When you decide you want to undertake a body building program, the foods you eat can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your program.
Many people don’t pay enough attention to the types of food they eat. But food is very important in a body-building program.
Food supplies us with calories. Calories are tiny bits of energy that your body uses to perform work. Counting calories isn’t as important as knowing what calories will be the best ones to consume for the maximum effect on your workout.
To have enough energy to perform your workout, you’ll need a lot of different nutrients. One of the most important would be carbohydrates.
Glucose
Glucose also provides energy for your brain and making blood in your body.
Glucose can be made from protein, but that requires the breakdown of body protein from muscle. If you’re not eating enough carbohydrates, your body will start breaking down muscle tissue for glucose.
Glycogen is the principal form of energy that is stored in muscles. When your muscles are filled with glycogen, they both look and feel full.
Carbs
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of glucose. Glucose is a simple carb that is stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen.
Carbohydrates should be the bulk of your daily caloric intake when you are starting a body-building program.
Focus on unprocessed complex carbs like sweet potatoes, potatoes, whole grain breads, oatmeal, and brown rice.
These natural complex carbs are made of long “chains” of sugar and are digested very slowly.
Slow burning carbs promote consistent blood sugar levels, which help to offset fatigue while promoting the release of insulin, which is the body’s principal anabolic hormone.
For men, the amount of carbs that should be taken in by multiplying their body weight by three. That number will be the amount of grams that should be consumed daily.
Women multiply their body weight by two to get their carb gram intake.
For example, a 200-pound man should consume 600 grams of carbs per day and a 125 pound woman would eat 250 carb grams daily.
