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Food For Building Muscle
Healthy Fats and EFAs
Some novice bodybuilders make the big mistake of avoiding all fats as food for building muscle. We all know that fat in general isn't good for you, but this isn't completely true.
Not all fats are created equal, and there are some healthy fats out there that are not only a great addition to your bodybuilding diet, but they are vital to general well-being and a balanced diet. You need at least some fat in your day to day diet for your body to function optimally.
A lot of people don't realize that quality fats can be some of the best food for building muscle. The healthy fats that I'm talking about can even help boost the muscle building process itself.
Fats are calorie dense, and 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. This is more than double the amount of calories per gram as opposed to protein and carbohydrates. There are two main types of fat, saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature, just like the marbling in meat. Unsaturated fats on the other hand are generally liquid at room temperature.
Saturated fats are known to help brain function and have a mood raising effect. However, in general they are considered unhealthy and should be avoided as much as you can in your muscle gain diet. They reduce the good cholesterol in your body, and raise the bad cholesterol which means bad news for your body.
Unsaturated fats are a great food for building muscle, and they are great sources of omega6 and omega3 fatty acids. Unsaturated fats play a big part in the healthy function of your central nervous system and they also work to lower cholesterol levels in the body. Unsaturated fats also lower your blood pressure and aid in the function of your immune system.
Some common sources of unsaturated fats are olive oil, flaxseed oil, seeds, nuts, avocados, salmon, and some dark leafy vegetables.
You may have heard or read about the term EFA (Essential Fatty Acids) before. Some unsaturated fats cannot be produced by the body and can only come from certain foods, that's why they are called "essential". EFAs are among the best food for building muscle.
EFAs have many benefits. They naturally increase testosterone levels, and testosterone as we all know is one of the most important muscle building hormones. EFAs also help the secretion of the growth hormone, which is another important hormone for the muscle gain process.
Other benefits to taking EFAs include raising metabolism to help fat burning, nitrogen retention, and helping the way in which insulin acts on your body. You don't really need to know all the details to what EFAs actually do, but just know that they are a great addition to any bodybuilding diet.
So in general make sure to avoid saturated and trans fats, and stick to the healthy fats for your diet.
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