Body Building

Choosing the right way to eat to build muscle can be a little overwhelming.  But once you start eating the way you need to, it will become second nature to you.  Following is a list of good foods for you to eat in each of the categories you need to concentrate on:

Proteins

• White meat chicken or turkey
• Canned tuna
• Canned salmon
• Fresh Fish
• Shellfish
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Soy
• Red meat like steak or roast

Complex Carbohydrates

• Oatmeal
• Potatoes
• Yams, Sweet potatoes, Acorn squash
• Rice
• Legumes
• Corn

Vegetables

• All water based types.
• Lettuce, Cabbage, Spinach
• Asparagus
• Bok Choy, Leeks
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Onions
• Green Beans
• Broccoli, Cauliflower, Radish
• Zucchini Squash
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Peas

Fruit

• 1 Apple
• 1 Orange
• 1/2 Grapefruit
• 3 Small Apricots
• 1 Banana
• 1/4 Melon
• 1-Cup Berries, Grapes
• 1 mango, small papaya

Dairy

• 1 yogurt
• 1-Cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1-Cup non-fat milk (I use vanilla soy milk instead!)
• 1/2 Cup non or low fat cheese

Wheat Products

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 bagel
• 2-Cups pasta
• Whole wheat tortillas

Snack Foods

• Rice cakes
• Non-wheat cereals
• Plain popcorn
• Raw Vegetables
• Nuts
• Dried Fruit

A good diet is well-rounded and contains some of each of the food groups.  You should also include a supplement in your diet which we will get to in a later section.  As we’ve said, you should be eating 5 or 6 smaller meals every day instead of three large ones.  Space your meals about 2 to 2 ½ hours apart.  Try out a few of these meal plans to start out with.

Meal 1

Vegetable omelet (3 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 cup veggies)  You can also add some chicken or lean beef if you want.

Meal 2

One cup yogurt or a protein shake

Meal 3

6 oz Chicken

Small raw vegetable salad

1 bagel

Meal 4

1 piece fruit

3-4 oz Chicken

Meal 5

6 oz fish

1 - Cup grilled veggies

1 - Cup brown rice

Meal 1

3 packs instant oatmeal

1 banana

1 cup of yogurt

1 cup of cottage cheese

Meal 2

Protein shake

1 large baked potato

Meal 3

8 ounces chicken breast

2 cups pasta

1 apple

1 cup yogurt

Meal 4

1 can of tuna

1 – 2 cups broccoli

Meal 5

Protein shake

1 cup brown rice

Meal 6

8 ounces broiled fish

1 cup veggies

2 cups rice

Meal 1

Breakfast burrito (3 egg whites, 1 whole egg scrambled, 1 cup onion/green pepper mix, salsa)

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup berries

Meal 2

Protein shake

1 cup raw veggies

Meal 3

Salmon burger on whole wheat bun (canned salmon, 1 egg white, onions cooked in a non-stick                fry pan)

1 large potato cut into strips, brushed with olive oil, and baked in oven until crispy

1 garden salad drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar

Meal 4

Protein shake

1 cup yogurt

Meal 5

8 ounces chicken breast, cut into chunks, fried in olive oil and seasoned with oregano, garlic salt, and basil

1 cup cooked tomatoes

2 cups pasta

1 cup broccoli/cauliflower mix

Meal 6

Protein shake

1 cup melon

1 cup yogurt

Of course, these are only suggested meal plans.  You can mix it up as you want to.  It’s a good idea to plan ahead and pre-cook your meals.  Keep vegetables cut up in the refrigerator so you don’t have to work too hard at meal time.

There’s really no need to measure carefully for the portions suggested.  This isn’t an exact science!  Eyeball your portions and consider the following chart:

Portion                               Size

1 oz. meat                         Matchbox

3 oz. meat                         Deck of cards

8 oz. meat                         Thin paperback book

3 oz. fish                            Checkbook

1 oz. cheese                       Four dice

1 med. potato                     Computer mouse

2 tbsp. peanut butter           Ping pong ball

1 cup pasta                                Tennis ball

1 bagel                              Hockey puck

Recipes are always good to have on hand, so here’s a few to try on for size.