Nutrition plays a very vital part in bodybuilding.
Our bodies need food for energy and to grow. Paying close attention to your diet can increase muscle gain or fat loss. In this article, we will examine the important of eating fat, how much to eat, and what kind of fat to eat.
When I first starting getting into fitness, I thought eating fat was bad. Everything I ate had either low or no fat. I was still making gains, but not very big ones. I just could not pack on the muscle I wanted. I did some research and found that fat is a very important part of your diet.
Fat contains nine calories per gram. Protein and carbohydrates contain four. Fat is the most concentrated of the energy-producing nutrients. Therefore, we do not need as much fat as we do protein and carbs. Fats are separated into three categories, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.
Meats, eggs, and dairy products, such as cheese, are high in saturated fats and cholesterol. A high intake of saturated fats can be unhealthy. Diets with high amounts of saturated fats can lead to strokes, heart disease, and other health problems. Fruits and vegetables contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which can lower cholesterol.
So where can you obtain these good needed fats? Fat from fish, avocado, raw seeds, such as pumpkin and sunflower, nuts, such as almonds and cashews, and flax seed oil are all good sources of fat. An excess of bad fats can also make you tired.
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Therefore, you want to avoid foods such as butter, mayonnaise, ice cream, and bacon. Having these foods once in awhile will not hurt, but you do not want to make them a main part of your diet.
Health experts say that fat should make up no higher than 30% of your calorie intake. The average American's fat intake is about 30%-50% of their calorie intake. The problem with low or no fat diets is they starve your body. Your body needs fats to survive, so when you deny your body of fats, it retains them when you do intake them.
This leads to needed proteins being used instead because your body does not have the needed fats to supply energy. You will also start to burn muscle for energy. I know none of you want to lose any muscle!
Low-fat foods are not all they cracked up to be. Just because something is low-fat, does not mean that it is good for you. Most low-foods on the market are loads with sugar or other chemicals that are not good for your body. Some potato chips are made with a chemical called Olestra.
This replaces the fat used in the chips. So it looks like you get to eat chips without the fat, but there is a downside. Olestra is very hard for your body to digest. To get rid of this, your body produces an oily discharge. Sounds fun.
All of the sugar in these products are converted to fat because they are unneeded. So you are getting fat from eating these low and no fat foods.
I myself get most of my fats from natural peanut butter, peanut butter made with 100% peanuts. The fat in this peanut is very good for your body.
Since I have increased my intake of "good" fats, I have made more gains. Eating fats will not make you fat. A healthy diet should include a variety of proteins, carbs, and fat. My diet consist of 40% of my calories coming from carbs, 40% from protein, and 20% from fat.
This ratio has produced great results and I have not put on much if any fat. So if you're looking to put on some quality mass, eat some quality fat!