Proper muscle building nutrition is more important than the workouts themselves in obtaining the perfect body shape. The right foods will play a large part in gaining lean muscle mass and fat loss. Post-workout recovery is critical as this is when you build muscle with the right amount of nutrition and rest.

How much do you need to eat for proper weight gain?

Well you need to eat around 15-20 times your bodyweight (in pounds) in calories to help gain muscle. So if you weight 150lbs that’s 2500-3000 calories per day. The extra calories you take aid the body to repair and build muscle.

Calorie counting is good and bad. If you’re eating junk food with zero nutritional content then you won’t reach your goal. Protein intake needs to be increased to at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you like metric it’s 2.0-2.5 grams of protein per kilogram.

The protein that you eat from animal sources, beans, diary, fish, nuts and seeds will provide your body with important amino-acids. This will in turn build and repair muscle. Protein and fats are superior in muscle growth than carbohydrates.

How often should you eat in a day?

This depends on the individual and what foods they eat. You must let the foods be absorbed and utilized by the body before eating again. In my food combining article I stated how each food digests at different rates. Example: fruits take 30-40 minutes, vegetables 45-60 minutes, starch foods 60 minutes, nuts and beans 2-3 hours, diary, fish and meats 2 to 4 hours.

So eating every 3 to 4 hours is ideal. Stick to lean meats, vegetables, oatmeal, fruits, nuts, beans and dairy. Avoid simple carbohydrates, sugar, wheat and starchy foods. You want constant energy levels during the day and not insulin spikes going up and down.

You need Fat to lose Fat!

Studies have shown that dietary fat has a direct relationship with testosterone production. An increase in dietary fat intake seems to bring on an increase in testosterone levels. Taking coconut oil increases metabolism up to 25 percent. Fish oils not only provide essential fatty acids but also help with joint pain from intense workouts.

Drink Water!

If you’re dehydrated your body takes longer to repair itself so drink plenty of water during the day.

Multivitamins and Supplements

“You can’t make a mule out of a thoroughbred” – if you’re not training, eating and resting correctly.

Some people think supplements is the magic bullet but they are more like icing on the cake. Supplements only make a 10 percent difference. So here a few that may help you:

• Protein Whey – most of the protein shakes out there are just protein isolates with lots of sugar. That’s just a bad combination that you don’t want to put in your body. Stick to 100% all natural whey if you’re thinking of buying these products. Whey will provide the body with essential amino-acids and proteins for muscle growth.
• Creatine also helps in gaining muscle mass. It helps the body to produce energy faster. This helps you to train harder and get faster results.
• Omega 3 Oils, Glutamine, Chondroitin and Selenium will help with post-workout joint pain.
• Multivitamins also help with the extra demands you put on your body via training. So replenish your body with the right amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements with multivitamin supplement.

My final tip is rest more – if you don’t, you won’t grow. Your body does not grow in the gym but grows when you are resting.

What does a healthy eating plan look like? That depends on factors such as individual needs, metabolic type, their origins and personal likes and dislikes of certain foods. One diet plan may work for some but not for all. That’s why one person’s food may be another person’s poison. The right foods for you can do wonders in restoring your health and vitality.

These recommendations are a lifestyle plan and not a diet, as I don’t believe in diets. Diets are only good short term, unless you change your eating habits. A lifestyle change in eating is the only long term way of maintaining a healthy weight.

I like the metabolic typing which splits individuals in 3 main categories and other subcategories. The main types are carbohydrate types, mixed types and protein types. If you eat the wrong foods for your metabolic type, then it’s like putting the wrong fuel in your body. Each individual is unique, so customizing the right food is important for optimal bodily functions.

Carb types should eat more carbs in their meal portions. The proportions should be as follows: 70-80% carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables), 15-20% protein (meat, fowl, seafood, dairy) and 5-10% fats from oils/natural fats (butter, cheese, nuts, oils, seeds).

Mixed types should have more of a balanced meal portions. About 50-55% carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables), 40-45% protein (meat, fowl, seafood, dairy) and 10-15% fats (butter, cheese, nuts, oils, seeds).

Protein types meal proportions should consist of about 45-50% protein (meat, fowl, seafood, dairy), 30-35% carbohydrates ( fruits, vegetables) and 20% fats (butter, oils, fatty Foods – ex. nuts, seeds, cheese, other fatty foods).

The listed foods below pretty much eliminate wheat, starchy foods and sugar. You may experience withdraw symptoms for 2 to 5 days, but after that you should feel a lot better. Follow the healthy meal recommendations for 3-4 weeks. Of course no cheating as it defeats the purpose. It’s easy to do so in the age of processed and convenience foods.

After that, if you want some bad foods, you can have them with the 80/20 percent rule in mind. That means following the meal plan 80 percent of the time and eating whatever you like in 20 percent of time. You can pick a day where you can eat bad foods to help your cravings.

Let’s look at each food group to see what you should and shouldn’t be eating:

• Animal protein. Consume lean meats such as beef, chicken, eggs, fish, lamb and turkey, all in the organic free range if possible. Avoid luncheon, processed meats, hot dogs, pork and farm raised fish which have higher mercury levels.
• Beverages. Drink filtered water whenever possible. Daily intake of water is weight in kilograms divided by 30. That’s the number of litres you need to drink per day. Imperial measurements is your weight in pounds divided by 2. That’s how many ounces of water you need to drink per day. A good practice is drinking 2 glasses of water 15 to 30 minutes before each meal.
• Dairy Products. These are whole raw milk, cheese, and yogurt from grass fed cows. Next best thing is certified organic dairy products.
• Fats. Only cook in butter, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.
• Flour products, grains and beans. Beans can be consumed. Limit pinto and navy beans as they have the highest starch content of any bean. No grains, flour, starch, wheat foods. Avoid breads, rice, pastas, cereals and crackers. Oatmeal such as rolled or steel cut oats can be eaten as they have been proven to help cholesterol. There are some low carb bread and pastas as well – seek and you shall find them.
• Fruits. A handful portion of fruit should be taken daily. Fructose sugar is also found in many fruits, so I prefer berries which are high in antioxidants and good for cholesterol.
• Nuts and seeds. Raw nuts and seeds can be consumed, organic ones if possible. Avoid roasted, salted or honey coated nuts and seeds.
• Sweeteners. Stevia is an all natural sugar sweetener that comes in powder and liquid form. It also comes in many different flavors. Its Index has 0 calories, 0 carbs and 0 Glycemic which means it’s perfect for diabetics. Avoid sugar, honey, syrups, jams, fruit sweeteners, artificial sweeteners.
• Vegetables. All fresh vegetables with low starch can be eaten. Avoid frozen and canned vegetables, and all high starch vegetables such as corn, potatoes, yam and winter squash.

Try this healthy eating plan for a few weeks and see how you feel at the end of it. If you follow the healthy eating plan you will go a long way in achieving a healthy life for you and your family. ”

“The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow” – Jack Lalanne

Correctly combining foods can make a difference in improving digestion, metabolism and maximizing the nutrients that your body absorbs. The right food combinations also eliminate the effects of bloating, acid reflux, gas, abdominal cramps, heartburn, food allergies, bowel problems, weight gain, indigestion, constipation,  fatigue after a meal and premature aging. Different foods breakdown at different rates depending on the content of water, proteins and fats in the food.

Drinks

You must drink 2 cups of water (500ml) about 15-30 minutes before you eat, to help your digestive system. This will increase the production of more gastric and bicarbonate secretions into the small intestine which aid to breakdown the food faster. Never drink during meals as this will dilute the digestive juices in your stomach, making it more difficult for your body to assimilate the foods.

Foods

Foods, from fastest to slowest to digest, are: fruits, green vegetables, vegetables, starchy foods, proteins and fats. Normally fruits take 20-40 minutes to digest. Followed by raw green vegetables which take 30-40 minutes. Steamed or cooked vegetables take longer 40-50 minutes. Vegetables which have starch like potatoes, corn, yam take about 60 minutes. Concentrated Carbohydrates (grains) like rice, oats, legumes, beans and peas will breakdown in 90-120 minutes. Next up come the nuts and seeds which take between 2-3 hours to digest.

Diary like low fat cheese and milk are faster to digest than whole diary. They take 90 minutes to breakdown because of the low fat content. Whole hard cheese and milk will breakdown in 4-5 hours. Animal proteins like egg yolk 30 minutes, whole eggs 45 minutes. Fish 30-60 minutes, followed by chicken 90-120 minutes, turkey 2 hours, beef/lamb 3 to 4 hours and pork 4.5 to 5 hours. Fats and Oils take longer to breakdown than animal proteins.

Think of your digestive tract as a one lane highway. If you first eat the foods that take longer to breakdown followed by faster ones, then you’re going to have a traffic jam in your stomach. Example: having a large meal with vegetables and protein followed by a fruit dessert. The dessert has to wait 4 hours in your stomach. Normally it should go in and out of your digestive system in 20-40 minutes. If it stays longer in your stomach, waiting to be absorbed, it will rot and decay. This renders the food useless, leading to digestive issues.

Food combining rules

Some food combining rules to follow are:

1. For best digestion – chew all food close to a liquid before swallowing.
2. Eat foods in order from fastest to slowest to digest whenever you have different foods in your meal.
3. Melons fruits should be eaten alone by itself.
4. Do not combine fruit with any other food. After eating fruit wait at least 30 minutes before eating other foods. If you want to eat fruit after a meal, then wait 3 hours until your previous meal is fully digested.
5. Vegetables combine well with all foods except fruits.
6. Animal, beans, peas and nuts proteins are best with vegetables that have low and non-starch content.
7. Starchy foods are best combined with green salads.
8. For snacks between your main meals it’s best to have fruits, vegetables or nuts alone.

If you follow these rules for combining foods, you will resolve the majority of problems with your digestion and weight issues.