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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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