A Diet To Build Lean Muscle Mass

To build lean muscle mass you need to eat a healthy diet of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and essential fatty acids, do daily cardiovascular exercise for fat-burning and keep your muscles strong with strength training. What you eat is key to building strong, lean muscles, notes "The Eat Clean Diet" author Tosca Reno. Reno suggests eating five to six small meals a day to fuel your muscles and keep your metabolism high. You should eat a balance of carbs, proteins and essential fats every two to three hours. Reno suggests not counting calories but measuring your serving sizes by the palm of your hand. If it fits in your palm, it's the perfect size.

Step 1

Eat lean proteins such as turkey, fish, chicken, tofu, egg whites and lean beef, avoid proteins with high fat contents. Eat a protein with every meal. Drink a protein shake with whey protein and two cups of skim milk after every workout to burn fat and increase muscle, according to the August 2007 Science Daily.

Step 2

Eat only complex carbohydrates such as brown and wild rice, whole grain pasta and bread, steel cut oatmeal and fresh fruit and vegetables. Divide up your carbs equally throughout the day, having one complex carb with every meal.

Step 3

Have a monounsaturated fatty acid, MUFA, with every meal to prevent and decrease belly fat, according to the Journal of Diabetes Care, March 2007 issue. Choose one MUFA such as 10 nuts, 1/4 cup of seeds, 1/4 avocado, 1 tbsp. of olive, sunflower or flaxseed oil, 10 olives or 1/4 cup of 60-percent dark chocolate with every meal for fat-burning benefits.

Step 4

Drink 13 cups of water daily for men and nine cups of water daily for women to keep your body functioning properly for proper metabolism, notes MayoClinic.com. Drink water before you eat to help fill you up and drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated so you don't confuse thirst for hunger and over eat, notes CNN diet expert Dr. Melina Jampolis.

Step 5

Snack on fresh fruit, vegetables, Greek yogurt and raw nuts and seeds instead of sugary pastries, sweets or junk food. Choose a handful of raw almonds, about 10 to 15, if you need a snack to give you energy and fill you up. Eat 1/4 cup of fresh fruit with one non-fat Greek yogurt to satisfy your sweet tooth and promote healthy digestion.