It is impossible to achieve high sports results without a balanced diet, since the body receives all the necessary nutrients from food for the growth of muscle tissue. If you strive to form a toned figure with elastic muscles and regularly exercise, then you need to choose a high-calorie diet with an optimal ratio of BJU. You have two options to achieve your goal:
- Order a ready-made meal for gaining mass and maintaining body tone, which was developed by professional nutritionists;
- Prepare the right sports nutrition at home according to your own taste.
The second option will be optimal for everyone who has enough free time. However, it is important to consider several nuances of a healthy sports diet in order to maximize the health benefits of food.
Three Essential Nutrients for Any Diet
A full-fledged sports menu should replenish the reserves of energy, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, without which the normal functioning of the body is impossible. Three nutrients are responsible for all this.
Proteins
The main building resource of cells responsible for muscle growth. Having decided to compose the menu yourself, give preference to animal proteins, which are found in poultry meat, beef, low-fat dairy products. Plant proteins are equally important as they contain a lot of fiber, which removes toxins from the body. They are found in legumes, nuts, grain bread, seeds.
With regular exercise, you need to consume at least 150 g of protein per day. In this case, it is necessary to give preference to boiled, stewed or steamed meat with the addition of a minimum amount of spices.
Carbs
A source of easily assimilated energy for the body, which affects the body’s endurance and the productivity of physical activities. Sports nutrition cooked at home must contain at least 50% complex carbohydrates (about 200-250 g per day), for example:
- Boiled and fresh vegetables, as well as root vegetables with a high starch content (potatoes and beets);
- All types of cereals, rice, buckwheat, bulgur, barley are especially useful, as they contain many minerals and vitamins;
- Fresh fruits and berries or juices thereof, citrus fruits.
Simple carbohydrates in the form of refined sugar, fructose or glucose are essential for gaining mass, as they allow you to replenish glycogen stores in the blood and muscles. However, their content in the diet should not exceed 15-20%.
Fats
They are a source of essential fatty acids Omega-6 and Omega-3, and also allow the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, K, play the role of a reserve source of energy. In the diet, their number can reach 50 g per day. Please note that for a healthy diet, it is preferable to use polyunsaturated fats, which are found in vegetable oils, seeds, nuts, seafood, river and sea fish.
Calorie counting is the key to a beautiful figure
At home, calculating the calorie content of dishes is the most important stage. To do this, you can use special tables with the energy value of products. We advise you to immediately compose the menu for the week, making it as varied and tasty as possible, so as not to return to complicated calculations. Do not forget that a lot of energy is needed for muscle growth, so the daily energy value of your menu should be 2000 or 2500 kcal. In this case, you need to regularly exercise and eat at least five or six times a day at regular intervals!