and restocking the muscle glycogen, as well as the liver glycogen levels.

So there's no risk to consuming fast carbs after workouts. It's what your body needs. Although the amount of fast carbs you consume after a workout depends on your weight and the intensity and length of the workout, a general recommendation is to shoot for about grams worth of fast carbs such as dextrose within 30 minutes after the workout.

I would recommend limiting the fast carbs to about 60 grams for two main reasons. One is that research shows that for optimal absorption by the intestines grams of one type of carb is the maximum before absorption becomes limited. If you're consuming more than this I would recommend adding some fructose, such as from fruit, to your post-workout meal in addition to the dextrose or glucose; fructose uses different transporters to get absorbed by the intestines, so it helps to maximize carb uptake.

The second reason I say to limit carbs to 60 grams post-workout is that consuming too many fast carbs can make you feel like crap when taken up quickly by the liver and muscles and your blood glucose levels drop. This is known as hypoglycemia and can make you feel dizzy, lethargic and just generally crappy.

If you find that this happens to you even with smaller amounts of fast carbs, I suggest you mix your post-workout carbs so you're getting some fast carbs as well as slow ones like fruit, oats, whole-wheat bread and sweet potatoes.

Branched chain amino acids are critical to have after workouts due to their ability to turn on muscle protein synthesis, much like a key turns on an engine. It's leucine that's the key player here. But when you take BCAAs before a workout, the real benefit is the energy they provide your muscles and their ability to blunt fatigue so you can train with greater intensity for longer.

When you take a dose after workouts, the benefit is their ability to promote muscle growth. About 30 minutes before workouts and again immediately after the workout I suggest you get in at least 5 grams of BCAAs, grams of beta-alanine, 1.

You can either take these four supplements together about minutes before you consume your pre- and post-workout shakes or take them along with these shakes. Either method will work fine. When it comes to the most effective BCAA ratios, for pre-workout benefits I suggest you stick with a BCAA product that uses a ratio of leucine to isoleucine to valine.

Because during workouts you also want ample amounts of valine and isoleucine for increased energy levels and decreased fatigue.

After workouts, a product works well, or even a would be great to get a bit more leucine to bump up muscle protein synthesis yet still get enough isoleucine and valine. Not only are the BCAAs important for energy during the workout and muscle growth after, but they increase insulin levels, which helps the other supplements taken with the BCAAs get into the muscle cells.

Research shows that insulin is critical for getting creatine and carnitine into the muscle cells. Insulin also helps to increase the uptake of amino acids, like the BCAAs, beta-alanine and even betaine. Another amino acid that you want before and after every workout is beta-alanine.

The research on this special amino acid is really piling up as more and more studies prove it's ability to promote better workouts by increasing muscle strength and power, endurance and even muscle growth and fat loss. When it comes to beta-alanine, your best bet is to use 1.

Some experts would argue that beta-alanine doesn't really need to be taken around workouts and can be taken any time of day.

This is based on several studies showing positive results when athletes were taking beta-alanine at random times throughout the day. This is where I ignore the full details of the research and use common sense. I ask those who suggest consuming beta-alanine at times other than pre- and post-workout: "Why would you not recommend taking it pre-workout?

Plus, you're taking other ingredients, such as BCAAs and possibly dextrose, that will further help boost muscle uptake of beta-alanine. Research shows that the modified amino acid betaine can boost muscle strength and power and even enhance muscle growth.

These benefits likely stem from its ability to increase natural creatine production in the body, increase growth hormone and IGF-I levels while decreasing cortisol levels, boost nitric oxide NO levels and increase muscle protein synthesis. On top of all that, it also provides a host of health benefits.

Betaine is another supplement where the research experiments done on it didn't specifically give the supplement pre and post-workout. But again, as with beta-alanine, the same common-sense approach works. Take it when it has a better chance of uptake by the muscle cells.

Go with about 1. One of the most critical supplements to take before and after workouts is creatine. Creatine has literally hundreds of studies supporting its ability to promote increased muscle strength, power and size.

Again, I recommend creatine both before and after workouts. In fact, research done on creatine shows that subjects gain more muscle mass and strength when taking creatine pre- and post-workout versus other times of day.

For creatine, I highly suggest using 2 grams of creatine hydrochloride. However, creatine monohydrate works well for many. If you do go with creatine monohydrate be sure to get in a full 5 grams at each dose you take.

On workout days that totals 10 grams. In addition to taking these important four supplements before and after workouts, another supplement that you may want to consider taking at least after workouts is carnitine. Carnitine has been shown to enhance recovery following workouts by increasing blood flow to the muscles.

Most people only consider boosting blood flow before and during the workout for greater energy and bigger muscle pumps. But having more blood going to the muscles after a workout aids recovery by delivering more oxygen, nutrients, and hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. More oxygen is important because after workouts your body is in a state known as "oxygen debt.

More nutrients means that more of those aminos, creatine, and glucose are getting to the muscles for better replenishment, recovery and muscle growth.

More anabolic hormones, of course, can stimulate greater muscle protein synthesis for greater growth. When you have more blood flowing to muscles, you also have more blood flowing away from muscles. This aids recovery by removing more of the waste products that were produced during the workout. Another benefit of carnitine after workouts is its ability to boost the amount of androgen receptors in the muscle cells.

Androgen receptors are what testosterone binds to inside muscle cells to instigate growth. Having more of these receptors available is important because it means that more of the testosterone that's in the bloodstream can be put to work promoting muscle growth.

Since testosterone levels are spiked at the end of a workout, matching the higher testosterone with increased levels of receptors means that more testosterone can be put to use to build muscle.

Research confirms that insulin is absolutely essential for carnitine uptake by the muscles. And after workouts, when you take dextrose, BCAAs and a protein shake, your insulin levels will be sky high, making it the perfect time to get in a dose of carnitine.

I suggest taking 2 grams of carnitine post-workout in the form L-carnitine L-tartrate. If that's not possible, then regular L-carnitine will suffice. Maybe your schedule doesn't allow for frequent meals. Or maybe you're a vegan and dairy-based protein powders are not in your diet.

Whatever it is, use these rules as a guideline but stick only with the ones that work for you. Take these rules and adapt them to your schedule and your body. Tweak them to make them yours, find ones that work better for you, or create your own.

We all have a unique biochemistry and not all of our bodies react the same way to food or training. Be your own guinea pig and experiment on yourself. If something works for you, it doesn't matter whether or not it works for anyone else.

The following diet samples are based on the rules discussed above and broken down into different examples based on when you train. Regardless of when you train, each sample diet totals: 3, calories, g protein, g carbs and grams fat for the pound person, that equals about 20 cals per pound, about 1.

On rest days, you lose the pre-workout and post-workout protein shakes and the carbs. This drops the totals to: calories, g protein, g carbs, and g fat for the pound person, that equals 17 calories per pound, 1. Having well defined shoulders isnt easy Having Boulder Sized Shoulders is difficult.

By logging in, you agree to Bowleg Media's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Log In. Jim Stoppani, PHD. Home Articles Nutrition Muscle-Building Nutrition Rules Muscle-Building Nutrition Rules Use these nine nutrition rules to build more muscle with less fat.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD Updated September 9, Rule 1: Eat A LOT of Protein Muscle is made of protein, and to build muscle you need to boost muscle protein synthesis as well as decrease muscle breakdown. Read more on research regarding protein intake and muscle building Rule 2: Eat Frequently Lately, there are some experts claiming that eating more infrequently is the way to go — that waiting 5 or 6 hours before your next meal may be better than eating more frequently.

Read more on this study as well as my thoughts on more frequent meals The key to maximizing muscle growth is going long enough between meals to get a big enough spike in MPS, but without incurring too much MPB. Rule 3: Get Ample Fats One mistake people make when trying to keep lean is to avoid fat as much as possible.

The only fat you want to avoid without exception is trans fat. Rule 4: Manipulate Carbs Since you want to make sure you're eating ample protein and fats to maximize muscle growth, the amounts of these two critical macronutrients should stay about the same regardless of your goals.

Rule 5: Consider Calories I'm not a huge stickler on calorie amounts.

Not eating enough of them can lead to reduced performance and slower recovery. Crumble Smith recommends including a variety of whole grains and minimally processed carbohydrates in your diet, such as quinoa, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and oats.

Water is key for all bodily functions, including muscle contraction and repair. Dehydration comes with symptoms like muscle cramps, fatigue, and decreased exercise performance.

Not sure how much water you need? Crumble Smith recommends using half your body weight as a starting point to figure out how many ounces per day to drink. If you weigh pounds, your baseline hydration goal could be 70 ounces of water or about 8 cups per day, and you can adjust according to your activity.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the recommended total fluid intake from food and drinks varies by age and sex. However, the general recommendation is about For just water alone, women need about nine cups of fluid per day, and men need about 13 cups to replace fluids that are lost throughout the day.

To prevent dehydration, sip water consistently throughout the day, especially before, during, and after workouts. Remember that foods with a high water content like some fruit can also help you reach your daily hydration goal.

Plus, eating too many protein bars or shakes can also lead to unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects. Crumble Smith suggests adding more healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, fatty fish like salmon and mackerel , and olive oil, to your diet. In general, prioritize a balanced diet rich in whole foods and use supplements as an addition to—not a replacement for—whole foods.

After a workout, your body is in a prime state to absorb nutrients and start the process of muscle repair and growth. She recommends having a balanced meal of proteins and carbohydrates after your workouts and training sessions.

If you are not able to go home after a workout, pack a balance of protein and carbs with you to refuel. Undertraining or engaging in low-intensity workouts can also hinder muscle growth. Muscle overload requires rest. Make sure you take at least one day of rest per week and avoid strength training in the same muscle group two days in a row.

These exercises work with multiple muscle groups and are highly effective for building strength and muscle. Your training routine should include a variety of compound movements, like lunges, Bulgarian split squats, leg presses, pull-downs, upright rows, and push-ups.

If you are unsure of which compound exercises to include, ask a personal trainer or physical therapist. Easily-overlooked nutritional mistakes like not eating enough protein or carbs and underhydrating can prevent you from gaining muscle.

If you want to increase muscle mass more efficiently, fix these mistakes and maintain consistency and commitment to both exercise and nutrition. American College of Sports Medicine. Resistance training and injury prevention. Northey JM, Cherbuin N, Pumpa KL, Smee DJ, Rattray B.

Exercise interventions for cognitive function in adults older than a systematic review with meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Exercise and the heart. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Water and healthier drinks. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. How much water do you need? National Capital Poison Center. Do protein bars give you gas? By Alyssa Hui Alyssa Hui is a St. Louis-based health and science news writer.

She was the recipient of the Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association Jack Shelley Award. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content.

Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. A fat-free diet can impede muscle growth in a person who vigorously exercises.

Healthy fats include more than just olive oil. There are a number of other sources, both for cooking and for eating, including:.

Trendy diets can be appealing since they tend to promise quick results. The problem is, they're often not ideal for building muscle since most mainstream diets rely on a restricted number of calories.

Since this goes against the science of nutrition and building muscle, you may find yourself quickly hitting a wall. He recommends starting with a simple equation to determine calorie needs:.

To determine calorie goals, multiply your bodyweight in pounds by 16 and by 18 and then attempt meeting those caloric goals for one to two weeks. Starting with the times bodyweight in pounds can help give a starting point; thereafter, monitor progress," notes Bustillo, who also emphasizes the following, "do not be afraid to eat a lot it is needed for growth and stay consistent with training and working out.

Whenever possible, consult with a qualified training coach and registered dietitian who can help you map out a workout plan and calorie needs to meet your goals, and work with you through the process.

In addition, Bustillo recommends that you "have your body composition measured at the start and several months down the line, this will help give measurable data to help see progress. Nutrition and fitness goals aren't met overnight. Patience and consistency are the most important tools for sustainability.

Follow these tips for better consistency:. Restrictive dietary fads go in and out of style and are often not the best choice for building muscle. Nourishing your body with a variety of nutrient-dense foods, especially protein and carbohydrates, is important for meeting your muscle building goals.

If you need help in putting together an appropriate diet plan for muscle growth, speak to a registered dietitian or qualified sports nutritionist.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends consuming 1. An emphasis on leucine-rich protein sources is ideal and can consist of whole foods and supplements.

The best plant-based protein sources include soybeans, tempeh, green peas, quinoa, beans, lentils, chickpeas, broccoli, tempeh, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Keep in mind, you generally have to eat a larger portion of plant-based proteins to reap the same amount of protein as one serving of animal proteins.

Aragon, A. et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: diets and body composition. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 16 Jäger, R. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise.

J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 20 doi Van Vliet S, Shy EL, Abou Sawan S, et al. Consumption of whole eggs promotes greater stimulation of postexercise muscle protein synthesis than consumption of isonitrogenous amounts of egg whites in young men.

Am J Clin Nutr. Hoffman JR, Falvo MJ. Protein: Which is best? J Sports Sci Med. Paul G, Mendelson GJ. Evidence supports the use of soy protein to promote cardiometabolic health and muscle development.

J Am Coll Nutr. USDA nutrients: Leucine. Kerksick C, Harvey T, Stout J, Campbell B, Wilborn C, Kreider R, Kalman D, Ziegenfuss T, Lopez H, Landis J, Ivy JL, Antonio J.

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Volek JS, Forsythe CE, Kraemer WJ. Nutritional aspects of women strength athletes.

Br J Sports Med. Liu AG, Ford NA, Hu FB, Zelman KM, Mozaffarian D, Kris-Etherton PM. A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion.

Nutr J. Published Aug Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med. Hertzler SR, Lieblein-Boff JC, Weiler M, Allgeier C.

Plant Proteins: Assessing Their Nutritional Quality and Effects on Health and Physical Function. Helms, E. and Fitschen, P. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: Nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutrition, By Shoshana Pritzker RD, CDN, CSSD, CISSN Shoshana Pritzker RD, CDN is a sports and pediatric dietitian, the owner of Nutrition by Shoshana, and is the author of "Carb Cycling for Weight Loss.

S in dietetics and nutrition from Florida International University. She's been writing and creating content in the health, nutrition, and fitness space for over 15 years and is regularly featured in Oxygen Magazine, JennyCraig. com, and more. Use limited data to select advertising.

This ancient grain contains about eight grams of protein per cup as well as 40 grams of complex carbs. Brown rice. Brown rice has not been refined like white rice, so it contains more nutrients and protein.

This nut-like legume has 17 grams of protein in a half-cup. Nuts and seeds. Add a variety of nuts and seeds, including almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and others, for protein, carbs, and micronutrients.

Learn More: What to Eat to Build Lean Muscle Mass. When trying to build muscle and not increase body fat, getting the right balance of nutrients and calories is essential. Your clients will have little room for so-called empty calories.

In other words, they need to avoid junk food. Some fruit is good too, especially before a workout. These are truly empty calories with almost no nutritional value.

Also, drinking can make it hard to work out the next day. Added sugars. Natural sugars from fruits and vegetables help fuel workouts. Added sugars in processed foods only promote fat gains. Fried and processed foods. These kinds of junk foods may have protein, but the fats and additives can increase inflammation and support putting on fat, not muscle.

Gaining muscle is a long-term goal. If you have clients interested in putting on muscle, help them get there more efficiently and effectively with a great workout plan and a healthy, protein-rich diet.

Interested in sports nutrition and helping clients hit their muscle building goals? By becoming an ISSA Nutritionist, you'll learn the foundations of how food fuels the body, plus step by step methods for implementing a healthy eating plan into clients' lifestyles. Morton, R. British Journal of Sports Medicine.

All Categories Anatomy Audio Blogs Behavior Change Business More. BY: ISSA DATE: Featured Course. First Name. Last Name. Email Address. Phone Number. I consent to being contacted by ISSA. Learn More. Muscle soreness can be uncomfortable, and it's all too common. Here are 10 muscle recovery foods and drinks, as well as some nondietary tips for….

Discover which diet is best for managing your diabetes. Getting enough fiber is crucial to overall gut health. Let's look at some easy ways to get more into your diet:.

A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based What to Eat and Avoid If You're Trying to Build Muscle. Medically reviewed by Marie Lorraine Johnson MS, RD, CPT — By Gavin Van De Walle, MS, RD — Updated on January 27, Calorie needs Macronutrients What to eat What to avoid Supplements Sample menu Benefits Risks Takeaway Your diet can make or break your results at the gym.

First, determine how many calories you need in your overall diet. Next, determine your ratio of macronutrients. Bulking phase Cutting phase Calories 3, 2, Protein g Carbohydrates g Fat g Foods to eat to support your overall fitness. Foods to limit or avoid to support your overall fitness.

Dietary supplements to consider. Sample meal plan. Benefits of bodybuilding. Potential risks to consider. The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: Sources. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations.

We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Jan 27, Written By Gavin Van De Walle. Medically Reviewed By Marie Lorraine Johnson MS, RD, CPT. Feb 14, Written By Gavin Van De Walle. It has been shown to provide a slow and steady supply of aminos for as long as seven hours.

This is due to the fact that casein literally forms a clot when it's in the stomach. To visualize this, consider when you mix a whey protein powder compared to when you mix a casein powder. The whey tends to mix very easily while the casein forms clumps in the fluid.

This is similar to what happens in your stomach when you consume casein. Although casein may be bad for palatability when drinking it as a shake, it provides benefits when these clumps form in your stomach. These clumps decrease the surface area of the casein that's available to digestive enzymes.

The enzymes must digest the casein clumps one layer at a time, much like peeling the layers of an onion. Hence, as I mentioned earlier, casein provides a slow and steady supply of aminos to keep protein synthesis extended for longer and decrease muscle protein breakdown.

Remember, muscle grows when protein synthesis is greater than muscle breakdown. Casein actually works on both ends to promote growth. One easy way to get micellar casein that you may not have realized is from protein powders and drinks that provide milk protein isolate or milk protein concentrate.

This is why I included milk protein isolate in Pro JYM. It's also a good idea to add in a protein source that digests at a medium rate — one that's slower than whey but faster than casein.

This bridges the gap, so to speak, between whey and casein to provide a fast yet steady and long-lasting supply of amino acids to your muscles. Two of the best proteins to consider here are egg protein and soy protein.

Not only do these proteins digest at a different rate than the milk proteins whey and casein, but they provide other benefits that the milk proteins don't. And no, soy does not decrease a man's testosterone levels or increase estrogen, as research confirms.

I realize that many men and women don't want to consume soy for other reasons. One issue may be the genetic modification many soy plants have undergone. Although it now appears that these genetically modified plants are safe for consumption, there's still much we don't know.

So, if you're opposed to soy for whatever reason, I highly recommend using egg protein with whey and casein.

Egg protein provides higher amounts of sulfur-containing and other aminos that can aid muscle growth and overall health. This is the main reason why I use egg protein instead of soy in Pro JYM. During workouts you're burning through muscle glycogen like a rap star burns through his bank account.

Glycogen is the storage form of carbs. In simplified terms, when you consume carbs most are broken down into or converted into glucose, which is what blood sugar is. Glucose can either be used fairly immediately for fuel or stored, mainly in muscle fibers and the liver.

It's stored in the form of glycogen, which is just long, branched chains of glucose connected together. The glycogen in your muscle cells and liver is broken down into glucose and used as one of the main fuels to fuel your workouts. At the end of a workout, your muscle glycogen levels are depleted, and if your muscle glycogen levels aren't restored, your performance in the next workout can suffer and muscle growth possibly compromised.

One way muscle growth can be impaired is due to the fact that muscle glycogen levels serve as a barometer for how much energy the body has stored.

If energy levels are low, as it seems when muscle glycogen is low, the muscles may not want to expend energy building muscle.

Building muscle requires energy, and bigger muscles require even more energy to maintain. If your body is unsure that you have adequate energy to fuel other more critical processes, and to maintain more mass, it may choose not to go gangbusters building muscle. Another way that muscle growth may be compromised deals with the fact that glycogen pulls water into the muscle fibers.

The more glycogen there is, the more water there will be in the muscle fibers. More water makes the muscles fuller, which makes your muscles appear significantly bigger. If your muscles are low in glycogen, they're also low in water, which makes them look flatter and smaller than they could be.

Having muscles that are fuller due to more glycogen and water can also instigate muscle growth. There's evidence that shows that having more water in the muscle fibers places a stretch on the muscle membranes.

That stretch instigates chemical pathways that increase muscle protein synthesis, which can lead to greater muscle growth. The best way to fully replenish muscle glycogen is with high-glycemic or fast-digesting carbs.

These carbs make it into the bloodstream and to your muscle fibers almost as quickly as you ingest them. Research confirms that the quicker you get carbs to your muscles after workouts, the faster and better the muscle glycogen replenishment.

One of the best sources of fast carbs is dextrose, which is glucose. This form of sugar requires no digestion and is absorbed pretty much immediately into your blood stream. Corn syrup is essentially branched glucose molecules that are immediately broken down and absorbed.

Corn syrup is completely different from high-fructose corn syrup. White bread and white potatoes are also good sources since they're mainly starch, which is branched glucose molecules bound together that break apart rapidly upon ingestion.

These fast carbs also spike insulin levels. After a workout is the ONE time of day when you want to spike the anabolic hormone insulin.

Research shows that insulin is critical for pushing creatine and carnitine into muscle fibers. Without a big spike in insulin, creatine and carnitine uptake are not optimal. Insulin also helps amino acids, such as beta-alanine, BCAAs and the other critical ones from your protein shake, get taken up by the muscle fibers.

And let's not forget about the glucose from those fast carbs, which insulin helps to gain entry into the muscle fibers. For more info on these supplements, see Rule 8 below.

Having fast carbs after workouts is a sweet treat that doesn't damage your diet. Whether you're trying to maximize mass gain or lose fat and gain muscle, you should be following a fairly "clean" diet. Meaning, donuts, French fries and ice cream aren't major staples in your nutrition plan.

When most of us stay fairly virtuous with our diets, we tend to miss such sugary treats. Having a dose of sweets in the form of dextrose, gummy bears, Pixy Stix or white bread with jelly is a great way to get your sweet fix in for the day and not only have it not ruin your diet, but actually enhance your results!

Why would you ever skip that? Some research shows that consuming a protein shake after workouts with or without fast carbs spikes muscle protein synthesis to an equivalent level. In other words, the studies concluded that adding carbs to a protein shake postworkout did not increase muscle protein synthesis any more than the protein shake did alone without carbs.

This has caused some experts to claim that you don't need carbs after workouts. Well, that's a bit extreme. It's true that you can still build muscle without having carbs after workouts. But I wouldn't recommend that unless you're in a very low-carb diet and have removed carbs from every other meal of your diet.

In fact, it's completely idiotic to eat carbs at other meals but avoid eating carbs postworkout. If you're eating carbs at any meal it should be the postworkout meal, when those carbs will aid recovery.

Some people worry that eating carbs postworkout will blunt growth hormone and testosterone levels after the workout. Here's what they don't understand: Growth hormone and testosterone levels rise during the training session and peak toward the end, depending on the workout.

After the workout is over the levels of theses hormones begin to drop sharply so that they're back to resting levels about minutes later. The release of these hormones have already peaked before you consume those carbs.

After the workout is over it's too late for the carbs to have a negative effect on hormone levels. Other people worry that consuming fast carbs after workouts will lead to diabetes.

This is due to the media's demonization of all sugars. Yes, if you're eating sugar while sitting on your ass all day it will increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

But someone who trains regularly is already preventing the metabolic damage that leads to this. And right after a workout is when those carbs are going straight to the muscles and restocking the muscle glycogen, as well as the liver glycogen levels.

So there's no risk to consuming fast carbs after workouts. It's what your body needs. Although the amount of fast carbs you consume after a workout depends on your weight and the intensity and length of the workout, a general recommendation is to shoot for about grams worth of fast carbs such as dextrose within 30 minutes after the workout.

I would recommend limiting the fast carbs to about 60 grams for two main reasons. One is that research shows that for optimal absorption by the intestines grams of one type of carb is the maximum before absorption becomes limited.