6 Foods To Avoid If You Want To Be A Bodybuilder

Bodybuilding is a lifestyle that requires you to focus on what kind of food intake is not only optimum but also appropriate or healthy. There are certain foods you must avoid consuming as far as possible to tune into the right rhythm and get the desired muscle mass. As essential it is to include high protein foods in your diet, so is important to eliminate certain specific foods that not only hinder your progress but also have an adverse effect on your overall health in the long term.

Here is a list of 5 foods often consumed that need to be avoided  as far as possible, when on a bodybuilding or a fitness plan:

1. Processed food: Foods in their natural form whether raw or cooked should be preferred over highly processed ones. Processed foods are not only less in nutritional content but also high in sugar and artificial additives, colours, sweetners.
   Foods like flavoured oatmeal is full of artificial flavours and colour, oatmeals that is in its raw state can be cooked and consumed to reap optimum benefits.

2. Packed fruit juices: Although it is quick and easy to consume a concentrate fruit juice while on the go, these concentrated juices contain sugar in high quantities and contain very marginal or less amount of nutritional value. The healthy content of fruits in the natural raw form is stripped along with its rich fibre content. Artifical colours and flavours are added to make the juices tastier and appetising.
   Consuming fruits in its raw form or home made smoothies and shakes should be preferred to reap the actual benefits of fruit content.

3. Foods high in Gluten: Foods that contain less or no fibre and high in gluten like white bread are hard on your digestive system making it difficult for your body to absorb any real nutrition from it.
   Such foods are high in carbs and typically come from processing where natural fibre content is swapped.

4. Weight gain shakes: It seems quite easy and feasible to go for the weight gain shakes with a hectic lifestyle. Bodybuilding requires increased amounts of calorie intake, and weight gain shakes seem to be an easy option, however weight gain shakes contain high amounts of sugar, preservatives and other artificial flavours void of any natural form of nutrition.
   Homemade milk based protein powder shakes, almond milk, nuts, dryfruit, yoghurt can fill the extra calorie need in your fitness plan

5. Foods high in sugar: Food items high in sugar like candy, cakes, ice-cream are all you need to keep a check on. Sugar intake adds extra carbs to your body which results into fat. Extra carbs are required immediately after a workout for muscle recovery and that is when moderate quantities of sugar based foods can be consumed. Also, it is better to consume sugar in its natural form rather than processed.

6. Carbonated drinks: Carbonated drinks which are quite popular with the younger generation often lead to obesity. Besides being high in sugar content these drinks also deplete the essential calcium content in your body affecting muscle building targets in the long term.
   Also, it is better to avoid such drinks immediately after a workout since they can create a sense of fullness and prevent optimum consumption of calories.