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7 best BB foods: for building muscle mass and boosting energy, the following are some of the best bodybuilding whole foods on and in the market
by Chris Aceto
BUCKWHEAT (SOBA) NOODLES
>> Buckwheat noodles are slower-digesting carbs, meaning it takes a while for them to break down into energy. This helps maintain a balanced energy level in the body over time, leading to better muscle recovery and enhanced mental acuity. When carbs slowly enter the bloodstream, they produce far fewer fat-storing hormones and enzymes than carbs like white rice, cold cereals and white bread that flood the bloodstream.
>> "The most common form of buckwheat noodles is Japanese soba," explains bodybuilding chef Dave Nathan, aka the Muscle Gourmet. "To prepare, boil for 5-8 minutes and then drain in a colander. Rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent overcooking. Toss them with fresh ginger, garlic, basil, fat-free coconut milk and grilled chicken. This keeps for several days."
NUTRITION FACTS
1 cup (cooked)
113 calories
6 g protein
24 g carbohydrate
Trace fat
1.3 g fiber
LEAN GROUND BEEF
>> Think bodybuilding greats of yesteryear built their mass on high-tech protein powders? Nope--their nutrition was based on protein from whole foods, mostly in the form of beef. Lean beef remains the No. 1 mass-building food because it not only provides quality protein but also has iron, zinc, creatine and B vitamins.
>> Pro bodybuilder Garrett Downing, who placed fifth in the 2005 Toronto Pro, has found a way to prepare ground beef that satisfies both his bodybuilding needs and his toddler daughter's picky palate. "I combine extra-lean ground sirloin with a packaged whole-grain mac-and-cheese meal from a health-food market," he says. "I prepare the mac and cheese as directed, omitting the butter and using fat-free milk. Then I brown the beef in a skillet using a fat-free spray, and combine the beef and the mac and cheese for a well-balanced and relatively low-fat meal. I complete it with a salad or steamed veggies on the side."
NUTRITION FACTS
4 oz. (4% fat)
150 calories
25 g protein
0 g carbohydrate
4.5 g fat
0 g fiber
BROCCOLI
>> What's so special about this green veggie? Indoles, a naturally occurring compound that works against estrogen, the "female hormone" that can make the body more efficient at storing bodyfat. Keeping a lid on excess estrogen production may lead to easier fat loss. Plus, broccoli is available year-round, and it's packed with cancer-fighting phytochemicals and fiber.
>> Pro bodybuilder Mark Dugdale, vice president of Garden Fresh Foods (Woodinville, Washington), a fresh-vegetable packaging company, relies heavily on broccoli. "I'm a big broccoli eater. That being said, I don't stay very true to my fresh-cut veggie roots--I buy frozen broccoli from Trader Joe's! It's easy to prepare because I can simply rinse it in hot water for a few seconds, drain it, portion it out in my meals and add a little sea salt. I eat two bags of broccoli a day when dieting."
NUTRITION FACTS
1/2 cup spears
(cooked)
28 calories
3 g protein
5 g carbohydrate
Trace fat, 3 g fiber
FAT-FREE COTTAGE CHEESE
>> Protein powders with whey or casein are all the rage now, but before their invention, bodybuilders relied heavily on fat-free cottage cheese. No wonder: A single cup provides 30-plus grams of a mix of both whey and casein.
>> If you don't like your cottage cheese plain, or sweetened with jam in prepackaged containers, try it spicy. Chris Carmichael's Fitness Cookbook (Putnam, 2005), written by Lance Armstrong's coach, offers this recipe: Mix 16 ounces fat-free cottage cheese with 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon bottled hot sauce, 2 chopped garlic cloves, one-quarter teaspoon ground ginger and one-quarter bunch sliced fresh chives. Serves four.
NUTRITION FACTS
1/2 cup
80 calories
16 g protein
4 g carbohydrate
0 g fat
0 g fiber
CANNED TUNA
>> Whether you're trying to build mass or drop bodyfat, tuna is a bodybuilding staple. Packed with protein and convenient as hell, tuna is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support immune function and spare the body from burning valuable branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Maintaining adequate levels of BCAAs protects against muscle loss and helps elevate your metabolism. Tuna is also high in selenium, a mineral with antioxidant properties.
>> Denise Cook, an NPC fitness competitor and wife of pro bodybuilder Chris Cook, says she buys albacore tuna in bulk at Costco so it's always on hand. They eat it in a bowl with mustard or salsa, or sometimes plain from the can. "We don't eat any bread with it. Once in a while we'll eat it on rice cakes with salsa," she says.
NUTRITION FACTS
3 oz. albacore/white
(canned in water, drained)
109 calories, 20 g protein,
0 g carbohydrate,
2.5 g fat, 0 g fiber
TURKEY BREAST
>> To get ripped to the bone, you need a high-protein, lower-carbohydrate diet that's also low in dietary fat. Turkey fits that bill, with 8 ounces providing about 60 grams of protein, no carbs and virtually no fat. In fact, it's one of the leanest sources of protein available, which makes it an essential part of any hardcore diet.
>> Jen Hendershott, who won the 2005 Fitness International, is no stranger to eating turkey breast as part of a precontest diet. She buys extra-lean ground turkey and often makes meatloaf out of it. In addition, prepackaged spices make it easy for her to prepare a flavorful homemade wrap. "I love taco seasoning," Jen explains. "I throw my ground turkey in a pan, then add the taco seasoning and a little bit of additional water according to the packet's instructions. I cook it till it's juicy and have it on a whole-wheat wrap with whatever additional toppings I'm in the mood for."
NUTRITION FACTS
3.5 oz.
(roasted, meat only)
135 calories
30 g protein
0 g carbohydrate
Trace fat
0 g fiber
OATMEAL
>> This slow-burning carbohydrate makes the ideal pretraining carb snack. Why? Two words: energy preservation. When you train hard, stored carbs within muscles, or muscle glycogen, become the chief fuel source. As glycogen levels fall, so does training intensity. By contributing to stable energy levels in the bloodstream, oatmeal prevents a rapid draining of glycogen levels. Mix in a scoop of protein powder or a half-cup of cottage cheese, along with some Splenda, for a complete preworkout meal.
>> Adela Garcia, the 2004 Fitness Olympia champ, eats lots of old-fashioned oatmeal when dieting down, usually with a little Splenda and banana-cream-flavor whey protein. She also experiments with different ways to eat it. "I've even tried putting tuna in my oatmeal," she confesses.
NUTRITION FACTS
1 cup old-fashioned
(cooked)
147 calories
6 g protein
25 g carbohydrate
2 g fat
4 g fiber
by Chris Aceto
BUCKWHEAT (SOBA) NOODLES
>> Buckwheat noodles are slower-digesting carbs, meaning it takes a while for them to break down into energy. This helps maintain a balanced energy level in the body over time, leading to better muscle recovery and enhanced mental acuity. When carbs slowly enter the bloodstream, they produce far fewer fat-storing hormones and enzymes than carbs like white rice, cold cereals and white bread that flood the bloodstream.
>> "The most common form of buckwheat noodles is Japanese soba," explains bodybuilding chef Dave Nathan, aka the Muscle Gourmet. "To prepare, boil for 5-8 minutes and then drain in a colander. Rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent overcooking. Toss them with fresh ginger, garlic, basil, fat-free coconut milk and grilled chicken. This keeps for several days."
NUTRITION FACTS
1 cup (cooked)
113 calories
6 g protein
24 g carbohydrate
Trace fat
1.3 g fiber
LEAN GROUND BEEF
>> Think bodybuilding greats of yesteryear built their mass on high-tech protein powders? Nope--their nutrition was based on protein from whole foods, mostly in the form of beef. Lean beef remains the No. 1 mass-building food because it not only provides quality protein but also has iron, zinc, creatine and B vitamins.
>> Pro bodybuilder Garrett Downing, who placed fifth in the 2005 Toronto Pro, has found a way to prepare ground beef that satisfies both his bodybuilding needs and his toddler daughter's picky palate. "I combine extra-lean ground sirloin with a packaged whole-grain mac-and-cheese meal from a health-food market," he says. "I prepare the mac and cheese as directed, omitting the butter and using fat-free milk. Then I brown the beef in a skillet using a fat-free spray, and combine the beef and the mac and cheese for a well-balanced and relatively low-fat meal. I complete it with a salad or steamed veggies on the side."
NUTRITION FACTS
4 oz. (4% fat)
150 calories
25 g protein
0 g carbohydrate
4.5 g fat
0 g fiber
BROCCOLI
>> What's so special about this green veggie? Indoles, a naturally occurring compound that works against estrogen, the "female hormone" that can make the body more efficient at storing bodyfat. Keeping a lid on excess estrogen production may lead to easier fat loss. Plus, broccoli is available year-round, and it's packed with cancer-fighting phytochemicals and fiber.
>> Pro bodybuilder Mark Dugdale, vice president of Garden Fresh Foods (Woodinville, Washington), a fresh-vegetable packaging company, relies heavily on broccoli. "I'm a big broccoli eater. That being said, I don't stay very true to my fresh-cut veggie roots--I buy frozen broccoli from Trader Joe's! It's easy to prepare because I can simply rinse it in hot water for a few seconds, drain it, portion it out in my meals and add a little sea salt. I eat two bags of broccoli a day when dieting."
NUTRITION FACTS
1/2 cup spears
(cooked)
28 calories
3 g protein
5 g carbohydrate
Trace fat, 3 g fiber
FAT-FREE COTTAGE CHEESE
>> Protein powders with whey or casein are all the rage now, but before their invention, bodybuilders relied heavily on fat-free cottage cheese. No wonder: A single cup provides 30-plus grams of a mix of both whey and casein.
>> If you don't like your cottage cheese plain, or sweetened with jam in prepackaged containers, try it spicy. Chris Carmichael's Fitness Cookbook (Putnam, 2005), written by Lance Armstrong's coach, offers this recipe: Mix 16 ounces fat-free cottage cheese with 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon bottled hot sauce, 2 chopped garlic cloves, one-quarter teaspoon ground ginger and one-quarter bunch sliced fresh chives. Serves four.
NUTRITION FACTS
1/2 cup
80 calories
16 g protein
4 g carbohydrate
0 g fat
0 g fiber
CANNED TUNA
>> Whether you're trying to build mass or drop bodyfat, tuna is a bodybuilding staple. Packed with protein and convenient as hell, tuna is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support immune function and spare the body from burning valuable branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Maintaining adequate levels of BCAAs protects against muscle loss and helps elevate your metabolism. Tuna is also high in selenium, a mineral with antioxidant properties.
>> Denise Cook, an NPC fitness competitor and wife of pro bodybuilder Chris Cook, says she buys albacore tuna in bulk at Costco so it's always on hand. They eat it in a bowl with mustard or salsa, or sometimes plain from the can. "We don't eat any bread with it. Once in a while we'll eat it on rice cakes with salsa," she says.
NUTRITION FACTS
3 oz. albacore/white
(canned in water, drained)
109 calories, 20 g protein,
0 g carbohydrate,
2.5 g fat, 0 g fiber
TURKEY BREAST
>> To get ripped to the bone, you need a high-protein, lower-carbohydrate diet that's also low in dietary fat. Turkey fits that bill, with 8 ounces providing about 60 grams of protein, no carbs and virtually no fat. In fact, it's one of the leanest sources of protein available, which makes it an essential part of any hardcore diet.
>> Jen Hendershott, who won the 2005 Fitness International, is no stranger to eating turkey breast as part of a precontest diet. She buys extra-lean ground turkey and often makes meatloaf out of it. In addition, prepackaged spices make it easy for her to prepare a flavorful homemade wrap. "I love taco seasoning," Jen explains. "I throw my ground turkey in a pan, then add the taco seasoning and a little bit of additional water according to the packet's instructions. I cook it till it's juicy and have it on a whole-wheat wrap with whatever additional toppings I'm in the mood for."
NUTRITION FACTS
3.5 oz.
(roasted, meat only)
135 calories
30 g protein
0 g carbohydrate
Trace fat
0 g fiber
OATMEAL
>> This slow-burning carbohydrate makes the ideal pretraining carb snack. Why? Two words: energy preservation. When you train hard, stored carbs within muscles, or muscle glycogen, become the chief fuel source. As glycogen levels fall, so does training intensity. By contributing to stable energy levels in the bloodstream, oatmeal prevents a rapid draining of glycogen levels. Mix in a scoop of protein powder or a half-cup of cottage cheese, along with some Splenda, for a complete preworkout meal.
>> Adela Garcia, the 2004 Fitness Olympia champ, eats lots of old-fashioned oatmeal when dieting down, usually with a little Splenda and banana-cream-flavor whey protein. She also experiments with different ways to eat it. "I've even tried putting tuna in my oatmeal," she confesses.
NUTRITION FACTS
1 cup old-fashioned
(cooked)
147 calories
6 g protein
25 g carbohydrate
2 g fat
4 g fiber
