Bodybuilding Diet Plan for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Bodybuilding is a sport that requires discipline in the weight room and at the dinner table as well. In fact, many bodybuilders will tell you that diet is as important as pumping iron and that you can't have success in one area without the other.

Basics

• Bodybuilders typically abide by a diet that consists of five or six smaller meals per day, as opposed to the traditional big three of breakfast, lunch and dinner. This enables bodybuilders to provide their bodies with the necessary strength and endurance for a demanding training routine. It also goes a long way toward muscle growth and definition.

Nutrition

• Anyone who wants to become a bodybuilder must plan on a diet that is rich in healthy proteins and carbohydrates. That means an equal serving of each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bodybuilders should also drink anywhere from six to eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day. Water increases your metabolism and increases energy levels.

Breakfast

• Depending on your bodybuilding goals, eggs are ideal for breakfast. A serving of egg whites or artificial egg whites for protein and a piece of fruit as your carbohydrate is ideal. Oatmeal is also a popular breakfast choice among bodybuilders, as is whole-wheat toast with a slice of low-fat cheese. Some bodybuilders even eat a serving of broiled chicken or fish as their protein source for the first meal of the day.

Lunch

• Tuna is often the choice of bodybuilders who are looking to pack on protein. That makes a basic tuna sandwich on wheat bread as the perfect pick for lunch. Tomatoes, lettuce and onions are healthy additions, along with a side of fruit or low-fat yogurt. Make sure to go light on the mayonnaise or use a low-fat mayo on the sandwich.

Dinner

• If you want to become a bodybuilder, get used to eating lots of fish. Or at the very least, a lot of poultry. Make sure your salmon or chicken or turkey breast is baked or broiled--and not breaded or fried. A serving of salmon with a lightly buttered baked potato or fresh steamed mixed vegetables makes for an ideal dinner.

Supplements

• While breakfast, lunch and dinner should consist of one serving of protein and one serving of carbs, the other two or three meals need to consist only of one or the other. Protein shakes are often the snack of choice for bodybuilders, provided the shakes are low in fat and sodium. Fruit, yogurt and cheese are popular picks as in-between meals.