What food

Traffic

Just started back at the gym, im 23yo and looking to bulk up

Im sure this has been asked before but what foods should i be eating for
morning,lunchtime and evenings.

Ive seen you have to eat foods rich in protein but what foods are the best for this?

Thank you

kazzer

I dont think it matters as much when you eat certain foods (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc), but its your diet as a whole you must look at. You should be fuelling your body mainly with complex carbohydrates, and high quality protein. The foods I recommend are:

Carbohydrates

Porridge (Oats)
Pasta
Rice
Wholemeal Bread
Rye
Fruit (might be a simple carb but you need these in your diet)
Potatoes


Proteins

Fish (esp tuna - its cheap and predictable)
Chicken
Eggs
Milk
Lean red meat (striploin/sirloin)
Nuts/peanut butter
Whey protein
Casein protein

Im sure everyone has their own opinions on diet, its up to you how and when you eat these foods. I recommend buying a book on sports nutrition, and perhaps see the nutritionalist at your gym. Remember, to get bigger you need to increase your current calorie intake.

Good luck with your diet.

White&Proud

kazzer wrote:

Im sure everyone has their own opinions on diet, its up to you how and when you eat these foods. I recommend buying a book on sports nutrition, and perhaps see the nutritionalist at your gym. Remember, to get bigger you need to increase your current calorie intake.

I agree with you kazzer and I would say more: Every person is a different person, what works for one may not work for you. The best way for you to findo out it's trying.

trotter_inc

kazzer wrote:

The foods I recommend are:

Carbohydrates

Porridge (Oats)
Pasta
Rice
Wholemeal Bread
Rye
Fruit (might be a simple carb but you need these in your diet)
Potatoes

Do these foods not make you fat? Im not doubting your advice - Im just asking. When girls go on diets they are always told to cut down on high carb foods like spuds and pasta - is it coz they turn into fat?

kazzer

Hi trotter_inc,

Do these foods not make you fat?

Thats a myth I'll happily destroy. No food per se makes you fat. When you overeat, and consume more calories than your body needs, you get fat. This food can be in any shape or form - whether it be too many takeaways or too much fruit.

People usually recommend cutting your carbs when dieting because it supposedly forces your body to burn body fat when you dont fuel it with carbohydrate. Also when you eat carbohydrate the body releases insulin which promotes fat storage. However, you must look at the bigger picture. If overall you are eating fewer calories than you need you will lose fat, regardless of the food you are eating.

When you are active and looking to build up your body, you really have to be eating these foods to fuel your body for the gruelling workouts ahead!

pwd

Processed carbohydrate foods, such as white bread, are digested far quicker than wholemeal ones. This makes them less effective for regulating your insulin levels and keeping your energy levels up.
Simple carbohydrates should be ingested soon after a weight training session along with protein. This provides an insulin spike which will cause more protein to be delivered to your muscles at the time it is most beneficial, and also raises growth hormone levels naturally. Studies have shown that drinking a protein/dextrose (glucose) drink immediately after training is as effective as supplementing with creatine for building muscle.

tunney

pwd wrote:

This provides an insulin spike which will cause more protein to be delivered to your muscles at the time it is most beneficial

Unfortunately not. One of the effects of an insulin spike is the constriction of blood vessels. This constriction will stop the nutrients getting to the muscles that you've just exercised. Avoid insulin spikes after work outs.

logic1

tunney wrote:

Unfortunately not. One of the effects of an insulin spike is the constriction of blood vessels. This constriction will stop the nutrients getting to the muscles that you've just exercised. Avoid insulin spikes after work outs.

Ummm Insulin has a vasodilator effect on blood vessels. i.e. it DILATES blood vessels not restricts.

However if you're becoming or are insulin resistive then this effect obviously doesn't happen.

Insulin spike after training is almost essential, through blood vessel dialtion it shuttles amino acids and nutrients to the muscle and it also halts the effects of muscle catabolism by cortisol through replenishing liver glycogen.

You should really be 100% sure what you're saying when you make potentially influential posts like yours.

.logic.

tunney

You should really be 100% sure what you're saying when you make potentially influential posts like yours.

I thought I was, hence the post.

Going to have to search at home for the article that recommended against simple sugars post workout.

kazzer

I'm not too sure about the idea of taking simple sugars post workout to optimise protein uptake so I cant really comment, but simple sugars are definitely recommended post workout, as this is the optimum time to get glycogen back into the muscle. Hence the need for 'sports drinks'. If you keep your muscle constantly fuelled with glycogen your workouts will be better.

tunney

Couple of googles later it appears that the theory of not taking simple sugars straight after a workout has something to do with the production of HGH. Apologies - I was wrong.

LookingFor

pwd wrote:

Studies have shown that drinking a protein/dextrose (glucose) drink immediately after training is as effective as supplementing with creatine for building muscle.

Can anyone recommend one such drink, or advise on how to make one (if it's that type of drink)?

Kazzer recommends "sports drinks" in order to "to get glycogen back into the muscle" - is this what a "protein/dextrose (glucose)" drink does? If not, should you be taking two types of drink post-workout?

Sorry, I'm a bit of newb to all this..Thanks for any help.

kazzer

Usually people recommend consuming simple sugars/dextrose/glucose (Sports drinks: Powerade, Lucozade Sport etc) and protein (i.e whey protein shake) post work out.

I prefer to drink these separtely after my workout. I think you can buy some products with both carb and protein, or you can make your own homemade concoction.

We need simple carb (quickly absorbed) to replace our lost glycogen after the workout, and we need protein post workout so that it is readily available to the muscle tissue that has been damaged.

I would recommend that you look at your diet as a whole, and try not to get caught up in the intricacies of it all.