Building Blocks: The Role of Nutrition in Bodybuilding

By Christine RamirezJul 26, 2023255

When bodybuilders think about building muscle, they are mostly focused on weight training - which workouts to do, which type of weights and machines to use, and what kind of intensity to train with. Our body is like a machine, and like any machine it requires high-quality fuel to operate at maximum efficiency. So if you want to build a body, you must focus your diet and nutrition as you do for your workouts.

Scientists have distributed foods into several major groups known as the macronutrients. The most important of these are protein, carbohydrates and fats - but we also require to pay close attention to the way we consume minerals, vitamins and water.

The main food types required for body building are as follows- 

Proteins

Protein is the material that muscles are made of, so we must consume a lot of protein to grow muscle mass.

Meat is a rich source of protein. Also, there are several other ways to obtain protein from your diet. In your regular meals, you can include fish, cheese, tofu, soy, beans, lentils, yogurt, nuts, and seeds.

Your body requires a good combination of proteins to get all the amino acids it needs. Some amino acids are present in certain foods but lack in others. Eating a varied and balanced diet gives you all the compounds you need to build maximum muscle.

It is good to obtain most of your protein from normal meals, whey protein shakes are an excellent way to Increase your protein Intake

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are vital foods that fuel all of our crucial body processes. Carbohydrates not only provide the energy for the muscle contractions that facilitate movement, they also keep our lungs breathing, our hearts beating, and so much more.

We obtain our carbohydrates in the form of the sugars, starches and cellulose present in foods such as fruits, cereals, vegetables, pulses and potatoes. 

Fats

Fats provide nine calories per gram, compared to only four calories per gram in carbohydrates.

 Like carbohydrates, fats are also necessary for effective metabolism, and for that we must consume the right amount of fat of the right type in order to stay healthy. You need to reduce the consumption of bad you eat and increase the right intake of good fats.

The bad fats include saturated fats, which are present mostly in animal and dairy products. Excess consumption of these can increase the cholesterol levels and lead to clogged arteries. Trans fat is another bad fat present in processed foods, where they are required to improve the shelf life of products.

The good fats that we need to consume in moderation are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are required to reduce our cholesterol levels, and are often present in natural foods such as nuts, avocados, olive oil, grapeseed oil and olive oil.

The most useful fats of all are the Omega 3 fatty acids, which are found naturally in cold-water fish such as mackerel, salmon and herring, as well as in walnuts, flax seeds and soybeans.

Bodybuilders require good fats and carbs as well as protein. 

Minerals and Vitamins

Our body requires vital nutrients like minerals and vitamins to carry out body functions. Current modern intensive farming practices often reduce the nutritional value of foods considerably. Therefore it is good if you take a multi-vitamin supplement daily to ensure that you are not missing out on these vital trace nutrients. 

Water

The body constitutes around 60% of the body weight of the average person, while muscle is no less than 80% water. It is necessary to drinking plain water to keep your body hydrated. 

To maintain the balance of muscle to body fat properly, you need to know how much food is going into your body every day.