Video:Body Building Diets for Women

Transcript:Body Building Diets for Women

Hi! I'm Hank Uhlaender, a Natural Bodybuilding competitor and owner of hanksfitness.com, and we're here in Houston, Texas at Next Level Fitness, and I'm going to talk to you today about the basics of women's bodybuilding nutrition.

Bodybuilding Nutrition is Divided Into Two Categories

We divide bodybuilding nutrition into two categories; macronutrients and micronutrients. And your macronutrients are going to be your lean proteins, complex carbs, simple carbs at the right time and good fats. Micronutrients are going to be your vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are found in your foods, but we also want to take a AM/PM supplement to make sure that we don't have any gaps in our food intake.

Women Bodybuilders Need Proper Calcium and Iron Intake

With the women bodybuilding nutrition, one of the concerns I hear a lot of is calcium intake. First of all, the sport of bodybuilding is centered around resistance training, and resistance training is the only exercise I know of that will strengthen your bones. So you are in a good sport. The nutrition part of it, speaking back to calcium, is going to be found in your non-GMO soy's whey proteins or milk derivatives. They have plenty of calcium in them, and in also in your poultry, which are staples of the bodybuilding diet to begin with.

Another concern is iron intake, which you will get from a vitamin pack and also it's found in green leafy vegetables like spinach which is also included in your bodybuilding diet as well as red meats which are part of your lean proteins. Some other lean proteins are going to be egg whites and fish. What you will do is combine lean protein of complex carbohydrates and good fats to equate to 6-8 meals spaced throughout the day, smaller meals. Your portion sizes should be about the size of your fist for your lean proteins and your carbohydrate equals the palm of your hand. And then what you generally do is fill the rest of the plate up with some vegetables and also you can use some almonds or you can use some oils; olive oil or flaxseed oil. Also avocado is also high in potassium.

Potassium is Required to Maintain Energy While Bodybuilding

Potassium is something that you want to make sure you have enough of for your energy levels overall. And the complex carbohydrates that bodybuilders typically use are large flake oatmeal. We use larger flakes because it's lower in glycemic, and also brown rice and again vegetables as mentioned. Sweet potatoes are very popular because they have potassium in them.

Women Bodybuilders Use Diuretics and Hydration to Combat Bloating

If you are prone to bloating, I see a lot of women bodybuilders using cabbage and also asparagus because they are natural diuretics and they tend to help with that. And lastly, most importantly is your water intake. Bodybuilders typically drink liters of water a day. You can drink up to depending on your body size and your physique, maybe a gallon, maybe a little more or a little less, but that helps with protein synthesis and it just helps with overall body function, and also it lubricates your joints and keeps you hydrated and energetic throughout the process.

And that was basic bodybuilding nutrition for women. Thanks for listening!