8. Grind Your Meat
Here’s a kick-ass way to get down two or three more chicken breasts per meal with fewer hassles: Grind the meat. It makes it easier to chew, easier to swallow and ultimately easier to get sufficient protein for best-case-scenario growth (it speeds up absorption, helping to increase the efficiency of the protein consumed and the speed at which the amino acids arrive at the muscle cells). Cooked ground chicken makes an ideal post-exercise meal (eaten about an hour after a postworkout whey shake).
An electric meat grinder may cost $100 or more. You can also ask a butcher to grind your meat for you.
Keep in mind that once meat has been ground, it spoils more quickly, so you need to cook it soon after (the same day is the best option).
9. Defrost In The Refrigerator
Move meat from the freezer to the refrigerator a day before it will be cooked. It takes longer to defrost meat this way, but it will add storage life after it’s been cooked (and help you avoid food poisoning). Put only as much meat in the refrigerator as you plan to cook the next day.
10. Prepackage Your Meals
Once you’ve cooked several portions of meat, package it so it’s safe and convenient to eat. Place servings into individual containers that are safe to use in a microwave oven. (Some plastic containers are not microwavable and should be avoided.) As an alternative, place what you’ve cooked into one large container and parcel out your meals on a daily basis (cooked meat should safely last in a fridge for three or four days).
11. Chop Your Chicken
If grinding isn’t your bag, broil chicken breasts as usual, let them cool in the fridge for a day, then cut them into strips and put them into a food processor. Add flavorings whatever floats your boat (light mayo, pepper, balsamic vinegar, a bit of mustard) and mix. You’ll have a chicken-salad-type paste that delivers protein, taste and digestibility. Baked or broiled chicken breast that’s been chopped or ground has about 30 g of protein per 100 g (about four ounces) of meat.
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12. Squeeze Your Tuna
For an ultimate on-the-go meat source, try pouch tuna rather than canned. Clip the corner off the package and squeeze a tablespoon or two of mustard into it. Massage gently to mix and, bingo, you have a dose of high-protein tuna that’s ready to go.
13. Shake, Shake, Shake
Whole foods are best for most meals, but protein shakes are preferred for a couple of your daily meals.
These include pre- and postworkout meals, which are ideal times for a protein shake with simple carbs (about 40 g of protein with 50-100 g of carbs); late-night low-calorie high-protein meals; and when you’re in a crunch and can’t spend time preparing or eating solid food. Protein shakes should have a part in your total bodybuilding nutrition picture, but learn to use them appropriately.
14. Flavor Your Shakes
If you’re sick of the taste of your protein shake, consider adding light chocolate syrup that’s low in carb calories. You won’t blow your diet by adding a little bit of flavoring. If you don’t want even that small amount of calories, look for a sugarless (sweetened with sucralose) version in your favorite flavor.
Feel free to throw in some frozen fruit if you’re blending your shake (blueberries and strawberries are two great options they add flavor, few calories and plenty of beneficial nutrients).
15. Prepare Bodybuilding Desserts
Pudding is an old standby for bodybuilders. Instant sugarless pudding mixes added to your favorite whey protein makes a damn good dessert that’s still allowed on most diets. Mix powdered whey with pudding and whip it until it has a nice texture. You can also put pudding in a blender with your shake to make a thicker drinkable version.
16. Buy Protein In Bulk
You can save a lot of cash if you buy unflavored whey protein in bulk. A 50-pound bag of whey protein isolate will keep you in protein for months. All you have to do is add flavor to create your own variety of shakes whenever you want. Browse the Web for bulk deals.
The Last Bite
Poor nutrition is the number-one reason bodybuilders don’t get the results they want from their training. When you follow good nutritional habits, your training gets better. When your training gets better, your gains improve. Use the suggestions we’ve given you here, stay focused on your nutrition and watch your muscles expand.
Author: Jeff Feliciano
References: flexonline.com
Copyright 2010 Weider Publications
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