|
The Role
Of Fat In Your Muscle
Building
Diet
If you are
interested in muscle
building diet, you need to
know that your body needs a
small amount of two
essential fatty acids each
day: linoleic and linolenic
acids. Flaxseed oil is an
excellent source of these
acids, although they are
found in smaller amounts in
fish and other fatty foods.
A diet that is 10- to
15-percent fat usually
provides enough of these
nutrients. Depending on
your workout program and
metabolism, greater fat
intake may result in
bodyfat accumulation
without any corresponding
sports benefit.
Dietary fat
is one of the most
misunderstood aspects of
sports nutrition. The
traditional American diet
contains very high levels
of fat, far more than can
be justified from a health
perspective. Even today,
the average American
consumes over 40 percent of
his or her total calories
in the form of fat. On the
other hand, some athletes
have concluded that all
fats are bad, leading to
diets that eliminate
virtually all sources of
this nutrient. The truth
lies in between. Fat
actually has a number of
vital functions in the
body. It is needed to
absorb vitamins A, D, E,
and K. Fat also contains
linoleic and linolenic
acids, two essential fatty
acids that are every bit as
important for good
nutrition as the essential
amino acids. Linoleic and
linolenic acid must be
supplied by the diet, yet
not all fatty foods contain
them in large amounts. In
addition to supplying the
body with energy, these
fatty acids are components
of our cellular membranes
and nerve cells. They also
assist in the growth
process and are part of
hormone-like substances
known as
prostaglandins.
In order to
get bigger muscles, you
must consider that fat also
serves as the body's
long-term energy source,
providing energy for all
tissues of the body except
the brain, nerves, and
lungs. Since the body has
only a limited capacity to
store carbohydrates and
proteins, all nutrients
that are not immediately
needed for energy or
anabolic activities are
converted to fat and stored
in the adipose tissues for
later use. This allows the
body to maintain its normal
functioning between
meals.
The fat
stores are an important
energy source during light
and moderate exercise.
During long periods of
jogging, up to 80 percent
of the energy produced
comes from the fat stores.
That is why it is so
important to include
aerobic activities in a
program of weight reduction
- and exclude when you want
to get bigger muscles. At
the same time, anaerobic
sports such as
weightlifting and sprinting
do not use fats for energy
because these activities
are so intense and
short-term that the body's
aerobic energy system
cannot be geared up for
action quickly enough to be
of assistance. Glycogen,
glucose, and a compound
called ATP (adenosine
triphosphate) provide the
fuel for these anaerobic
activities.
|
