Bodybuilding Foods

This is an interesting article that I think was published in Flex a few years ago. Thought you might find it interesing:

Bodybuilding food alternatives: twelve surprising muscle-building foods

Chris Aceto
To build mass, it's a great idea to stick with the basics of nutrition--take in plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates, as well as enough total calories to support growth. Check out the standard fare of hardcore bodybuilders and you'll see what I mean. They rely on chicken, beef, fish, egg whites and protein powders to fill their protein needs. For carb sources, oatmeal, potatoes, rice and pasta top the list. Many bodybuilders construct nearly their entire diet from these foods.

Numerous less common foods never even show up on most bodybuilders' radar screens, but they should. Many foods are equally advantageous to bodybuilders in terms of supporting growth and recovery. Plus, every food has a unique nutritional profile. In many ways, the greater the variety, the more optimal the results.

Consider adding these foods to your bodybuilding nutrition plan.

Ostrich | Everyone's familiar with chicken, the low-fat bird that's dense in protein and extremely low in dietary fat. It's a red meat alternative. Here's another: ostrich. As a protein food, it's on par with chicken and it's also low in fat. However, it has a nutrition profile similar to red meat--more creatine, iron and B vitamins than poultry, but with drastically less dietary fat and calories than red meat.

You can eat ostrich as a staple, several times a week. Eight ounces of ostrich top loin (precooked weight) has about 50 grams (g) of protein and only 7 g of fat. (The same precooked amount of lean beef tri-tip has a few less grams of protein and three times the fat.) With its lower fat content, ostrich cooks faster than red meat.

Connoisseurs recommend that ostrich not be cooked beyond medium doneness. If you're used to meats that are well-done due to safety concerns, you needn't worry much about ostrich--due to its unique pH, ostrich doesn't attract E. coli and Salmonella bacteria like beef and chicken do.

Beef liver | Looking for the most nutrient-dense food available? This is it. Liver is packed to the max. It has creatine for strength, carnitine for testosterone support and fat metabolism, B vitamins for energy and metabolism, and iron to support the production of myoglobin (the energy compound in muscles that contributes to recovery and nutrient delivery). Beef liver just might be one of the best bodybuilding foods of all time. Try eating six to eight ounces (precooked weight) twice a week. These amounts of liver contain, respectively, about 230 and 308 calories, 36 and 48 g of protein, 6 and 8 g of fat and 7 and 9 g of carbs. (Equivalent amounts of precooked lean beef have approximately the same number of grams of protein, more calories and fat, but no carbs.)

Papaya | Consume this tropical fruit regularly as part of your bodybuilding diet, in addition to apples, bananas and orange juice. Papaya provides plenty of potassium, which is required to manufacture muscle glycogen and to assist in muscle contraction. The fruit is also uniquely positioned for inclusion in high-protein diets, because it is dense in special enzymes that aid in the digestion of protein foods. Improving digestibility is a factor that can contribute to greater protein absorption, retention and muscle growth. Papaya is also high in vitamin C. Consume a small papaya (about one cup cut up) with a protein meal for these benefits.

White bread | Here's a dietary paradox: white bread digests quickly, which could upgrade the body's ability to manufacture bodyfat, yet, for a mass-seeking bodybuilder, the same fast-digesting quality offers a benefit. Fast-digesting carbs eaten before and/or after training can offset muscle breakdown, especially when combined with protein. A couple of slices of white bread with fat-free cheese can create a hormonal environment--higher insulin levels and greater testosterone uptake in tissues--beneficial to a bodybuilder hoping to gain mass. Eat a sandwich of fat-free cheese and two slices of white bread about 30 minutes before your workout. Immediately postworkout, consume three or four slices of white bread with jam or jelly, along with a whey shake.

Olives | Not all fat is bad. Olives provide monounsaturated fats, which indirectly support testosterone levels and can support fat burning as long as a bodybuilder is following a diet that is slightly below daily maintenance needs. In other words, if you are trying to get lean, eating a handful of olives each day could provide special fats equipped to keep the fat-burning furnace stoked while preventing a crash in testosterone levels. The latter is often the result of aggressive dieting. Monounsaturated fats also help to keep cholesterol down, which benefits the heart.

Honey | Many bodybuilders still think that all fast-digesting carbs will make them fat. But honey has been shown to be a highly efficient source of carbohydrates for the restoration of muscle glycogen. Apparently, it digests quickly, yet ultimately does not radically spike insulin levels. That means it is an ideal pre- and posttraining carb source for bodybuilders who struggle to control bodyfat levels. Use honey before or after you work out. Try two tablespoons in a workout shake or added to toasted white bread. Honey also contains potent antioxidants, as well as nitric oxide (NO) components.

Cornstarch | Bodybuilders eat six times a day in part because that helps keep blood sugar levels stable, translating into more muscle and less bodyfat. Cornstarch seems to retard the breakdown of other carbs in the stomach. Slowing carb breakdown is important for those trying to ward off hunger or trying to remain lean. One way to incorporate cornstarch into a diet is to coat chicken breasts with it, then cook the chicken in a nonstick skillet that's been misted with cooking spray. The cornstarch locks juices into the meat, making it tender. The carbs in potatoes or rice accompanying the coated chicken should digest more slowly than they would otherwise.

Molasses | Nearly every bodybuilder serious about muscle gains has eaten oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rice or grits. These are good sources of complex carbs, but many bodybuilders just do not like the taste of these cereals. Spice them up by adding a tablespoon or two of blackstrap molasses mixed with some Equal or Splenda. Molasses is dense in several minerals, and it will add flavor to these otherwise bland but basic muscle-building foods.

Onions | Raw onions are loaded with quercetin, a compound that has been shown to support the burning of bodyfat in animal studies. Quercetin is also a strong antioxidant, helping to fight free radicals, tiny byproducts of hardcore training, among other things. Excessive free radicals can cause muscle inflammation, a downgrade in the immune system, a loss of glutamine in muscle tissue and inferior recovery ability.

Onions are rich in sulfur-containing compounds that give the vegetables many of their health-promoting effects, as well as their pungent odor. One such compound is allyl propyl disulfide, which enhances circulating insulin levels. This makes onions a good choice for a postworkout snack. Eating them at that time will help to load muscles with the crucial nutrients of other postworkout foods, such as whey protein shakes, carbs and creatine. Consume raw onions on a lean burger or chicken sandwich, or mix chopped onions into salsa. Vidalia onions are a good choice, because they are sweeter than most other types of onions.

Asparagus | Dieting bodybuilders seem to eat a lot of low-calorie vegetables, but asparagus rarely makes it into their Tupperware. For some reason, asparagus is just not a common vegetable for many muscleheads. It should be--especially for dieting bodybuilders. First, it is a proven diuretic, allowing the body to lose subcutaneous water. Second, it is rich in a unique antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione helps produce hormonelike messengers called prostaglandins, which, in turn, influence growth. Glutathione is also a major player in protecting the liver from damage. Eat several servings of asparagus every week.

Fenugreek and turmeric | These two spices are commonly found in curry powder--a hodgepodge of spices used to marinate and flavor chicken, fish and beef. Most Indian restaurants go heavy with these two spices. Both are beneficial to bodybuilders. Fenugreek and turmeric help stabilize blood sugar levels. If you suffer from low blood sugar levels, then give these two spices a try. Turmeric also acts as a thermogenic, boosting metabolic rate, and fenugreek helps to raise testosterone levels.

These are only some of the dozens (or hundreds) of foods not commonly thought of as having a role in a bodybuilding diet. Although the staples of a bodybuilding diet are often among the best and most available foods, keep in mind that other foods are equally good. You can use them to provide variety in your diet. Don't forget that greater variety in your diet means a more well-rounded nutrition program.

To order Chris Aceto's training and nutrition books, including Championship Bodybuilding and Everything You Need to Know about Fat Loss, visit [url]www.nutramedia.com[/url] or call (207) 782-3121.