Essential nutrients - managing carbohydrate protein fats for an effective body building nutrition.

For a bodybuilder, it is important to manage the three essential nutrients - carbohydrate protein fats for an effective body building nutrition. Eat more protein than an average person, consume enough carbohydrate to have enough energy to train hard and prevent the body from ever using muscle as an energy source. Fats intake will be limited to 15% of the daily diet. The “right” ratio would depend on your fitness goals and your own body’s ability to metabolize the three essential nutrients - carbohydrate protein fats.

Basically, all food are broken down into three major groups of essential nutrients; protein, fats and carbohydrate. Unfortunately, there is neither easy way nor easy answers to the “correct” percentages of nutrients in your food to meet your body building goals. These answers not only vary from person to person, they can also vary within the very same person during different periods of time.

Carbohydrate Protein Fats

From the basic rationale, the percentages of the three essential nutrients - carbohydrate protein fats would end up being around 30 percent carbohydrate, 55 percent protein and 15 percent fats.

1. Carbohydrate in food - it gives you the energy to train hard and carry out your everyday activities. However, if carbohydrates are depleted too fast, the body will convert protein into glucose instead of carbohydrates, to give the body the energy it needs. Consuming sufficient enough of it will prevent this from happening but excess carbohydrates however, will be converted into fat.
   

2. Protein in food - is the most essential nutrients you’ll need to build muscle on your body. You simply won’t grow muscle without a sufficient amount of protein. Protein is muscle and muscle is protein.
   

3. Fat in food - these nutrients protects vital organs and carries fat-soluble vitamins.
   
   Ensure that fats intake is mainly made up of the good fats like fish oil, flaxseed oil and olive oil as these will help keep insulin levels stable. Saturated fat is considered bad and should be avoided.

Summary of the three essential nutrients: Eat enough of carbohydrates to give just enough energy to do regular lives activities and keep protein intake high to build muscle. To get lean or stay lean, closely monitor the fats in your diet and limit it to the incidental fat that comes in the lean meat.

Page topic – essential nutrients