We all know that the ticket to getting the 6-pack abs of your dreams is to exercise. However, too many of us overlook the concept of eating right. We know we have to eat healthy so we stock up on fruits and vegetables, but that is not enough to consider that you are eating right.
There is actually a formula to eating a balanced diet that most people do not think to look to when they are trying to get into shape and develop the most amazing 6-pack abs that you have ever seen.
Balancing Your Diet
A balanced diet consist of between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day. In order to achieve a diet that is geared toward building muscle, you have to take in a certain percentage of these calories through carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This balance isn’t the same for everyone, but there are some general guidelines to follow if you want to obtain the perfect body.
Calories
Determining the number of calories you need to eat every day is more than just deciding on a number. The necessary caloric intake is determined by age, activity level and your personal weight management goals.
The more active you are, the more calories you should take in. This is because calories are fuel for your body and this is what your body feeds off of to keep you going. Never drop your calorie intake below 1,600 calories per day. It takes at least 500 calories per day to power the average human brain at a decent capacity and for the gift of clear thoughts, it takes at least 800 calories in a 24 hour period.
Protein
You guessed it! Protein is necessary for you to build muscle. This is why your 10 to 30 percent of your daily caloric intake. Protein sources should consist of lower protein meat like chicken and fish. You should also ensure that most of your protein sources contain a high level of omega-3 fatty acids and a low level of omega-6 fatty acids.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are important to building muscle and fueling your body. It may surprise you to find out that in order to successfully build muscle, you must increase the number of carbohydrates you take in each day, but you should always ensure that you are taking in healthy carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates should make up at least 50 to 60 percent of your daily caloric intake. The sources of your carbohydrates should be whole grains and other healthy sources.
If you are not taking in enough carbohydrates, your body will begin using the protein you take in each day and use it for fuel, instead of for building muscle, and that defeats the purpose of working out, now doesn’t it?
Fats
Fats should make up between 20 to 35 percent of your diet. These fats should be healthy fats and not saturated fats. Healthy sources of fat, like coconut oil are optimum since they provide additional health benefits.
Do not forget to take into account the fats that are already contained in other foods you eat.
Negative Calorie Foods
At times, you may feel hungry outside of your typical diet. This could be for many different reasons. However, if you feel that you must eat something during this time, choosing negative calorie foods to snack on is best for someone who is trying to manage their weight and muscle building.
Negative calorie foods are essentially foods that take more calories to chew and digest than they actually contain. Foods that fall into this category are carrots, celery and other fruits and vegetables that do not contain starch.