Part of muscle is protein, and many body builders swear by protein powders and shakes – not to mention steak dinners. But most experts don’t believe extra protein is necessary. Gorillas are strict vegetarians, and nobody would argue that they can’t grow big muscles. The average fit guy already gets more than enough protein in his diet to build all the muscle he needs. In fact, your body needs about 35 grams of protein daily to function properly. To build a pound of muscle a week (quite a task), you’d need to add just 16 grams of protein each twice this amount – more than 100 grams daily. Instead of eating more meat, focus on making sure the meat you do eat is lean. Fat in your diet is more likely to be stored as fat in the body and won’t help muscle growth. The best bets are fish, skinless chicken or turkey or lean beef (top round is leanest). If you do eat pork, avoid the chops and opt for tenderloin.
While vegetables are a good source of nutrients, they tend to be low in calories, If you fill up on them, you’ll have a tough time gaining any weight. For the extra calories you need, get the bulk of your vitamins and fiber from fruit. One serving at about 60 calories more than doubles the calories you’d get from a typical serving of vegetables. You still need to get two serving of vegetables a day but if you want more calories, stop at the second serving and go for the less bulky foods that have more calories. Take your pick of these single fruit servings: one medium apple, one peach, three apricots, one medium orange, 15 grapes or 1.5 cups of strawberries.
While vegetables are a good source of nutrients, they tend to be low in calories, If you fill up on them, you’ll have a tough time gaining any weight. For the extra calories you need, get the bulk of your vitamins and fiber from fruit. One serving at about 60 calories more than doubles the calories you’d get from a typical serving of vegetables. You still need to get two serving of vegetables a day but if you want more calories, stop at the second serving and go for the less bulky foods that have more calories. Take your pick of these single fruit servings: one medium apple, one peach, three apricots, one medium orange, 15 grapes or 1.5 cups of strawberries.

