If you want to burn fat and gain muscle, you must eat a healthy, balanced diet that is high in protein, fiber and carbohydrates, and low in saturated fat. To achieve a slim but muscular body, you must be strict with your diet. You will need to plan your meals in advance, buy good-quality food and avoid junk food. Exercise will also play an essential role, so food that gives you energy to exercise is vital.
Function
If you want to gain maximum muscle mass, you should eat around 20 times your body weight in calories each day. You can lose fat at the same time if you make the right dietary choices. The main food group that helps you build muscle is protein, which provides your body with amino acids, which strengthen and repair your muscles. Eat a gram of protein daily for every pound you weigh, but choose foods high in protein and low in fat. Not all fat is bad for you. Some fat helps build muscle and lose weight. Look out for monounsaturated fat. This lets your liver filter cholesterol from your body. Carbohydrates give you the energy to exercise. They should make up around half your diet, with 30 percent protein and 20 percent fat.
Foods
Chicken, turkey, lean cuts of red meat like flank steak and oily fish like salmon and mackerel are excellent sources of protein, because they are low in fat. Oily fish is a great source of monounsaturated fat. Other sources are avocados, olive oil and rapeseed oil and nuts. Almonds in particular are very high in monounsaturated fat. If you are vegetarian, try egg whites, beans, lentils, peas, tofu, nuts and seeds for protein. Wild rice, whole-meal bread and brown pasta are excellent sources of carbohydrates--as white bread, white rice or pasta miss vital nutrients. Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, as they give you the vitamins your body needs to break down fat and increase muscle. Drink 10 glasses of water per day. Avoid or at least moderate chips, candy, chocolate, fried meat, fast food, soda, caffeine and alcohol.
Significance
Losing fat and gaining weight may require large lifestyle choices. To get a ripped, toned body, you must make permanent changes to your exercise routine as well as your diet, and you must be determined enough to stick with them, explains the Mayo Clinic. Before training, eat carbohydrates for fuel, and eat fruit and vegetables afterwards to repair muscle tissue. Aim to exercise five times a week, for about an hour. If you are unfit, start slow by walking and build up to running and gym work. Push-ups, sit-ups and squats are excellent exercises for burning fat and gaining muscle.
Benefits
If you stick to lean, healthy foods, your chances of developing heart disease, cancer and stroke will be far smaller than somebody who eats junk food and maintains an unbalanced diet. A balanced diet will improve your teeth, bones, skin and hair, and it will improve your mood and academic performance.
Small Meals
If you eat six smaller meals instead of three large ones, you will burn fat quicker, because your metabolism will work in overdrive and you'll have more energy for exercise.
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