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Good nutrition is important for everyone, but for those who are putting their bodies through strenuous bodybuilding routines several times a week, it is even more essential. Bodybuilding will rob the body of its reserves more quickly than almost any other athletic activity.

If those reserves are not replenished every day, the bodybuilder will not only fail to achieve his or her desired muscle growth, he or she will be on the way to serious health issues.

Eating More Often

A sound body building nutrition plan will have the bodybuilder eating several small meals throughout the day, and each of those meals will contain carbohydrates and protein in equal proportion, with the balance of the meal being healthy fats. It works out to a 40% carb/40% protein/20% fat ratio.

The bulk of the carbohydrate in a good bodybuilding nutrition plan will come from complex carbohydrates like whole grain cereals and pasta, vegetables, yams, and beans. Bodybuilders should eat simple carbohydrates--from fruit, not candy--following their workouts so that the glycogen stores they have exhausted will be replenished as soon as possible.

Complex carbohydrates are important not only as fuel but because they are great sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which are necessary if a body building nutrition plan is to work. For more info see Body_Building_Products" title="http://www.bigbodybuildingtips.com/Body_Building_Products" target="_blank">http://www.bigbodybuildingtips.com/Body_Building_Products on Body Building Products.

Good bodybuilding nutrition includes lean red meats with less than 105 fat, white meat turkey or chicken prepared without the skin, eggs or egg substitute, low-fat dairy products, and fish. Bodybuilders should eat between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein each day for every pound of their lean body mass. This means that, ass they add muscle, their protein requirements will increase, and they will be able need more protein, balanced by a similar increase in their carb intake.

The Right Fats

Bodybuilders, and everyone else, should stay away from both animal and hydrogenated vegetable fats, which cause elevated cholesterol and can lead to arteriosclerosis. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated vegetable oils are better, and virgin olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and fish oil all have essential fatty acid and offer the added bonus of antioxidant protection.

The balanced body building nutrition should be consumed in small meals throughout the day, because if the body goes for more than three or four house between meals, it will stop burning fat for energy. Because the goal of bodybuilding is to preserve and increase muscle mass, having a body which is burning muscle for fuel instead of fat is highly counter-productive. Besides, with all the work they are doing, they deserve to be eating more often!