How to Eat to Gain Muscle

How to Eat to Gain Muscle
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For many of us, gaining muscle may conjure up images of countless hours in the gym but not necessarily how to properly feed our bodies. After all, your body needs calories and nourishment to feed growing muscle mass and to adjust to varying amounts of activity. Before making sudden changes in your lifestyle, though, you may want to consult with a physician, personal trainer, and dietitian.

Steps

1. Know the difference between complete and incomplete proteins. In order to build muscle, you need complete proteins; these are found in eggs, meat, fish, cheese, milk and most other animal products. The protein found in plant products tends to be incomplete, though there are exceptions (e.g. soy beans, quinoa).
   
2. Learn about Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). This is a measure of how well different proteins are digested by the body. Think of PDCAAS as grading the quality of protein with 1 being the highest score and 0 the lowest. For example, whey, casein, and milk all score 1 whereas whole wheat scores a 0.42.
   
3. Eat sufficient amounts of protein. The rule of thumb is that you need between 1 and 1.5 times your body weight (if you are overweight, then substitute your target body weight) in grams of protein. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should eat between 150 and 225 grams of protein per day if you want to consistently gain muscle. Full time bodybuilders can eat sometimes two to three times their body weight in grams of protein, and sometimes more, but for most of us that would be overkill.
   
4. Include carbohydrates in your diet. It is important to load up on carbohydrates so that your body can tap into glycogen (energy) stores within your muscles while you are working out. If you do not eat enough carbohydrates your body will not have energy reserves and will break down your muscles instead!
   Try to select high fiber carbohydrates such as whole wheat and brown rice.
   
5. Consider supplements. These are an easy way to gain more protein without having to actually eat it. Whey and soy proteins are common. Some doctors say that whey protein is difficult to digest and can strain your liver or kidneys. A high protein diet in general can be straining on the kidneys, so it is important to drink a lot of water. This will flush out your system and negate the negative effects of eating a high protein diet.
   
6. Monitor your salt intake. It may be true that excessive consumption of salt can lead to hypertension but you lose tremendous amounts of sodium when you sweat. Also, sodium (a key electrolyte) aids in muscle contraction, which is one reason why it is found in many sports drinks.

Tips

• Rather than eating all of your protein or carbohydrates in one meal, it is ideal to try to spread it out over the course of the day. Five or more small meals is best. This is because if you eat all your protein at one time, your body won't be able to use all of it. It's about maintaining a high blood protein level so that your muscles can slowly regenerate throughout the day and while you are sleeping.
  
• Remember it is important to include green vegetables in your diet such as spinach or broccoli to ensure that you receive an adequate amount of vitamins. As well, green leafy vegetables are high in fiber which is essential for removing waste from the body.
  
• Creatine supplements are often used by bodybuilders. Creatine is a natural substance that helps increase pure muscle mass and helps regenerate muscles when not working out. However, it is merely a supplement, and is not necessary to gain muscle mass. If you do take the creatine, be sure to drink plenty of water, because the creatine dehydrates your muscles while regenerating and also imbalances your electrolyte levels.
  
• Creatine is most effective when used in a 6 week cycle. Use it for 6 weeks, then either take 21 days off or reload it for another 5 days. This ensures that your body continues to adapt.
  
• Balance your workouts. If you are doing a highly aerobic activity of any kind and don't eat a high protein diet you will consistently lose strength and muscle mass. Many high school and college athletes, such as wrestlers, are faced with declining strength throughout the season because they are unaware of this fact.

 Muscle Gain Madness

Warnings

• Make sure you drink a lot of water. A gallon a day would not be too much. This will prevent your diet from harming your organs.
  
• No matter how difficult gaining muscle may seem, taking steroids is not always the answer. Steroids in high doses can be very harmful to the body and can cause death.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Choose the Right Dumbbell Weight
  

Sources and Citations

• Food to build muscles
  
• Wikipedia on complete proteins
  
• foods that build muscle
  
• eat to gain weight
  
• Wikipedia on Protein Digestibility
  
• importance of salt
  

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