Nutrition | Bodybuilding | Weight Training | Nutrition and Diet Guidelines | Bodybuilding Nutrition

Nutrition

The truth is, eating healthy has a big effect on the body. When on steroids the user must consume between 4000 and 6000 calories a day, not meaning eat only fat foods. The diet must be high in calories and protein, but low in fat.

Six Classes of Nutrients and Their Major Functions

Protein

Protein is responsible for growth, repair, maintenance and fuel. Not only does it build and repair body tissue, but it is also serves as a major component of enzymes, hormones and antibodies. Every cell in your body contains protein. There are literally thousands of different kinds of protein. Hormones, enzymes, structural components, immune components and muscle contractile molecules are all proteins. Amino acids are the building blocks from which protein molecules are constructed. Of the twenty amino acids, eight are called essential. Essential amino acids must be provided by your diet.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide a major source of energy for the body and are used to power muscular contraction and as a fuel for the central nervous system. Carbohydrates spare protein from being synthesized into glucose, and they are a metabolic primer for fat metabolism. There are three kinds of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides and disaccharides are also called simple sugars or simple carbohydrates, and polysaccharides are called complex carbohydrates. The simple sugars are fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose (grain sugar). Complex carbohydrates are starch, glycogen, and cellulose. Regardless of the original form of a carbohydrate, the liver converts them into glucose which is blood sugar. Some glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, some is used as energy, and some is converted into fat.

Lipids

Fats are the chief storage form of energy in the body. Fat insulates and protects vital organs, and provides fat-soluble vitamins. Fat molecules are made up of simpler units called fatty acids. Fatty acids can be either saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated fats can be either mono or poly unsaturated. In general, the more liquid the fat or oil, the more unsaturated it is. Unsaturated fat decreases blood cholesterol just as saturated fat increases cholesterol.

Vitamins

• Vitamin A Needed for healthy skin, hair, bones, teeth and gums as well as good vision
• Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine) Turns carbohydrates into energy and has beneficial effects on the nervous system. It aids in digestion and promotes growth.
• Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) Necessary for healthy skin and is needed for tissue repair. Helps turn all nutrients into usable energy. Aids in the formation of healthy antibodies and red blood cells.
• Vitamin B-3 (Niacin/Niacinamide) Like B-2 it helps turn all nutrients into usable energy. It is important to the brain’s function, and in promoting healthy skin, and healthy nervous and digestive systems.
• Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine) Helps keep teeth, gums, blood cells and our nervous system healthy. It also helps turn all nutrients into usable energy. It helps form antibodies.
• Biotin Helps keep your skin and circulatory system healthy. It also plays a role in healthy hair growth.
• Vitamin B-12 (Cebalamin) Helps in the development of red blood cells. It helps support the nervous system, and helps turn all nutrients into usable energy.
• Folic Acid The body depends on folic acid for healing and for helping the intestinal track function properly. It aids in converting proteins into usable energy. PABA It helps the body form folic acid, and it helps in the breakdown of protein.
• Pantothenic Acid It helps turn all nutrients into usable energy. It also supports the adrenal glands and digestive system.
• Inositol It aids in fat breakdown and nourishes the brain cells. It helps healthy hair growth.
• Vitamin C It is a very important antioxidant that protects cells and fights tissue damage. It helps the body resist infection and aid in healing.
• Vitamin D It helps maintain strong bones and teeth by increasing the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
• Vitamin E It is a very important antioxidant that acts as a protector against environmental pollutants. It helps promote healthy circulation, and the growth of red blood cells. It is important to the skin, reproductive organs and muscles.
• Vitamin K It is essential for the proper clotting of blood.

Minerals

• Calcium Needed for strong bones. A lack of calcium can lead to loss of height and teeth. A lack of calcium can also cause back pain and porous bones that can be easily broken.
• Copper It is a vital component of enzymes needed to break down proteins, and it is required to convert the body’s iron into hemoglobin. It is also essential for the utilization of Vitamin C.
• Chromium It plays a role in the breaking down of simple sugar and helps in the production of insulin and thus it helps control blood sugar levels.
• Iodine It supports the thyroid gland which controls mental reaction, energy and weight gain.
• Iron It is necessary for the production of hemoglobin, myoglobin and certain enzymes. It helps in body growth and helps prevent fatigue. It also helps the body fight disease.
• Magnesium It relaxes and nerves and muscles and has become known as the anti-stress mineral.
• Manganese It helps nourish the body’s nervous system and helps regulate muscles. It helps activate enzymes that convert nutrients into usable energy.
• Phosphorus It is necessary for normal bone and tooth structure. It is needed for heart regularity and is essential for normal kidney function.
• Potassium It helps regulate water balance with sodium and it supports the transport of nutrients in the bloodstream. It also plays a role in helping support the nervous system.
• Selenium. Selenium works closely with Vitamin E as an antioxidant. It helps fight premature aging and hardening of the tissues through oxidation. Selenium helps with the male reproductive system.
  
• Sodium It helps pump fluids and nutrients in and out of the cells and it helps nerves and muscles function properly.
• Sulfur It is vital for healthy hair, skin and nails. It also plays a role in maintaining a proper oxygen balance in the brain.
• Zinc It is important in RNA and DNA formation. It helps convert proteins into energy. It helps support healthy prostate function.

Water

Enables chemical reactions to occur. It is about 60 percent of the body, and is essential for life as we cannot store it.
Basic Principles of Nutrition

* The first basic principle of good eating is to emphasize low glycemic carbohydrates. The majority of your carbohydrates should come from fruits and vegetables. Carbohydrates are stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. Glycogen strongly influences your level of energy and endurance. A diet rich in carbohydrates does more than build up glycogen stores, it ensures you replenish glycogen stores quickly. Additionally, carbohydrates also limits the amount of protein your body burns for energy, sparing that protein for building tissue. Attempt to consume 40% of your calories in carbohydrates.
* The second basic principle of good eating is to consume a sensible amount of protein. Protein helps build and repair body tissue and is of paramount important to bodybuilding. Some people eat too much protein. In actuality, excess protein impairs muscle growth. Excess protein will be stored as fat, and excess protein causes increased urea production. Protein is the cornerstone of a “Zone” based diet. The volume of low-fat protein you are going to eat determines the volume of carbohydrates you can consume at the same time. Your target protein consumption should be 30% of your calories.
* The third basic principle of good eating is to eat fewer but better fats. A certain amount of dietary fat is essential for health, but eating too much is very detrimental to your health. Fat is closely connected to cholesterol levels and heart disease, and may even be connected to cancer. No more than 30% of your calories should come from fat. Saturated fats, such as butter, should be eliminated. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, and olive oil, are better fats and tend to lower the HDL's in your blood, and thus help you prevent coronary artery disease.
Eating well is not complicated but good nutrition does require you to take the nutrients in the proper balance. Adopt a 40/40/20 split between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and focus on low glycemic carbohydrates. Balanced nutrients is a key element of good nutrition and an imbalance or excess can cause several problems, for example:

• Excess protein stresses your liver and kidneys.
• Insufficient iron can cause a zinc deficiency.
• Excess zinc can cause a calcium deficiency.
• Excess salt can cause a negative calcium balance.
• Insufficient fat intake interferes with the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K