A mass diet for bodybuilding has to have enough calories from protein, carbohydrates and fats to enable you to gain muscle mass without putting on excessive fat. You will also need vitamins and minerals that provide valuable micro-nutrients that are necessary for an optimally functioning body that is able to maximize its uptake of valuable muscle-building nutrients.
Frequency
Writing in the website Think Muscle, Lyle McDonald, CSCS, asserts that the bodybuilder should eat four to six meals a day to ensure a steady flow of muscle-building nutrients and growth-inducing calories. He believes the most important meals are breakfast--after up to eight hours of sleep without nutrients--and after working out, when the body craves valuable muscle-building nutrients to replenish what has been used during an intense workout.
Calories
To build muscle and gain mass, your daily calorie intake should exceed what your body needs for daily maintenance and activities. According to McDonald, a calorie intake, high enough to elicit a small fat gain every couple of weeks will suffice to support muscle mass gains. He suggests you should eat 16 to 18 calories per pound of body weight.
Protein
Protein provides the building blocks for your muscles and should be eaten with each meal. According to Dustin Elliot of Bodybuilding.com you should consume 1.4 to 1.8 g of protein for every pound of body weight. McDonald on the other hand recommends 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. You can get your protein from meat, chicken, fish, whole eggs and dairy products. Non-animal sources of protein include soya products and beans.
Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates like oats, whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice, sweet potatoes, yams and quinoa should be the bedrock of your diet. According to McDonald, heavy weight training that leads to muscle mass gains can only be fueled by glycogen--complex carbs broken down and stored in the muscles. He suggests that 45 to 55 percent of total calories should come from carbs. Do not forgo fibrous carbohydrates from vegetables. These provide fiber that is essential for waste elimination--important considering the large amount of food needed to build mass---and health-optimizing vitamins and minerals.
Fats
McDonald argues that 15 to 25 percent of the bodybuilder's calories should come from fat. Saturated fats are derived from meat, chicken, diary products and whole eggs. Polyunsaturated fats from vegetable and seed oils. It is recommended to use cold pressed oils from flax, pumpkin, hemp and sunflower seeds to ensure that you get enough essential fatty acids.
Coconut oil, though a saturated fat contains medium chain triglycerides which are easily metabolized as energy to fuel workouts. These triglycerides also assist the absorption of nutrients and help boost the immune system.
Supplements
Supplements can be used to boost your calorie and nutrient intake. For example, mix some whey protein in milk, or rice milk if you prefer not to use diary products. Add a banana, some strawberries, blueberries or your favorite fruit, 1 tbsp. of hemp or pumpkin seeds and 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. Blend together and this will give you a tasty, nutritious mass gaining protein smoothie.
Water
McDonald also emphasizes the importance of drinking enough water to prevent dehydration and decreased exercise performance. His rather unique guideline is that you drink enough water to allow for five clear urinations a day, two coming after your workout. Coffee, tea or alcohol should not count towards your intake.
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