Nutrition

Fiber is a key nutrient that's commonly found in plant-based foods. Not only is it crucial to good health, but fiber can help bodybuilders stay lean and build fat-free mass when combined with a bodybuilding diet rich in protein and carbohydrates.

Take in at least 25 grams of fiber each day and strive for 35 or more. Feel free to use a fiber supplement in addition to fiber from natural sources. Take note: If your current fiber intake isn't up to par, increase it gradually. Add about three grams a day per week until you reach the desired daily amount.

Here's the lowdown on what fiber can do for you and your physique.

1. FIBER IMPROVES ABSORPTION
Consuming fiber is an important part of creating an anabolic environment in your body, because fiber enhances nutrient absorption along the intestinal walls by helping to keep the walls free of undigested food. That leads to better and more efficient growth.

2. FIBER HELPS RROCESS DIETARY FAT
Many nutritionists focus on the benefits of dietary fat for bodybuilding, yet the fact remains that calorie for calorie, a high-fat diet is not as anabolic or conducive to gains in mass as a lower-fat and higher-carbohydrate diet. Saturated fat, in particular, can contribute to poor heart health and increase the storage of bodyfat. Fiber binds with some of the dietary fat in a meal and pulls it through your body.

If you're eating a fattier cut of steak, or dairy products such as cheese, yogurt or whole milk, a green salad can help neutralize some of the extra fat calories. Even if you're eating low-fat protein foods, adding fiber-rich veggies or ending a meal with a piece of fruit offers fat-fighting benefits.

3. FIBER AFFECTS CARB DIGESTION
Yams, red potatoes, whole-grain bread and oatmeal are among the best slow-burning energy foods. Not only do they provide glucose, the energy source muscles need to work and grow, but they are more slowly digested than most carb sources. Their high fiber content increases the duration of digestion of carbohydrates.

When you slow the entry of carbohydrates into the blood, the "fuel" lasts longer. This helps you stay mentally alert—an important component that contributes to increased training intensity. It is also thought to exert a beneficial effect on body composition. When carbohydrates break down slowly—the result of eating fiber at meals—the body tends to store more of the carbohydrates as muscle glycogen rather than as bodyfat.

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