A muscle gain diet is the single most important element in any workout plan aiming to build muscle mass fast and efficiently. Before you come up with a good muscle gain diet for your workout, you need to first identify the different food types and subtypes that will contribute to your daily intake.
Broadly, food types are divided into carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Proteins are obviously the building blocks of your muscles and will therefore will intake is expected to be high. Generally, a good gauge for the ideal protein intake per day is 1.5g of protein per kg of your weight. That means if you are currently weighing at 60kg, you should consume about 1.5g x 60 = 90g of proteins a day. With a well planned diet that is easily achievable.
The next important thing you should recognize is that not all protein foods are the same. When deciding what protein food to eat, do not make the fundamental mistake of just looking at protein content under the nutrition label of your canned food. While protein content is clearly a high priority, the actual food type you are eating is more significant.
Some food such as soy-based products have high protein content but they also contain various substances that you definitely wish to avoid as they are detrimental to your muscle building. An example of this in soy foods is the relatively high estrogen content, a hormone that is predominantly high in females and therefore makes you “more feminine”, so to speak. In general, you should exclude soy-based food such as tofu, soya bean milk and soya sauce in your muscle gain diet.
Good protein food that immediately comes to mind is lean chicken breast meat, red meat in general, as well as eggs, milk and fish (especially tuna). Lean meat in general is the cornerstone of any muscle gain diet. It keeps you full, gives a healthy content of protein and can be cooked in many different ways.
Eggs are absolutely necessary too, as each egg gives you about 6-7g of protein. If you are someone who has problems eating a lot, eggs are your best friend because it hardly fills your stomach yet provides a great chunk of protein. Milk is the same category as eggs, except that it gives some people an uncomfortable feeling of flatulence after drinking too much in one serving.
Here’s a tip from a fellow hardgainer: eggs and milk hardly make you feel full yet gives you a lot of protein content. Everyone knows they are a choice for breakfast but do you know that it’s also excellent for supper as well? For instance you just had a huge sirloin steak with a big chunk of grilled chicken breast meat for dinner at 8pm. Still not feeling hungry by 10.30pm? Try a serving of 2-3 half boiled eggs with 1-2 glasses of milk (I like to drink about 500ml at least). It will easily compensate for any lack of protein you consumed in the day. It also helps that you don’t really get sick of it unlike chicken or peanut butter toast.
Oats is a primary source for complex carbohydrates but also give a healthy source of proteins if you are looking for some variety. Protein bars are also a good alternative.
Aside from the already mentioned soy-products, you should also avoid all processed meat. No to crabsticks, canned food of any sorts and fast food. If you want to see quick muscle gains, you need to avoid them like plague. It is fine to occasionally munch some junk food though but absolutely do not make it a habit.
