Chicken and beef are at the top of the recommended foods list for bodybuilders before even thinking about fish. Fish contains a high protein source, however, if you want to compare other fishes to canned tuna, it does not have a real high place amongst bodybuilders. On the other hand, fish is a food constituent which not only assists in building your muscles but as well aids in taking care of your health.
The choice of which fish you should eat depends on your personal taste. You can opt for fat-free fishes like flounder and sole or if you wish to have something rich in fat, then a salmon is all yours. Salmon contains the omega-3 fatty acids, which are a great health-improving source.
By stating this, we do not mean that chicken and beef should be eradicated from your bodybuilding diet chart, they are absolutely needed. However, fish plays a significant role in bodybuilding as it has a few benefits as compared to other sources of protein.
The following are the top 5 reasons why you should include fish and other kinds of seafood in your bodybuilding diet chart.
1. Fish is Light
When you are working out to lose body fat, it is vital to balance various foods that you eat calculating your calorie intake, decreasing the intake of carbs and fat, and boosting protein consumption at the same time. Fish is the only food which fulfills all the mentioned objectives. When you are on a diet when the weight loss becomes quite slow, you can include fish in your food plan. When you go on a weight loss program, and stop losing any further weight, you must try reducing the intake of carbs and replace your diet with fish. Lean fish contains less fat as compared to lean meat. With your consumption of fish, the amount of protein intake will be the same; there will just be a reduction in your calorie intake. This will help you in keeping the carbs at a medium range and you will not feel any exhaustion.
What fishes are low in fat and high in protein?
- Sole
- Tuna
- Flounder
- Haddock
- Scallops
- Shrimp
- Crab
2. Healthy Fat Contents in Fish
Carbohydrates, dietary fat and proteins are all sources of calories, and the one that makes you fat is definitely dietary fat. This is for the reason that the body stores dietary fat, more commonly known as body fat, as carbs and proteins don’t get stored. However, there is an exception with regards to fish. Fish contains healthy fats known as the omega-3 fatty acids. These are less expected to get stored as body fats. Fats from chicken legs, egg yolks, beef and vegetable oil get stored as body fat. The fats that we obtain from fish are set-up first for some vital physiological processes and when these processes are completed, this fat is inclined to apply an effect on the body fat.
These processes contain sparing the division and burning of glutamine, the altogether vital amino acid that stops muscle damage; sustaining the creation of growth hormone; and raising the development of muscle glycogen.
With regards to glycogen, fish fat assists in removing carbs from muscles not only leading to muscle growth, but also cooperating with our body’s ability in further not creating fat from carbs.
But you must be thinking as to how this is possible? This happens when there is an increase of glycogen storage in our muscles, the body’s ability to further store body fat from carbohydrates decreases eventually. The major secret in dieting is that that the leaner your body becomes, the more complex it gets for your body to store fat obtained from fish as well.
An undisputed bodybuilder who knows the importance of food can surely keep himself away from gaining any body fat by eating a lot of fish without even thinking about body fat gain. The fat obtained from fish also keeps you on the safer side by not letting any of your muscle breakdowns by boosting your muscle growth.
3. High Mineral Contents in Fish
Selenium and iodine minerals are obtained in a good quantity from fish. These minerals support our metabolic rate. Thyroid, the major gland that helps in burning calories and metabolism are fed by iodine in sufficient amounts helping you to be healthy. Thyroid gland plays a major part in making your immune system strong, which is very important in the process of dieting and hard work out phases.
A lot of researches conducted confirm that selenium is dangerous for thyroid; however, the truth is that it helps the thyroid to work and does even boost the levels of thyroid. On the other hand, you must be cautious that if you intake a lot of selenium supplements, they can cause a reverse problems for the speed of your metabolism. Consuming 100 to 400 micrograms a day may have a positive effect. Just for the record, 3 ounces of oyster contribute something more than 60 micrograms.
Chromium also gets supplied through fish. It is a mineral that assists in the consumption of carbohydrates. A lot many studies have showed that chromium created growth receptors on the tissue of our muscles making them more sensitive. This sensitivity of muscles helps in greater glycogen storage and increases amino-acid consumption.
Oysters are decked-up with chromium and also zinc, which is yet another important mineral that supports the production of testosterone. Although, there are other foods as well that contain a good amount of zinc, but oysters rank high as a better zinc source. Sardines are a rich source of calcium and omega-3.
Some scientific studies have speculated that a higher intake of calcium can construct the body to be less capable at producing body fat. Calcium helps in modifying calcitriol levels making the body a bad store house of fat. Whereas, the omegas alter their fuel sources in the body, persuading it to burn fat as energy more willingly than depending on carbohydrates for energy.
Best Sources of Iodine are the following foods:
- Oysters
- Cos
- Sea Bass
- Haddock
- Perch
Best Sources of Calcium are bone-in fish like sardines.
4. Fish Gets Easily Digested
The major concern about dieting is the danger of losing vital muscle mass with unwanted fat on the body. The answer to this problem is eating a lot of protein during your weight loss period. Added protein tricks the body, so instead of burning any of your valuable muscle mass, the body consumers the extra protein instead for fuel.
When a larger amount of calories are consumed with the intake of proteins, the body will face problems in digesting it. To keep you away from this problem, fish comes into play. If you take a look at the texture of the fish, it is soft and breaks apart without any hard hits. This makes it a lot easier for the body to digest it as compared to the other sources of proteins like chicken breasts, lean cuts of beef and turkey breasts. As lean fish does not take much time to digest, it is great food before or after your workout.
Some Lean Seafood to Help You:
- Sole
- Tuna
- Flounder
- Haddock
- Scallops
- Shrimp
- Crab
5. The Inexpensive Fishes
One major thought that might have crossed your mind is the cost of fishes if you include them to your daily diet. Not all fishes are expensive, just some of them are. For your calculations, for instance, six ounce can of white tuna offers around 40 grams of protein which costs just something above a dollar. There is no need to make it boring for your taste as well. You can combine it with fat-free mayonnaise or something else. You can also make tuna burgers as follows:
- Drain the tuna well.
- Add two egg-whites
- 2 tablespoons of pancake mix
- Some spices for your taste.
You can form this mixture into small patties and grill them.
To obtain a good amount of protein, canned fish is a penny-wise way to gain healthy fats and abundant calcium. You can also opt for sardines and canned salmons as they will not burn a hole in your pocket. Some fresh and frozen fishes are inexpensive as well. You can run your eyes on the freezer and the fresh-fish counter at any grocery store or take a look around the warehouse club for good prices.
If money is the problem, you can opt for canned fishes like tuna, salmon and anchovies. You can even take a look at frozen and fresh fish varieties like haddock, flounder and sole.
Final Fish Tip
Consider fish as a useful food for bodybuilding. No matter if your intention is to shed down fat or improve muscles mass or to remain fit all the time or stay in your budgeting limits, once you include fish in your daily diet, it will help you in accomplishing your bodybuilding targets.