Body Building Foods

Just about every body builder knows how important balanced and proper nutrition is to building mass. Taking in the right amount and types of calories and burning them off at the optimum rate is the essential foundation for growth. We're talking about fuel here -- real body fuel. Protein and complex carbohydrates generally make up the bulk of the serious body building menu, with an emphasis on fish, egg whites, chicken, and powders for the protein supply, as well as pasta or rice among the most common choices for carbs. The old adage is true: put the right things in and get the right results out.

But what about some less common body building foods? How can you add a little diversity to your diet by choosing some less well-known items to supplement your nutritional selections so that you can develop even more dramatic gains? Simple! Consider these three food choices to diversify your menu in order to help maximize your development:

Onions

Raw onions are a very significant source of quercetin, which is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are believed to help protect the body from damage done by free radicals, which can be a byproduct of intense training. Excessive free radicals contribute to inflammation in the muscle tissue, so raw onions are a great way to fight the dreaded post-workout flare ups. Consider eating raw onions, one of my favorite body building foods, as a post-exercise snack to help aid your recoverability.

Beef Liver

Forget any misinformation you may have heard about organ meat. Ounce for ounce, beef liver provides the greatest supply of protein. Every workout warrior is looking for protein to fuel his body, so beef liver is a great choice as a body building food. But more than just protein, beef liver also contains other valuable nutrients like creatine, iron, and B vitamins for energy and efficient metabolism. And don't forget that beef liver, unlike beef, also contains carbs. An equal amount of beef contains about the same amount of protein as beef liver, but beef also contains more fat and contains no carbohydrates. Beef liver is a true power food.

Asparagus

When you think of a body building diet and you talk about green vegetables, spinach and broccoli are the ones that may come to mind. But a great body building food to add to your plate is asparagus. It isn't uncommon for a top body builder to make a meal out of asparagus when training for an upcoming competition, for one very simple reason: asparagus is a natural diuretic. That means asparagus is the body building food that you can turn to when you want to rid yourself of subcutaneous water.

When body building and planning your diet, make sure you include the staples like fish and chicken for protein, as well as pasta and rice for carbs. But don't forget about three body building foods that can pump up your diet as well: raw onions, beef liver, and asparagus.