The Baseline Diet, Part 2: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat
by Lyle McDonald, CSCS
Author of The Ketogenic
Diet
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the HST Forum
Introduction
Last article, I discussed three of the primary aspects of the baseline
diet: meal frequency, caloric intake and water intake. To recap briefly, at
a bare minimum bodybuilders (and probably everybody else for that matter)
should be eating 4 times per day. Six time per day is probably closer to
ideal, although this depends on caloric intake to a degree (i.e. a female
bodybuilder who only consumes 1500 calories per day will find dividing those
calories into 6 meals results in very small meals).
In regards to mass gains, many lifters who classify themselves as
hardgainers simply don't eat enough. A good starting point for calories, is
16-18 cal/lb. (for fat loss, a good rule of thumb is 12 cal/lb.). Some may
need less, others more so consider those values starting points only.
Finally, water is intimately involved in just about every reaction in the
body, and water intake should be kept high. In the second part of this
article, we will discuss the macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat
in regards to setting up the baseline diet.
Protein
Arguably more has been written about protein than any other nutrient.
Contrary to popular belief, protein is NOT the main component of muscle,
water is. I'm surprised nobody has pushed water supplements for this reason
(new Hydroderm dermal water!). Every lifter knows the importance of protein
intake for mass gains (as well as mass maintenance while dieting). Research
supports the rough value of 1 gram/lb. of bodyweight for mass gains
(actually, research supports 0.8 g/lb. assuming calorie intake is
sufficient). This is for natural lifters. Drug-assisted lifters may be able
to assimilate more protein as protein synthesis is ramped up to much higher
with anabolics (others could comment on this much better than I, so that's
all I'll say on the topic).
Despite what is written in muscle magazines, there is little reason to
consume more than 1 gram/lb., IF long as caloric intake is high enough (this
is a big if for many people). There is a limit to how much muscle protein
can be synthesized in a given time period, and eating more protein is simply
converted to glucose.
Although far from scientifically supported, most lifters feel that
spreading protein intake throughout the day is more beneficial than
consuming it in three servings. If you're eating 4-6 times per day, you
should be consuming protein at each of those meals (so if your protein
intake is 180 grams/day, you're looking at 30 grams of protein at each
meal). This is an important aspect of the baseline diet, lost on many
individuals (i.e. a bagel or a piece of fruit does not cut it as one of your
meals).
Once total protein and caloric intake is met, I don't feel that there
will be a huge benefit to one protein source over another, as long as your
protein sources are high-quality to begin with (think milk, chicken, fish,
meat, etc). Spending twice as much for a protein supplement that may give a
(hypothetically) few percent improvement is sheer folly. To a great degree
protein is protein and amino acid are amino acids and the body will treat
them all the same in the end. Yes, there are some differences in biological
value between different types of protein. At the levels of protein intake
seen in bodybuilders, this becomes a fairly moot point. As a final comment,
various types of proteins (for example chicken vs. whey protein) all have
their pros and cons and there is no single protein which is applicable to
all dietary situations. As long as lifters consume sufficient calories
(10-20% above maintenance) and sufficient protein (~1 g/lb.) from
high-quality sources, small differences in protein type are unlikely to make
a big difference in the rate of gains.
Arguably the biggest difference between food protein and powders
(especially hydrolyzed/predigested) is in how quickly they get into the
bloodstream. I could make a case for using a hydrolyzed protein powder right
after workout, when you want to get aminos into the bloodstream as soon as
possible. I could also make a case for eating some whole food protein about
2 hours before the workout, so it will still be digesting and releasing
aminos into the bloodstream during and at the end of your workout.
Carbohydrates
Before discussing dietary carbohydrates, let's get something out on the
table first. Despite what has been written by otherwise well-meaning
individuals, activities such as weight training can ONLY be fueled by muscle
glycogen (carbohydrate stored within the muscle). No amount of adaptation
can shift the body to using fat for fuel during weight training (unless your
sets last more than about 3 minutes). The implication of this is that
glucose is an absolute requirement to sustain weight training performance.
Carbohydrates are surrounded by controversy in the world of sports
nutrition for lifters. Well meaning dietitians give the same carb
recommendations to lifters as they do for endurance athletes. Others argue
that there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate (true) and prefer
to use excessive protein intakes to produce glucose. For the most part I'm
more or less right in the middle. While I think that lifters generally don't
need massive carbohydrate intakes (well, maybe if you're training 2
hours/day every day), I consider excess protein intake an expensive
(metabolically and financially) way to produce glucose. Carbs taste better
anyhow and produce more insulin.
For mass gains, I think 45-55% of total calories as carbs is a good place
to start although some will do better with more, some better with less. This
will generally allow protein to be easily set at 1 gram/lb. as well as
allowing sufficient dietary fat intake to optimize testosterone levels (see
next section) and satiety.
Beyond the argument about carbohydrate quantity, there is a separate (but
somewhat related) argument about carbohydrate quality (i.e. type of
carbohydrates). Carbohydrate sources are roughly divided into starchy
carbohydrates (e.g. bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc) and fibrous
carbohydrates (e.g. most vegetables). More technically minded nutritionists
will frequently speak of something called the Glycemic Index (GI), which
refers to the propensity of a given food to raise blood glucose and insulin.
In general, fibrous carbs tend to have a lower GI (meaning they have less of
an impact on blood glucose and insulin) than starchy carbohydrates but there
are some exceptions.
There is much debate over the importance of the GI concept for
bodybuilders. On the one hand, excessively high insulin levels (caused by
eating very high GI foods) tend to promote fat storage and cause problems.
On the other hand, when high GI foods are combined with other nutrients
(such as protein, fat and fiber), GI is always lowered, making the impact on
blood glucose and insulin lower. And while current research is suggesting
that consuming lower GI foods has much benefit for individuals with
diabetics, it's still debatable as to whether this has any relevance to
healthy, non-diabetic individuals.
Additionally, GI interacts with total carbohydrate intake as well. That
is, GI is measured after consumption of 100 grams of a given food (some
studies use 25 or 50 grams). A small amount (10-20 grams) of a high GI food
may actually have a smaller impact on blood glucose and insulin than a large
amount (50+ grams) of a low GI food.
About the best guideline I can give at this point is to experiment with
different sources of carbohydrate in the diet to see if results (in terms of
muscle or fat gain) are significantly different (as well, ensuring a mix of
both starchy and fibrous carbs will help to ensure optimal vitamin and
mineral intake).
About the only time that we can conclusively say that high or low GI
foods are ideal is immediately after a workout, where high blood insulin
levels are of benefit. Consuming a high GI carbohydrate (typical amount is
1-1.5 g/kg) with some protein (about 1/3rd as much protein as carbs) right
after workout helps with recovery and may promote better growth.
Fats
Until a few years ago, fats were sort of the forgotten nutrient in
bodybuilding diets. While it was accepted that you'd get some in your diet,
most bodybuilders (and everybody else) tried to minimize dietary fat as much
as possible. Recently, though, the benefits of increased dietary fat has
become more emphasized in most bodybuilding publications. Arguably one of
the main benefits of increased dietary fat is that it makes foods taste
better. Let's face it, any diet that you can't stand (because the food is
unpalatable) isn't one you're going to follow in the long- term. As well,
for many individuals it can be difficult to consume sufficient calories when
dietary fat intake is too low. The caloric density of dietary fat is an easy
way to raise calories. However, some individuals find the opposite to be
true, in that increased dietary fat promotes such feelings of fullness that
caloric intake is more difficult to keep high. The health benefits of the
essential fatty acids (EFA's, found in vegetable source fats such as flax
and safflower oil, and most nuts and seeds) are becoming increasingly
emphasized.
Perhaps the biggest argument for raised dietary fat for bodybuilders is
that a number of studies have documented decreases in blood testosterone
(both bound and free testosterone) with low-fat, high-fiber diets. As well,
a few studies have documented improved nitrogen balance with higher-fat (and
lowered carb) diets.
So this raises the question of how much dietary fat to consume? The
unfortunate reality is that a great number of studies have linked high
dietary fat intake with a number of disease states. However, it is difficult
to strictly differentiate the effects of quantity of dietary fat vs. quality
of dietary fat. For readers who are unaware, dietary fats (more technically:
dietary triglycerides) come in several "flavors":
a. Saturated fats: Saturated fats are found primarily in animal
source foods, although coconut and palm kernel oil both contain high amounts
of saturated fats. They are solid at room temperature (think butter, milk
fat).
b. Unsaturated fats: Unsaturated fats are found primarily in
vegetable sources foods, although small amounts are found in animal foods.
Unsaturated fats are typically subdivided into mono- and polyunsaturated
fats but this is an unnecessary distinction for us here. They are liquid at
room temperature (think vegetable oil)
c. Trans-fatty acids: Also known as partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils, trans-fatty acids are formed when hydrogen is bubbled
through vegetable oils to make a semi-solid (think margarine) with a longer
shelf life. Some research suggests that trans-fatty acids are worse than
saturated fats in many health-related respects.
Studies have linked the majority of health problems associated with a
high dietary fat intake to saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. In fact,
cultures which consume most of their dietary fat as unsaturated fats (such
as the Italians) show none of the health problems found in America, despite
a high-percentage of dietary fat in their diet (note: there are other
differences than simply dietary fat intake, such as higher vegetable intake,
greater amounts of exercise, etc).
Despite the link between "high" fat diets and a number of disease states,
bodybuilders are arguably best-served by consuming 15-25% of their total
calories as dietary fat as a rule of thumb. As well, ideally most of this
dietary fat should come from unsaturated fats, although small amounts of
saturated fats aren't going to kill you.
Summing up
Ok, we've now discussed what I consider to be the 6 major aspects of the
baseline diet. Once again, by baseline diet, this is the diet I think
lifters should follow (to establish their results) prior to trying other
diet interpretations (such as the Zone or CKD's or whatever). Arguably, it's
the general diet template that most bodybuilders have more or less followed
over the years. To sum up the 6 aspects:
- Meal frequency: 4 meals per day should be considered the bare
minimum, 6 per day is probably closer to ideal
- Total caloric intake: for mass gains, a rule of thumb
starting place is 16-18 cal/lb., for fat loss 12 cal/lb.
- Water intake: high, 6-8 8 oz. glasses per day
- Protein intake: 0.8-1 gram/lb. from high quality sources
- Carbohydrate intake: 45-55% of total calories from a mix of
starchy and fibrous carbohydrate sources, high GI carbs right after
training
- Fat intake: 15-25% of total calories, with most coming from
unsaturated fats
The above approach would probably fulfill the dietary needs of the
majority of bodybuilders. Sure, you'll always find individual exceptions
(i.e. the person who truly does benefit from higher protein intakes, or the
one who is very sensitive to starchy carbs) but I would consider the above a
good starting point diet for most folks under most conditions.
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