Guide : Natural Nutrition or Supplements? Choose Wisely

Apart from pumping iron at gym you shall require external help to build body muscles. But what is it going to be? Natural foods or formulated supplements? You ought to make an informed decision.

It is human nature to always seek solutions that simplify life. In the past 3 decades more and more people have become aware of the importance of fitness and therefore we see more gym goers around today than ever before. But achieving fitness is far from being a piece of cake. Much hard work is required. To simplify this work, gym goers take assistance from nutrition. From synthetic supplement formulations to naturally occurring super foods you shall come across a voluminous amount of choices. It is hard to select type of nutrition that one must use to build muscles, especially if you are doing it for the first time.

For a novice bodybuilder any supplement that has been advertised actively may seem immensely attractive. And, foods may seem quite ordinary in front of these power-packed formulations. Before we begin to point out pros and cons of each of these types, let us get one thing very clear. Every type of nutritional support comes with limitations. We strongly recommend that you keep an open mind and take a decision based on what suits best to your body.

Understanding the Game of Calories

The rules are pretty simple. If you want to gain weight then you should eat more calories than required by your body. If you wish to lose weight then you need to eat less number of calories than your body needs. The number of calories needed by your body depends on several factors like your gender, age, height, weight and BMR. You can use BMR calculators to find out about your ideal calorie count. BMR rate is calculated using weight and height. You can use these calculators online.

A male, at beginner’s stage, requires about 3200 to 3500 calories. The fact is that 1 kilogram of human muscle can generate 7700 calories and so, you need to eat accordingly.

Protein shakes and bars are capable of providing you this large amount of calories most conveniently. In the same way, there are some naturally occurring foods that provide surplus energy to build muscles. For best results your aim should be to get superior quality protein supplements.

How to Choose Protein Supplements

Protein supplements are primarily available in two forms – powder and bar form. Each of these protein forms offer individual perks. Some people prefer bars over protein powders because the former type comes in amazing flavors. Protein powders are far from being flavorful and often they are made to taste sweeter by adding synthetic sweeteners. You must try to buy those protein supplements that contain lactose in their formulations because this type of sugar has very low glycemic index and thus limits risk of supplements induced diabetes in body builders.

Amino acids are building blocks of proteins. Successful body builders recommend consumption of pure amino acids powders to build muscles weight and strength. The only problem is that you shall need to consume a sweetener with this type of supplement because amino acids act only in the presence of a sweetener. Honey is a good choice of sweetener to mix with pure amino acids. Finding pure amino acids powder can be of much hassle. Episodes of adulteration are common therefore make sure that you buy only from a well-known brand.

High Calorie Super Foods to Help Build Muscles

Unless it is hard for you to gain weight a few naturally occurring foods can provide you with the extra number of calories needed to build muscles. The top of the list is whole milk, followed by various types of eggs and nuts like almonds, walnuts, pine nuts. Cashew nuts are usually avoided by bodybuilders because of the type of fat it contains. Butters of nuts, especially almonds butter and peanut butter, are exceedingly high calorie foods. Bodybuilders use whole milk specifically. They often consume whole milk (plain) on non-workout days and use flavored milk shakes (chocolate / mango) after workout to gain strength post gym. Egg shakes, made using protein powder and milk as base, are very energizing. A single shake of 6 eggs can straight away add 400 calories in your diet.

If you read about bodybuilding regimes of celebrity bodybuilders, you shall notice that they consume both natural foods and supplements to build muscles. A better plan is to compile a chart that contains both supplements and superfoods in balanced proportions.