Chop, bake and wrap. That’s all it takes to make this delicious high-protein halloumi wrap recipe. Only 20 minutes of prep time is needed—even less if you’re a dab hand with a kitchen knife—and then 20 minutes in the oven.

The recipe is taken from Myprotein’s first recipe book Protein Plates, which contains 60 recipes from Myprotein’s extensive online library, all of which are high in protein. It also has a substantial serving of carbohydrates which is the other essential macronutrient to consume post workout (you can find out why from registered associate nutritionist Georgina Camfield’s guide to what to eat after a workout). This recipe is also packed with veg, making the wraps an ideal healthy option to have in your gym bag to wolf down after a lunch-break workout.

For an even quicker halloumi recipe, try one of our favorite Joe Wicks recipes, 10-minute halloumi tacos with peri-peri mayo.

High-Protein Halloumi Wrap Recipe

Ingredients (Makes Four Wraps)

• 3 bell peppers, sliced 
• 1 courgette, thinly sliced 
• 1 red onion, sliced 
• 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1tsp salt 
• 1tsp oregano 
• 200g halloumi 
• 200g hummus 
• Splash of water 
• 4 wholemeal tortilla wraps 
• Baby spinach or salad leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Place the pepper, courgette and red onion on a baking tray and sprinkle with oil, salt and oregano. Mix with your fingers or a spatula to make sure everything is evenly coated, then cook in the oven for 10 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, slice the halloumi about a centimeter thick and set aside. 
4. Place the hummus into a small bowl and loosen slightly with a splash of water—this makes it easier to spread evenly. 
5. When the vegetables have been in the oven for 10 minutes, add the halloumi to the tray. Return to the oven to roast for a further 10 minutes. 
6. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds. 
7. Spread around 1-2 tablespoons of hummus onto a wrap, then add a quarter of the roasted veg, halloumi and a handful of spinach or salad leaves. Make a tight wrap by folding over two opposite sides of the tortilla first, and then rolling up from the bottom. Repeat to make 4 wraps in total. 
8. Slice diagonally into halves and either wrap in foil or place into a container.

Nutritional Information

Calories 467

Protein 21g

Fat 25g

Carbohydrates 35g

Flapjacks may have a reputation as a sweet treat, but dive into the nutritional stats and you can easily start to justify them as a smart source of energy for high-intensity and endurance activities. Add in some protein, as in this quick-and-easy protein flapjack recipe, and you get an all-rounder that’s convenient to eat after a workout, and the perfect alternative to protein bars if you’d rather have a home-made high-protein snack.

The recipe uses whey protein powder and if you don’t already have a tub of the stuff handy, check our round-up of the best protein powders. You can use any flavour of whey protein you fancy for the flapjack, but remember you’ll also be adding honey to the mix so this may be an occasion when the otherwise unpalatable unflavoured option works.

It only takes 25 minutes to whip up a batch of these protein flapjacks. For other foods that can help you build muscle, read our guide to high-protein foods.

Protein Flapjacks Recipe

Ingredients

• 120g rolled oats
• 100g Meridian peanut butter
• 60g whey protein powder
• 125-150g skimmed milk (almond milk and other % fat milks can be used instead but weights may vary)
• 15g acacia honey

Directions

• Place whey and oats into large bowl; mix together
• Add milk and peanut butter and mix together until evenly mixed
• Add honey and stir evenly through mixture
• Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and drizzle a touch of coconut oil 
• Spread mixture onto paper (1-3cm thickness)
• Place in fridge for 30 minutes
• Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees C (gas mark 5)
• 10-12 minutes in oven
• Remove, slice and leave to cool

Nutritional Values

• Protein: 85g
• Carbohydrate: 110g
• Fat: 55g

To create a more calorific protein flapjack, simply use a mass-gainer style protein powder instead of whey, opt for full fat milk, top with a nut butter and add a handful of blueberries to the mixture.

Thanks to ldnmuscle.com for the recipe.

More High-Protein Snack Recipes

• The World’s Easiest Peanut Butter Bar Recipe
• Make This Macadamia, Pumpkin Seed And Fudge Protein Bar Recipe
• Step Up Your Snacking Game With This Salted Chocolate Protein Balls Recipe

Whatever your aim is when it comes to fitness, the hard work doesn’t end when you finish your workout. If you’re not backing up your exercise with a similar level of commitment in the kitchen, you’re going to find it very hard to realize the benefits.

One key dietary consideration for active people is protein intake, which plays a vital role in building muscle. When you exercise you cause microscopic tears in your muscles, and to repair them so the muscles grow back bigger and stronger you need the amino acids that you get from protein. And even if you’re not smashing out workouts every day of the week, protein is a vital nutrient because of its role in building and maintaining body tissue.

The Dietary Reference Intake for protein is 0.8g per kg of bodyweight, or 0.36g per pound, but if you are especially active you’ll want to increase that amount. We spoke to specialist dietitian Susan Short about how much protein you should eat each day to build muscle and she said strength athletes should consume 1.2-2g per kg of bodyweight per day, while endurance athletes will require 1.2-1.8g per kg of bodyweight.

Fortunately, it’s easy to ensure you consume the correct amount of this essential macronutrient, whatever your requirements. Adults in the US generally eat more of it than they actually need to, according to Harvard Health. Not because everyone in the country is seeking to bulk up—protein is simply found in significant amounts in a wide variety of delicious foods that we already eat regularly. But we can be smarter about the protein-rich foods we choose, not least to expand our diet to enjoy a wider range of micronutrients.

To help you hit your protein goals we’ve compiled an extensive list of foods that are especially high in the macronutrient. Below you’ll find the foods ranked by their protein content per 100g, then broken up into breakfast, lunch/dinner (with additional sub-sections by different food groups) and snacks. We’ve also included protein per portion because we wouldn’t want you to think we’re suggesting you should eat 100g of cheese in one sitting.

High-Protein Foods Ranked By Protein Content Per 100g

1. Parmesan 36g
2. Beef jerky 34g
3. Turkey 30g
4. Hemp seeds 30g
5. Pumpkin seeds 30g
6. Tuna steak 28g
7. T-bone beef steak 27.3g
8. Peanuts 26g
9. Seitan 25g
10. Canned tuna 19g
11. Monterey Jack 24.5g
12. Shellfish 23.5g
13. Cheddar 23.3g
14. Mozzarella 22g
15. Blue cheese 21.4g
16. Sunflower seeds 21g
17. Almonds 21g
18. Salmon 20g
19. Pistachios 20g
20. Tempeh 20g
21. Cod 20g
22. Mackerel 19g
23. Pork loin 18g
24. Chicken 18g
25. Cashew nuts 18g
26. Tofu 17.3g
27. Chia seeds 17g
28. Oats 13.5g
29. Buckwheat 13.2g
30. Eggs 13g
31. Edamame beans 12g
32. Cottage cheese 11g
33. Greek yogurt 10g
34. Lentils 9g
35. Chickpeas 9g
36. Kidney beans 8.7g
37. Peas 6g
38. Quinoa 4.4g

Breakfast

Pancakes with maple syrup or Belgian waffles may be tasty, but sadly these sweet treats don’t contain much protein. Another breakfast staple, bacon and sausages score highly in the protein department, but they are not the healthiest way to start your day. Fortunately, these are not your only options. There are plenty of nutritious foods that can boost your protein intake first thing. Next time you prepare your breakfast, try scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt with fruit, or a large portion of porridge sprinkled with protein-rich seeds.        

Eggs

Protein content: 13g per 100g

Per portion: 6.3g / 1 large egg (50g)

One of the finest ways to up your protein intake at breakfast time, a couple of medium eggs will easily net you over 10g of the stuff.

Cottage cheese

Protein content: 11g per 100g

Per portion: 24.2g / 1 cup (220g)

You can get versions of cottage cheese with added protein nowadays, but even the standard stuff contains a good portion. Compared with other cheese it’s also relatively low in fat and salt.

Greek yogurt

Protein content: 10g per 100g

Per portion: 20g / 1 cup (200g)

As well as protein, Greek (not Greek style) yogurt is packed full of healthy bacteria and enzymes that will do wonders for your digestive health.

Oats

Protein content: 13.5g per 100g

Per portion: 7g / 3oz (50g)

You can get souped-up versions of oats that have even more protein crammed into them, but the bog-standard supermarket own-brand versions aren’t light on the stuff. No breakfast is complete without them.

Chia seeds

Protein content: 17g per 100g

Per portion: 4.7g / ¼ cup (1 oz)

The most in-vogue seed around is chock-full of fiber and protein, and most of the fat it contains is of the “good” unsaturated variety.

Hemp seeds

Protein content: 30g per 100g

Per portion: 9.5g / ¼ cup (30g)

Hemp may not be on your radar, but these humble-looking seeds are one of the richest plant-based sources of complete protein. Thanks to their mild, nutty flavor, hemp seeds go particularly well with oats and yogurts too.  

Sunflower seeds

Protein content: 21g per 100g

Per portion: 10g / ⅓ cup (47g)

Sunflower seeds are full of healthy fats and fiber, but they’re also an excellent source of protein—you’ll find nearly 10g in a couple of handfuls.  

Pumpkin seeds

Protein content: 32g per 100g

Per portion: 8.5g / ¼ cup (1oz)

Ever wondered why pumpkins look so swole? It’s because they’re full of pumpkin seeds and you should be too, because along with their impressive protein content, pumpkin seeds offer other nutritional riches in the shape of magnificent magnesium and zinc.

Lunch And Dinner

Lunch and dinner are a great opportunity to load up on protein. A portion of meat or an alternative can easily pack close to 30g of this essential nutrient, and if that’s not enough, you can get even more protein with a slice of cheese or a portion of chickpeas. You can also swap your usual pasta and rice for quinoa to top up your intake of essential amino acids. 

Meat

T-bone beef steak

Protein content: 27.3g per 100g

Per portion: 31g / 4oz (113g)

It’s hard to beat the protein content of a T-bone beef steak. One portion of the nation’s favorite dish packs nearly 31g of this essential nutrient.  

Turkey

Protein content: 27.1g per 100g

Per portion: 30g / 4oz (113g)

Turkey shouldn’t just be for Thanksgiving: the festive bird contains more protein per gram than most other meats including its greatest feathered rival—chicken.

Chicken

Protein content: 18g per 100g

Per portion: 20g / 4oz (113g)

The classic lean protein source, chicken contains large amounts of protein while being very low in fat, especially if you opt for skinless breasts.

Pork loin

Protein content: 18g per 100g

Per portion: 20g / 4oz (113g)

Pork comes in all manner of glorious varieties, but if you’re eating it to increase your protein intake stick to the stuff at the healthier end of the scale, which is pork loin, not cured bacon  (a whopping 40g of protein per 100g, if you’re wondering).

Seafood

Tuna steak

Protein content: 28g per 100g

Per portion: 24g / 3oz (85g)

The “chicken of the sea” is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, among other valuable nutrients, as well as protein. It’s far more meaty and flavorsome than the canned version, with a price to match.

Canned tuna

Protein content: 19g per 100g

Per portion: 20.3g / 1 can (107g)

A cupboard well-stocked with tuna canned in spring water will see you through all manner of hardships. It’s packed with protein and virtually fat-free.

Salmon

Protein content: 20g per 100g

Per portion: 40g / 0.5 filet (198g)

As well as plenty of protein, the pink flesh of salmon contains plenty of omega 3 fatty acids that make it great for a range of conditions including eye health and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Cod

Protein content: 20g

This fish is low in fat, but full of flavour. Naturally we’d advise avoiding battered versions due to the extra fat they contain.

Mackerel

Protein content: 19g per 100g

Per portion: 25g / 1 cup (136g)

Both the filet and canned versions of this oily fish are great picks for a quick and tasty protein hit. Try not to pair them with chips, though, or you’ll blow your daily salt intake out of the water.

Shellfish

Protein content: 23.5g per 100g

Per portion: 20g / 3 oz (85g)

Shrimp, oysters, lobster, clams, mussels and scallops are a great source of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, including iron, selenium and zinc. They are also rich in protein—one portion of shellfish provides nearly 20g of this essential nutrient.  

Meat Alternatives

Seitan

Protein content: 25g per 100g

Per portion: 21g / 3oz (85g)

This meat alternative is made from wheat gluten, which gives it a texture that’s satisfyingly chewy, unlike softer soy products like tempeh and tofu. It’s also packed with protein, although amounts vary pretty dramatically in the seitan foods and snacks you’ll find on shop shelves, so make sure to check each label for a definitive protein count.

Tempeh

Protein content: 20g per 100g

Per portion: 34g / 1 cup (166g)

Tofu is not the only soy product in town and tempeh actually outdoes its more famous cousin in terms of its protein and fiber content.

Tofu

Protein content: 17.3g per 100g

Per portion: 22g / 0.5 cup (126g)

Sure, we trash-talked tofu when bigging up tempeh, but it’s also a good source of protein. Tofu is also more widely available than tempeh.

Peas, Beans And Lentils

Lentils

Protein content: 9g per 100g

Per portion: 18g / 1 cup (198g)

Whatever your favorite type of lentil is, you can be sure it’s adding some extra protein to your plate. Use them to thicken meaty stews and bulk up salads.

Chickpeas

Protein content: 9g per 100g

Per portion: 14.5g / 1 cup (164g)

One of the earliest cultivated legumes—dating back 7,500 years in the Middle East—chickpeas are particularly rich in folate, a B vitamin that helps to support and maintain a healthy nervous system. Blend with lemon, fresh garlic and tahini for an easy and delicious homemade hummus.

Kidney beans

Protein content: 8.7g per 100g

Per portion: 15.3g / 1 cup (177g)

A 120g serving (half a regular can) provides an impressive 7.4g of fiber, which plays a key role in healthy digestive function, as well as 8.3g of protein. Don’t confine these tasty beans to chilli con carne—they’re great in curries, stews and salads too.

Peas

Protein content: 6g per 100g

It may seem the most basic, bland, at-least-the-children’ll-eat-them legume there is, but a few spoonfuls of peas adds a useful amount of protein to your plate.

Wholegrains

Quinoa

Protein content: 4.4g per 100g

Per portion: 8g / 1 cup (185g)

Quinoa’s protein stats look more impressive when you look at its uncooked numbers, but at 8g of complete protein per cup—not a mad amount of quinoa, compared with chomping down 100g of parmesan for example—it’s a good way to top up your intake of this essential nutrient, especially if you’re not a meat-eater.

Buckwheat

Protein content: 13.2g per 100g

Per portion: 22.4g / 1 cup (170g)

Buckwheat may not be nearly as popular as quinoa, but when it comes to protein content, it’s streaks ahead. Just one cup of buckwheat contains a whopping 22.4g of complete protein, making it a perfect alternative to wholegrain pasta or brown rice.  

Cheese

Parmesan

Protein content: 36g per 100g

Per portion: 3.7g / 1 cubic inch (10.3g)

No-one’s saying that eating 100g of parmesan in one sitting is a smart idea, but if you did, the protein content would be a big upside.

Edam

Protein content: 27g

Take a tip from the Dutch next time you hit the cheese counter for a tasty treat that’s high in protein. Just make sure you also embrace the Dutch love of cycling too, so you work off the high amounts of saturated fat.

Cheddar

Protein content: 23.3g per 100g

Per portion: 4g / 1 slice (17g)

Britain’s favorite cheese brings plenty of protein to the table. That includes the lower-fat versions, if you’re trying to keep your saturated fat intake down.

Blue cheese

Protein content: 21.4g per 100g

Per portion: 3.6g / 1 cubic inch (17g)

Don’t be shy of the cheeseboard, that’s what we’re learning here. Just behind the mighty cheddar comes blue cheese, which contains a stilt-load of protein at 21.4g per 100g. All the usual qualms about cheese remain—lots of saturated fat and salt being the biggest concerns—but there isn’t a tastier way to up your protein intake than a slice of blue.

Mozzarella

Protein content: 22g per 100g

Per portion: 5.5g / 1 slice (27g)

Before you shriek with joy and assume that pizza is now on the protein-packed menu, let’s be sensible. While the occasional stuffed crust won’t do you any harm, for a healthier alternative slice some mozzarella onto a salad that’s rich with greens to up your protein tally.

Monterey Jack

Protein content: 24.5g per 100g

Per portion: 6.8g / 1 slice (1oz)

The mighty Monterey Jack is America's favorite cheese and also one of the richest sources of protein you can find in the dairy aisle. With nearly 7g of this nutrient per slice, it’s an easy way to ramp up your protein intake. 

Snacks

Beef jerky

Protein content: 34g per 100g

Per portion: 30g / 90g (1 cup)

Keep some of these dried, cured strips of lean beef in your gym bag for a meaty hit of protein that doesn’t require firing up the grill. Most brands have different levels of protein—and make sure you check the label for sugar and salt content too, both of which can be alarmingly high.

Peanuts

Protein content: 26g per 100g

Per portion: 7.3g / ⅓  cup (1oz)

The underground legume is a fabulous source of protein, and if you steer clear of the roasted and salted varieties, it’s a fairly healthy snack. In peanut butter form you’ll get around 4g of protein per tablespoon.

Almonds

Protein content: 21g per 100g

Per portion: 6g / ⅓  cup (1oz)

Alongside high protein content, almonds are also rich in fiber and a great source of vitamin E, which is needed to maintain healthy skin and eyes.

Pistachios

Protein content: 20g per 100g

Per portion: 5.7g / ⅓  cup (1oz)

Find a friend because this is a prime fist-bump opportunity. Perhaps the tastiest nuts of all are plump with protein. Sure, they’re also pretty fatty and if you opt for the roasted and salted variety, salty as heck, but still, pistachios are on the list.

Cashew nuts

Protein content: 18g per 100g

Per portion: 5.2g / ⅓  cup (1oz)

Any open packet of mixed nuts is quickly picked clean of all the cashews. Is that because they are the tastiest of nuts or because they’re high in protein? It’s probably the taste thing, but they’re reassuringly protein-rich too.

Edamame beans

Protein content: 12g per 100g

Per portion: 18.4g / 1 cup (155g)

These tasty beans can be bought frozen to consume at your convenience and add a shot of fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet alongside the protein. If you find them a tad bland try livening them up with fresh lemon juice, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt.

It’s common knowledge that when you start training to build muscle your protein requirements rise. However, protein is not the only nutritional player with a role in building muscle.

To find out what else you should consider, we asked Kerri Major, a dietitian, qualified personal trainer and author of The Dietitian Kitchen: Nutrition for a Healthy, Strong and Happy You.

Along with protein, what micronutrients play an important role in building muscle?

Plenty of vitamins and minerals are needed so your body can perform efficiently in the gym and you can build muscle. Most of these are needed only in small amounts that can easily be obtained through a balanced diet. However, as outlined in a position paper from three major North American nutritional bodies, there are three – iron, calcium and vitamin D – that play an important role in optimising performance and may be required in greater amounts when training.

Iron: Rapid muscle growth is one common factor that can adversely affect iron levels, which is not going to help further muscle growth. As the paper’s authors explain: “Iron deficiency, with or without anaemia, can impair muscle function and can limit the muscles’ capacity to work as efficiently, leading to compromised training adaptation and athletic performance.”

Increasing your iron intake from food is the right way to combat this. Iron is found in animal (haem) and plant (non-haem) sources. Haem iron, found in meats like beef, lamb and pork, is more easily absorbed by the body. Non-haem sources include legumes and pulses such as lentils, beans and peas, cereals, tofu, as well as green vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli and cabbage, and it’s also found in nuts and dried fruit. If you’re eating non-haem iron, having it with foods rich in vitamin C – which includes green veg – helps the body absorb the iron more easily.

Vitamin D: This is a vitamin that works with other minerals to promote healthy muscles, among other things, and being deficient can have a negative impact on athletic performance.

While vitamin D can be consumed through certain foods, our bodies generate the majority of vitamin D from sunshine, and in the UK it is recommended that all adults should consider taking a daily 10-microgram vitamin D supplement during autumn and winter when there’s little sunshine. Aim to have a diet rich in foods that contain vitamin D and to spend some time in the sun, but stick to the recommended daily dose – make sure any supplement you buy doesn’t have a dose greater than 10mcg (lots do) to prevent overconsumption.

Calcium: This mineral is crucial for the health of bone tissue, as well as being needed for healthy muscle and nerve function, meaning it plays a crucial role in athletic performance.

A lack of calcium can go hand in hand with things like restricted calorie intake or avoiding dairy products. You can supplement with calcium, but this should only be done on the recommendation of a dietitian.

• Foods That Contain Calcium, Including Non-Dairy Sources

Do you need to use supplements to get these micronutrients?

If you’re eating a balanced and varied diet, there is usually no need for supplementation. However, there can be cases in which people aren’t getting enough micronutrients, when supplementation would be beneficial. Examples are if you’re frequently restricting calorie intake, practising extreme weight-loss dieting, cutting out food groups entirely, or eating a diet that’s not well balanced enough.

If single micronutrient supplementation is required, it should be guided by a doctor and/or dietitian and is generally only appropriate for correction of a clinically defined medical reason.

By consuming a well-balanced diet with a focus on variety, you can avoid micronutrient deficiencies and gain the benefits of many other performance-promoting eating strategies. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements if there’s no pre-existing deficiency does not improve athletic performance.

Is it worth taking multivitamins if you’re training in the gym regularly and aiming to build muscle?

Multivitamins are not recommended for the general population and, in most cases, are not required. Many multivitamins can contain over and above the reference nutrient intake (RNI) for particular micronutrients, which, if taken alongside dietary sources, can put you at risk of excessive consumption and the potential side effects associated with this.

The main focus should be to consume a well-balanced diet that is sufficient in calories to support your energy needs and which includes a variety of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, and a sufficient intake of fat.

Everyone knows if you want to build muscle you have to start eating more protein. So to be on the safe side you should down a protein shake the moment you so much as look at a dumbbell, otherwise all that training will go to waste, right?

Well, not quite. The truth is that you could well be getting all the protein you need from your diet already.

“One of the biggest myths is that eating large amounts of protein will lead to bigger muscles,” says specialist dietitian Susan Short, who is a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. “Providing that energy requirements are met through a healthy, balanced diet, enough protein will be consumed.”

We spoke to Short to get more information about what protein requirements really are, and how they change if you are exercising regularly.

How much protein do you need in a normal diet?

Protein requirements for the general population are 0.8-1.2 per kg of bodyweight a day. This should ideally be evenly distributed every three to four hours across the day.

Do these requirements change if you’re exercising a lot?

Strength athletes or those involved in high-volume, high-intensity training will require more protein than the general population at 1.2-2g per kg of bodyweight per day, and endurance athletes will require 1.2-1.8g per kg of bodyweight.

How quickly should you aim to get some protein after training, and how much do you need?

Studies have shown that including 15-20g of protein in a post-workout meal or snack can boost glycogen storage, reduce muscle soreness and promote muscle repair. Time-wise, anything up to 24 hours after working out is fine but you may see reduced effects the longer you leave it.

See related

• Build Bigger Muscles With Hypertrophy Training
• Build Muscle Fast With These Four-Week Workout Plans
• 41 High-Protein Foods

If you are looking to build muscle and training a lot, what other nutrients do you need to think about?

Protein is important, but building muscle happens because of a combination of resistance training and eating a diet that contains enough energy and carbohydrate to meet your requirements. If you concentrate on having a high protein intake without enough carbohydrates then that protein gets used as energy instead, not to build muscle. A varied diet including foods containing carbohydrates is key because muscles rely on carbohydrates for fuel.

Including at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and keeping your intake varied, will ensure a wide range of vitamins and minerals are also included in your diet.

Finally, staying hydrated is essential for performance. Stay hydrated throughout the day and especially before, during and after exercise to prevent dehydration and maximise performance.

Should you aim to increase your protein purely through your diet, or use supplements?

Generally, you should aim to have a balanced diet which will provide all the nutrients, including protein, needed to support sport and exercise. There are some sports and training where at athlete level taking a supplement may be beneficial. Athletes should consult an accredited sports dietitian to ensure they use supplements safely and appropriately.

Even if you’re following the strictest of diet plans, there’s no point having dessert if it’s not going to be a treat. Ersatz versions of brownies and cakes that strip out all the good stuff aren’t going to satisfy a sweet tooth – if anything they’ll just make you crave the real thing.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to completely discard your healthy-eating intentions come pudding time. With a little tweak to the recipe of your favourite desserts, you can at least ensure they’re full of muscle-fuelling protein.

These recipes from Heather Davies, aka The Protein Chef, are easy to make, and they’ll satisfy your sweet tooth while building lean muscle. No lie – they’re flipping great.

Banana Split Protein Pancakes

“These banana split protein pancakes were inspired by one of my favourite puddings,” says Davies. “I wanted to recreate all the deliciousness of a banana split in protein-packed pancake form. The protein content makes it an ideal snack that will support your training, while the topping offers all the fun elements of a banana split but with a small fraction of the fat, sugar and calories. Happy eating!”

Ingredients (makes 1-2 servings)

For the pancakes

• 30g banana-flavoured whey protein
• 70g oats
• 1 egg
• 1tsp baking powder
• 200ml milk
• Coconut oil (or your preferred oil)

For the topping

• 1 chopped banana
• 1tbsp Greek yogurt
• Sugar-free chocolate sauce
• Handful of nuts

Method

1. Add all the pancake ingredients to a blender and blend for 45 seconds
2. Heat your preferred oil in a non-stick frying pan on a moderate heat
3. Add the batter to the pan in small amounts and cook for a minute or so on each side.
4. Continue this process with all the batter, then add your toppings and enjoy.

Nutrition (per serving): 584 calories, 48.4g protein, 75.3g carbs, 10.8g fat

Chocolate & Nut Butter Protein Cheesecake

“Quite simply, you get to eat cheesecake while shrinking your waistline – and that’s probably something you didn’t think you could do while you’re on a fitness drive,” says Davies. Even better, eating a slice or two of this version won’t leave you feeling a bit sick and because it contains much less sugar than a conventional cheesecake recipe it won’t give you a sugar rush and crash, which is associated with overeating and energy slumps.

Ingredients

• 80g (about five) light digestive biscuits
• 130g (about 12) oatcakes
• 50g coconut oil or nut butter
• 15g sugar-free caramel or chocolate sauce
• 100g protein mousse
• 500g fat-free cream cheese
• 500g quark
• White chocolate peanut butter
• Dark chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
2. Place the biscuits and oatcakes in a blender and blend until finely crushed.
3. Melt the nut butter or coconut oil in a microwave for a few seconds. Add to the biscuits and stir until fully coated.
4. Pour the mixture into an 8in (20cm) loose-bottomed cake tin and press the mixture down as tightly as you can.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the protein mousse, quark and cream cheese. Beat it to ensure there are no lumps of powder. Tip the mixture on top of the biscuit base and level out.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of four hours, then remove from the tin.
8. Spread the white chocolate nut butter over the top and decorate with melted dark chocolate.

Nutrition (per slice): 314 calories, 27.8g protein. 31.2g carbs, 8.9g fat

See Related

• A Chocolate Protein Pancake Recipe For People Who Train Hard On Pancake Day
• 23 Protein Shake Recipes For A Tasty, Refreshing Treat
• High-Protein Snacks: Quick And Easy Protein Hits

Berry And Honey Protein Smoothie

“After you work out, your muscles require amino acids [the building blocks of protein] to aid with muscle repair and you need to refill the glycogen [stored energy] you’ve lost through exercising,” says Davies. “I’ve chosen a fast-acting whey protein because this smoothie is designed to be consumed post-workout.

“For the carb source I have chosen honey, a simple carb which will be digested quickly. I prefer to use Steens Raw 15+ manuka honey, which I like because it is cold pressed. This means the natural amino acids and enzymes in the honey are not damaged by heating. It also preserves the honey’s phenolic compounds, which have an antioxidant effect – another great benefit to the recovery process.

“The berries I’ve chosen are all high in antioxidants, which are thought to help to fight the harmful effects caused by exercise-induced free radicals.”

Ingredients

• 30g whey protein isolate
• 30g (2 heaped tsp) of raw manuka honey
• 25g frozen blackberries
• 25g frozen cherries
• 25g frozen blueberries
• 200ml water

Method

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutrition: 159 calories, 27.5g protein, 10.9g carbs, 0.6g fat

Supermarket shelves are rife with high-protein snacks these days, and these can be a decent option in a pinch – but there’s no need to subject yourself to the expense of shop-bought snacks because it’s very easy to make them yourself.

Whether you want to make your own protein flapjacks, protein bars or protein balls, it doesn’t take much effort at all to create your own snacks, as you’ll see in this protein flapjack recipe and protein bar recipe. This protein ball recipe may be the easiest of the lot, because it only has two steps in the method section. Even then we’ve had to stretch it a bit because a one-step method just looks silly. Stick everything in a blender, let it set for a few hours. Boom. You’re done.

A batch will keep well in the fridge, so you have a healthy snack to turn to whenever hunger strikes. As well as being high in protein, the balls are full of fibre. Both fibre and protein help to keep you feeling full so you can bid those mid-afternoon hunger pangs goodbye.

The recipe below calls for vanilla protein powder, but you can swap in whatever your favourite flavour of powder is. If you haven’t found a preferred brand of protein powder, our round-up of the best protein powders has plenty of flavour options to choose from.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls Recipe

Ingredients (Makes 10-12 Balls)

• 180g peanut butter
• 90g agave honey
• 1 scoop of vanilla or other protein powder
• 45g porridge oats

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor (or by hand in a bowl) and form into walnut-sized balls.
2. Place the balls in the fridge for a couple of hours until they harden.

Nutritional Information (Per Ball)

Calories 133
Protein 5g
Fat 8g
Carbohydrates 12g

More Recipes 

• Healthy Peanut Butter Recipes
• Step Up Your Snacking Game With This Salted Chocolate Protein Balls Recipe
• Energy Balls Recipe For A Home-Made Alternative to Energy Bars

When it comes to batter-based celebrations, Pancake Day has no equal. Every year millions of people gather around well-oiled pans and get battered, and the world is a better place for it.

RECOMMENDED: Healthy Pancake Recipes

However, if you’re in the middle of an intense training plan and are topping up your protein intake with supplements, you may feel that you’ll have to skip the Shrove Tuesday batter banquet. And that’s no fun.

That’s why we enlisted Multipower ambassador Healthy Jon for this incredibly healthy (obviously, otherwise we’d have gone to Unhealthy Jon for a recipe), sensationally tasty, unbelievably simple pancake recipe. You only need to gather four ingredients to make it. Four ingredients! That’s the same amount of ingredients as a cup of tea with milk and sugar!

Of course, if you want to use more than four ingredients to spice it up, we’re not going to stop you. There’s even a couple of suggested additions in the recipe. Just be warned that these won’t taste exactly like regular pancakes – it’s a whole new approach to batter.

RECOMMENDED: High-Protein Snacks

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein isolate
• ¼tsp baking powder
• 1tsp cacao powder (optional)
• ½tsp cinnamon (optional)

Garnish with flaked almonds, almond butter and cacao nibs. Alternatively, pick and mix from yogurt, berries, desiccated coconut, maple syrup or honey. Be creative with your toppings – just be careful to avoid adding tonnes of sugar.

Directions

1. Put everything into a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
2. Heat a pan (medium to high) and coat with a very thin layer of grease. One-calorie sprays work brilliantly but if you don’t have one, wipe some butter on the pan with some folded up kitchen roll. The thinner the layer of fat the better – you don’t want to fry the pancake, just stop it from sticking (that’s a trade secret right there).
3. Pour in your batter and flip when you start to see bubbles. Leave for approximately the same duration on the other side and then remove.
4. Place on a baking rack to cool – if you place your pancakes on a flat surface such as a plate or chopping board after cooking,s condensation will form and make them soggy. Allow the pancakes to breathe will keep them nice and fluffy (another pro tip – you’re welcome).
5. Once you’ve cooked all your batter, stack your pancakes on a plate and garnish with your favourite toppings.

RECOMMENDED: The Best Protein Flapjacks Recipe

Multipower Rich Chocolate Whey Protein Isolate, £69.99 for 1,590g. Buy at multipower.com

Four ingredients, three minutes, a microwave and a mug. That’s all you need to make this chocolate protein mug cake recipe from Multipower ambassador David Templer. That’s insanely simple, right? It doesn’t get any simpler, right? WRONG! Templer has also created a vanilla protein mug cake recipe that uses just three ingredients, knocking at least 20 seconds off the overall prep time.

Both these recipes are below, although really they are more or less the same bar the flavour of protein powder and your choice of toppings. Both protein mug cakes contain under 150 calories and 24g of protein, although toppings will bulk up the calorie count.

Chocolate Protein Mug Cake Recipe

1. Put a mug on your scales and pour in 30g (three scoops) of chocolate whey protein powder.
2. Add 5g of cacao or cocoa powder and less than a gram of baking powder – just fill the end of a teaspoon.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together well, then pour in 60ml of milk – coconut, unsweetened almond or whatever your regular white stuff is.
4. Mix it all in so there are no lumps. Don’t worry if it looks thick – it’s supposed to.
5. Pop your mug in the microwave. If you want the entire mixture to be firm, put it in for one minute. If you want it to be a bit moist and for there to be a bit of a liquid in the middle of it, go for 45-50 seconds.
6. Enjoy it as is or top it off with some Greek yogurt and fresh berries, although doing so will probably push you over 150 calories.

Vanilla Protein Mug Cake Recipe

The method is exactly the same as with the chocolate mug cake recipe but you ditch the cocoa/cacao powder and swap the chocolate protein powder for vanilla. That’s one fewer ingredient in total than the chocolate mug cake, which makes the vanilla version 25% easier to make.

Once you’re created your vanilla protein mug cake, Templer’s recommended topping is salted caramel ice cream.

Multipower Rich Chocolate Whey Protein Isolate, £27 for 900g, buy on multipower.com

Photography: Christopher Griffith

A small plastic pouch filled with dark brown, organic matter arrived at my doorstep today. No, I didn’t immediately bolt down the street in hot pursuit of some malicious teenagers. Instead, I took a closer look and found that the bag actually contained something else entirely: dead crickets. I knew Alex Drysdale, founder of Crik Nutrition, was eager for me to sample his flagship product. I just hadn’t expected it so soon – he’d shipped it overnight from his office in Winnipeg, Canada.

Drysdale, a former communications technician who quit his job in 2015 to cash in on the protein boom, swears that these tempting morsels “are loaded with nutrients because they’re made from whole, crushed-up cricket – you’re eating the exoskeleton and all the organs.” I try not to picture cricket guts when I open the pouch and take a whiff. Surprisingly, the smell is sweet and nutty.

Feeling brave, I shove a spoonful in my mouth. Compared with gritty and bitter whey and soy powder varieties, this stuff dissolves instantly on my tongue and tastes like almonds and honey.

Crik is just the latest form of protein I’ve eaten recently. The others include protein-infused granola, protein pancakes, high-protein Greek yogurts and a wide variety of powders – whey, soy, pea, hemp and now cricket.

The protein industry reaps about £8 billion annually worldwide, a figure that’s more than quadrupled since 2005. Some dismiss this as just another fleeting food fad, the result of a connection to a few popular high-protein diets such as Paleo. A few experts claim we’re eating too much protein. But, I’m happy to report, scientists who study protein insist otherwise.

For the record, the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) officially recommends just 0.36 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (around 0.8g per kilogram), while the NHS suggests roughly the same amount – 0.75g per kilo.

“That’s designed for the average person to just exist – hang out, watch TV, do whatever,” says Dr Mike Nelson, an exercise physiologist and founder of Extreme Human Performance, a fitness coaching firm that advocates a high-protein diet. “But if you’re not the average person, and you’re exercising more intensely, you’re going to need more protein.”

At 160lb (72.7kg), the US RDA puts me at 58g a day, which is scarcely more than a pot of Greek yogurt at breakfast and a small chicken breast for lunch, with zero protein for dinner. But based on recent findings, nutrition scientists now advise at least 0.68g per pound (1.5g/kg) and up to 0.75g (1.65g/kg) if you’re doing intensive weight training – multiple days of the week – and want to bulk up fast.

That would put my recommended intake at 120g a day, divided into four servings, consumed roughly four hours apart. Dr Stuart Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada, who studies how protein supports muscle growth, tells me that because I exercise five or six days a week, 110g a day should be ample. I bump up my intake accordingly, almost doubling it.

Two weeks later I’ve dropped 5lb (2.3kg)– most of it off my belly. I’m lifting more weight for chest and overhead presses. But the most profound change is in recovery. The throbbing quads and calves I’d suffer after long runs? Gone. And when I overload my muscles while lifting, the soreness lasts for hours instead of days.

Now I crave protein like a drug. I eat it in the morning and before bed. I eat everything from omelettes to salmon to pulverised insects that look like shit. And here’s the thing: I’ve never felt better.

When I convey my experience to Dr Robert Wolfe, one of the early pioneers in protein science and now director of the Centre for Translational Research in Ageing and Longevity at the University of Arkansas, he’s not surprised. “When you look at the research, it’s impossible not to be impressed with the benefits of a higher proportion of protein than the RDA in the diet,” he says. Eat more protein, he says, and “by and large, you’re going to be fitter. That’s the reality.”

What’s “enough” Protein – and what’s too much?

Despite everything we know about the connection between protein and muscle growth (protein effectively means the amino acids from foods that our bodies require to be healthy and strong but don’t produce), it wasn’t until very recently that scientists began to determine just how much protein we should be eating, what types (animal or plant), when (morning or evening) and how much.

“In the 1980s, we used to think that if you averaged out your recommended protein intake over a week, you were OK,” says Dr Nancy Rodriguez, a professor of nutritional studies at the University of Connecticut. “But fast-forward ten years or more, and we realised it wasn’t just about having protein every two or three days. You should be eating it every day, distributing it among meals and snacks.”

For decades, dietitians and trainers generally adhered to the RDA. But Dr Donald Layman, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, suspected this number might be too low. Layman had been investigating how humans metabolised amino acids and whether there was a threshold amount required to trigger protein synthesis, the biological mechanism that creates muscle mass.

In 1999, Layman conducted experiments on rats and found that a specific amount of the essential amino acid leucine, contained in all protein, is necessary to kick-start synthesis. Leucine alone can’t create muscle – you need all nine essential amino acids to do that – but it’s the catalyst that ignites the process. “Until you get enough leucine, protein synthesis won’t run at 100%,” Layman explains.

When he extrapolated his data to humans, he determined that for someone like me to optimise post-workout muscle growth, I should be consuming at least 30g of protein per meal, which provides 2.5g of leucine. For that, a whey- or soy-based protein shake with half a pot of yogurt added would do the trick, as would a 110g T-bone steak.

But what happens if I eat more than that? Would devouring, say, 90g of protein in a single sitting (about 350g of salmon) triple muscle growth? No one knew the answer until Dr Doug Paddon-Jones, a professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Texas, consulted with Layman for a study.

In 2009, Paddon-Jones enlisted a group of volunteers, including eight men in their early 30s, all weighing about 175lb (80kg), and fed them each a 4oz (113g) steak which provided 30g of protein. Five hours later, he took blood samples and muscle biopsies from the volunteers. “There was a 50% improvement in muscle protein synthesis,” says Paddon-Jones.

When he repeated the test but ramped up the size of the meal, eventually tripling protein intake, synthesis remained the same. “That suggests that somewhere around 30g [per meal for an 80kg man] there is a ceiling effect for your ability to use protein-rich foods to build and repair muscle,” Paddon-Jones says.

That number will rise and fall proportionately: if you’re 105kg, for instance, your per-meal protein intake would rise to 40g. And there are other factors that can push that number even higher, such as genes. Granted, if you’re consuming more protein than that, there are still some added nutritional benefits – thanks to the amino acids and micronutrients in a varied protein diet (meat, legumes, seafood, soy) – but muscle protein synthesis falls off precipitously.

Too much protein in a single meal is like filling your car’s 60-litre tank with 100 litres of petrol: in the same way that much of the fuel would be wasted, spewing out onto the pavement, excess protein ends up in your urine. “You don’t have a storage site for protein,” explains Phillips. “You can’t pack it away for further use.”

Paddon-Jones says one major issue that you’ll rack up extra calories. “The biggest problem with overconsuming protein is you’re going to get fat. There’s an upper limit in terms of what your body can process at one time. You can eat more, but it’s not doing your muscles much good.”

Is one kind of protein better than another?

At the University of Connecticut, Rodriguez hones diets for pro athletes, including those in the NFL, NBA and NHL. She instructs them to get about 35g of protein per meal, scaling it up for heavier guys. But will any old protein do? Rodriguez cites several new studies that have examined plant versus animal proteins, and whole foods compared with supplements.

The upshot: to grow new muscle and get bigger while adhering to a low-calorie diet, whole, animal-based sources are preferable, specifically meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy.

In 2015 a World Health Organisation (WHO) report caused carnivores to panic because it labelled meat a carcinogen and lumped bacon with tobacco in the highest-risk category. Not to worry. First, the WHO study surveyed people who consumed heaps of meat every day. These folks are also often overweight and sedentary. So does meat give you cancer? Or do you get it from being fat and lazy? The answer is almost certainly the latter, meaning that if you’re fit and work out regularly, a modest serving (about 110g) a few times a week of beef, pork or even bacon isn’t going to put your health at risk.

“I don’t think you can become the best athlete you can be without meat,” says Dr Luc van Loon, an exercise physiology professor at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, adding that he favours whole animal foods like beef because they’re digested slowly – a steak can take 24 hours for the body to process – so it provides a steady protein supply all day.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, beans and tofu are acceptable alternatives. But remember: by proportion, animal meat packs up to three times as much protein as plant-based food like legumes and nuts. So with tofu, for example, you’ll have to eat a lot more of it to get the same protein you would dining on a hearty filet mignon or a three-egg cheese omelette. Some plant-based proteins are also high in carbohydrates, which, if not readily burned off, end up as fat. (Crickets are about 70% protein by weight.)

Unfortunately for vegetarians, the plant-based soy protein doesn’t build muscle as fast as animal protein or whey. “Soy is about 60% as effective as whey,” says Layman. “And if you use a small enough amount, say 12-15g, you will get no muscle-building effects.”

If you’re going the protein powder route, scientists suggest you choose whey, which is derived from cow’s milk. For a 2015 study in the Journal Of Food Science, Phillips analysed whey, soy and rice powders and found that whey had the highest leucine content of the three. “And when we’re talking about regenerating muscle, the key is protein higher in leucine,” he says. “Based on our work, whey tops the list.”

Whey also ranks first in its ability to feed muscles faster than any other protein type. “Whey protein is absorbed really quickly in the blood, within 15 to 20 minutes,” Paddon-Jones says. Train hard and your body burns stored carbs and fat to produce glucose for energy. But unlike fat, there’s no protein cache to tap for making muscle. And as Van Loon points out, “when you combine exercise with protein, you get a synergistic response – muscle protein synthesis is doubled.” That’s why experts love whey: its rapid absorption improves the rate of rebuilding compared with other protein sources.

Timing is everything. When muscles contract during strenuous exercise the cells become more anaerobic, and protein synthesis shuts off. So chugging a protein smoothie right before hitting the gym or while exercising is pointless – and a few studies suggest it may even be counterproductive, impeding your muscles’ ability to grow.

On the other hand, researchers have measured the largest gains in lean muscle growth in athletes who consume whey protein 30 to 90 minutes after training. “That’s when you get the biggest bang for your buck, because the machinery is set up to re-synthesise muscle,” Rodriguez says.

When we bulk up in response to resistance training, it’s because there’s a net gain of new muscle growth. Exercises break down your muscles, which respond by rebuilding themselves bigger and stronger – a process that protein amplifies. But like other scientists, Van Loon once believed this occurred only when we were awake.

Then a few years ago, he met with a few colleagues at a bar and “after too many beers,” as he puts it, “we thought, ‘What happens if we give people protein during sleep?’” Scientists had never considered whether protein could be metabolised at night or, if it could, whether muscle synthesis would occur.

When you eat protein, its amino acids are dispatched to various tissues – muscle, organ, bone – where they’re used to repair and rebuild cells. But to determine what happens at night, Van Loon had to pinpoint the exact where and when of this process.

So at a university animal research facility in the Netherlands, he rigged a Holstein cow with intravenous tubing and pumped in £30,000 worth of chemical compounds called tracers that allow scientists to follow them throughout the body. From the cow’s milk, Van Loon derived a protein supplement he could give to human test subjects and then track the amino acids throughout their bodies. “I could see the digestion and absorption, how much of the protein becomes available in the circulation, and how much of what you eat lands in the muscle over a few hours,” he explains.

Next he conducted two separate protein-and-sleep studies, recruiting healthy, active male subjects in their early 20s. In the first experiment, the men exercised in the evening, then half took a protein supplement before bedtime, with the remainder fed a placebo. Van Loon found that theprotein was effectively digested and absorbed while the men slept, and muscle rebuilding was also higher.

In the next study, he had the subjects lift weights for three months in the evenings, with half taking a protein supplement before bedtime and the other half a placebo. He found the group who consumed protein ahead of sleeping had a greater increase in muscle mass and strength.

Based on his initial results, Van Loon recommends a “fourth meal” of protein approximately 30 minutes before bedtime – that would be about 30g for a guy my size. But keep calories to a minimum, since you’re not going to burn them off while you sleep.

Good choices are Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or a protein smoothie, assuming you minimise the sugary fillers like berries and juice. “Protein prior to sleep gives you a greater window of opportunity to facilitate muscle reconditioning,” Van Loon says. “It turns out that night-time is an unused period when you can stimulate the adaptive response to exercise.”

How do I get all this protein in?

Because I’m a carnivore, to me more protein means more seafood, chicken, pork and beef. On top of ample salmon and bison – two of my favourite foods – during my investigation, I added Van Loon’s fourth bedtime “meal” as well as whey after workouts. And my food shopping costs went out of control.

To combat this, I decided to mix things up. A few times a week I now splurge on pricy seafood (often tuna or halibut, among the protein kings of fish), and for smoothies I go with organic, grass-fed whey or Crik powder – the tastiest of the supplements, but, at roughly £3 for a 32g serving of protein, the most expensive. Primarily, though, I rely on protein-packed basics like yogurt, eggs, peanut butter and cheese.

For breakfast, I do one pot of fat-free Greek yogurt blended with blueberry kefir, a tablespoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of honey. I follow my late-morning workout with a whey smoothie, using the provided scoop to get the correct amount of protein, then sweeten it with whatever fruit I happen to have – and that’s lunch. Dinner varies, but the main dish is almost always a high-protein whole food, such as pork or salmon, and before bed I might snack on a bowl of cottage cheese topped with sliced chicken or turkey breast.

I also learn about one big protein no-no: booze. Both Phillips and Paddon-Jones recount a tale shared among protein geeks, which involves a team of Australian Rules football players. During the off-season they’d meet every Friday at a gym for weight training. Afterward, they’d go drinking at a nearby pub. “No one was getting stronger in the off-season,” Paddon-Jones says. A coach with a hunch about the booze changed their training to Tuesdays – a less convenient night to get the beers in – “and they put on a ton of muscle mass and strength. Alcohol was shutting down protein synthesis.”

In 2013 Phillips led the first ever experiment to test the theory. He gathered eight men ages 21 to 26 and put them through an exercise routine that included weightlifting, cycling and high-intensity interval training. After the workout, he gave them each 50g of protein over a four-hour period and then got them smashed. Over the subsequent eight hours, he took tissue biopsies from their quad muscles. The result: muscle-protein synthesis had dropped by 24% compared with his control group, who got protein but no booze.

“Eight vodkas definitely messed up their muscles’ ability to utilise protein,” he says. “Alcohol affects your ability to regenerate and repair muscle and get it ready for a subsequent workout. If you’re an athlete, regularly consuming more than one or two drinks a day is not recommended.”

Are there any risks to eating more protein?

After two weeks, not only have I lost weight – chiefly because protein makes me feel fuller, which keeps me from snacking, and because of protein’s thermic effects, so I actually burn calories while digesting it – I also feel great. But I do notice something else that’s come with my new diet: I’m always thirsty. As it turns out, protein is hygroscopic, which means it attracts water like a magnet attracts iron filings. “If you shift to high-protein, you should drink 50% more water than you were drinking before,” Layman advises. But this gets me wondering: besides dehydration, what other potential risks might protein pose?

Low-carb diets, like the Atkins, which became popular in the ’90s, preached all-you-can-eat protein. With Atkins, you can fill up on steak and eggs as long as you limit carbs – consume enough protein and you’ll be too stuffed to eat anything else. (In contrast, the Paleo diet rightly embraces protein for its superior nutritional value. It falls short, however, because it doesn’t prescribe how much protein to eat or when to eat it. It also rejects dairy – even Greek yogurt, which new research has identified as a superlative protein.)

At the height of the Atkins craze, reports of health problems surfaced, the most serious being kidney failure. I ask Phillips whether I should be concerned, and I’m told no. Because many of the Atkins dieters were overweight, he explains, they were also “verging on type 2 diabetes”, a disease that can include kidney dysfunction. “But as the circular logic went, the high protein caused the kidney failure in the first place, and there’s no evidence of that.”

The other myth is that high protein intake is bad for your bones. The theory used to be that protein-rich foods nudged your body’s pH balance toward higher acidity, and too much acid would leach minerals including calcium from bones and lead to osteoporosis.

But, says Rodriguez, “we’re realising that eating adequate protein, along with calcium, is good for your bones, not bad for them”. Current research indicates that protein in fact increases bone density by improving calorie absorption. In a 2008 study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, Layman wrote, “Higher-protein diets are associated with greater bone mass and fewer fractures when calcium intake is adequate.”

There’s still one question that can’t be overlooked: how will consuming 100g or more of protein every day for years on end impact long-term muscle health? “We can’t answer that quite yet,” Layman says. We do know men in their mid-40s will find that their muscles begin to shrink naturally. “As we get older, we’re less efficient at turning protein into muscle,” Layman says. This has led nutritionists to assume that older adults need less protein. Having documented what high protein intake does for younger men, scientists now challenge that assumption and plan to conduct longitudinal studies to track men and their muscles over a lifetime.

It would be good to know this – but the sudden jump in strength and recovery I experience after disregarding the RDA and doubling my protein intake is reason enough to encourage me to stick with it long-term. Bring on the crickets.

Your Protein Power Calculator

What, when and how much to eat, in four simple steps

Step 1: What types?

Mix it up: beef, pork, chicken, seafood, tofu, even hemp seed, which has more protein by weight than any other veggie source. Variety is not only more fun, it also feeds muscles with a good medley of micronutrients and amino acids. If you want the best value, opt for foods that rank highest by protein-to-weight ratio: that means lean beef, tuna, chicken breasts and whey.

Step 2: When?

There is a threshold for protein, which means your muscles can use it only in small batches, according to research. Let’s say your weight puts your ideal protein intake at 140g per day. You should divide your daily intake into four servings. That’s 35g per meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner and a fourth snack right before bed. Also – and this is important – at least one of these meals should immediately follow a workout (see Step 4).

Step 3: How much?

Disregard the NHS recommendations, which suggest 0.75g of protein per day, per kilo of bodyweight. At 75kg, for example, that’s 56.25g, roughly what you get from one large chicken breast. That’s not enough to support the protein synthesis you want. Increase it to at least 112.5g, or 1.5g per kg. If you’re in the gym frequently and trying to add bulk, up to 2g per kg of bodyweight is OK.

Step 4: Anything else?

At 90% protein, whey beats all other supplements – and even whole foods like steak and salmon – in protein density and fast digestion. So pairing a whey smoothie with a workout is a no-brainer. Mix 35-40g of powder with berries, banana, honey and milk, and have it 30-90 minutes after exercise. In this post-training window, your body sucks up protein like a sponge and converts it to new muscle almost twice as fast as other times.

Building lean muscle while simultaneously burning fat may not seem straightforward, but a few calculations and supermarket trips and you could be on your way to a new physique.

Energy expenditure and your diet are key. Aim to consume around 2-3g of protein per kilogram of lean bodyweight every day, while reducing your carbohydrate (energy) intake to help the body manage the nutrients you consume.

This sample seven-day diet plan has been constructed to show you how to plan your own diet, according to your individual calculations and dietary needs. The meal plan ensures you’re consuming sufficient amounts of high-quality muscle-building protein are included while also fuelling your body with the all-important essentials of heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.

RECOMMENDED: High-Protein Foods

The sample plan is calculated for a 75kg male with a body fat percentage of 15%, meaning the lean bodyweight on this occasion would be 63.75kg (see calculations below), so the meal plan below will ensure you hit between 190g and 200g of protein per day, as well as getting all the essential fats, vitamins and minerals you need. However, you may be heavier, lighter, leaner or holding more body fat so you need to calculate exactly how much protein your body needs to reach your objective. Use our simple step-by-step guide to work out your daily protein target:

1. Take your weight and divide it by 100, eg 75kg/100=0.75
2. Subtract your body-fat percentage from 100, eg 100-15=85
3. Multiply these two values together to get your lean bodyweight, eg 0.75x85=63.75kg
4. You need 3g of protein per kg of lean bodyweight so multiply this by 3, eg 63.75x3=191g

This is your daily protein target, which should be split over four to six meals.

Sample Seven Day Meal Plan

Monday

Breakfast: 150g porridge oats cooked with 200ml semi-skimmed milk, ½ a banana and 1tsp honey. Stir in ½ a scoop of whey protein at the end of cooking.

Snack: Post-workout protein shake: blend 1 scoop of protein powder, 230ml almond milk, 1tsp almond butter, ½ a banana and ice cubes.

Lunch: 1 medium baked sweet potato with 1 can of tuna in water (drained) and spinach.

Snack: 2 boiled eggs.

Dinner: Salmon fillet with green beans and asparagus.

RECOMMENDED: How to Cook Pan-Roasted Salmon

Snack: Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and 6 brazil nuts.

Tuesday

Breakfast: 2 grilled rashers of bacon and 2 boiled eggs.

Snack: Small pot of hummus and sugar snap peas, carrots and pepper.

RECOMMENDED: High-Protein Snacks

Lunch: Ham salad.

Snack: 100g cooked prawns.

Dinner: Two home-made hamburgers with a spinach and cherry tomato salad.

Snack: Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and 10 almonds.

Wednesday

Breakfast: 150g porridge oats cooked with 200ml semi-skimmed milk, ½ a banana and 1tsp honey. Stir in ½ a scoop of whey protein at the end of cooking.

RECOMMENDED: Healthy Porridge Recipes

Snack: Post-workout protein shake: blend 1 scoop of protein powder, 230ml almond milk, 1tsp almond butter, a handful of frozen berries and ice cubes.

Lunch: Smoked salmon with spinach, cucumber and mixed salad leaves.

Snack: 2 boiled eggs.

Dinner: Chicken and cashew nut stir-fry.

Snack: Whey protein mixed with 1tbsp Greek yoghurt, water and ice.

Thursday

Breakfast: 2 grilled rashers of bacon and 2 boiled eggs.

Snack: 50g cottage cheese with celery, carrot and cucumber sticks.

Lunch: Roast chicken with baked sweet potato and runner beans.

Snack: 100g cooked prawns.

Dinner: Cod fillet with roasted vegetables.

Snack: Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and 10 almonds.

Friday

Breakfast: 150g porridge oats cooked with 200ml semi-skimmed milk, ½ a banana and 1tsp honey. Stir in ½ a scoop of whey protein at the end of cooking.

Snack: Post-workout shake: blend 1 scoop of protein powder, 230ml almond milk, 1tsp almond butter, ½ a banana and ice cubes.

RECOMMENDED: Protein Shake Recipes

Lunch: Tuna salad.

Snack: Raw vegetables with guacamole (chop ½ a ripe avocado, ¼ of a tomato and ¼ of a red onion, and mix with coriander and lime juice).

Dinner: Steak with steamed green vegetables. Small glass of red wine.

Snack: Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and 6 brazil nuts.

Saturday

Breakfast: 2 poached eggs, 2 grilled rashers of bacon, 2 grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and ½ a can of reduced salt and sugar baked beans.

Snack: Small pot of hummus with celery, carrots and cucumber.

Lunch: Diced lamb grilled on skewers with green and red peppers, cherry tomatoes and 1 small red onion, plus ½ a baked sweet potato.

Snack: 1 small can of salmon.

Dinner: Beef meatballs in tomato sauce with green vegetables.

Snack: Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and 10 almonds.

Sunday 

Breakfast: 2 poached eggs, 2 grilled rashers of bacon, 2 grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and ½ a can of reduced salt and sugar baked beans.

Snack: 50g cottage cheese with celery, carrot and cucumber sticks.

Lunch: Chicken stir-fry.

Snack: 100g cooked prawns.

Dinner: Grilled salmon fillet with roasted vegetables.

Snack: Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and 6 brazil nuts.

RECOMMENDED: The Meal Plan That Will Get You Lean in 4 Weeks

10 of the Best Lean-Muscle Foods

1. Beets

A great source of betaine, a nutrient that clinical research has proven increases muscle power and strength as well as enhancing joint and liver repair (good if you like a drink or five.) The humble beet also provides a nitric oxide boost, which helps to boost energy and aid a faster recovery.

2. Cottage Cheese

The only cheese that you’re ever likely to find on a list of muscle-building, fat-shredding foods. Cottage cheese is rich in casein protein, the slowest-digesting form of protein that you can eat, this prevents your muscles from being used as an energy source while you sleep, making it the only cheese we’ll ever advise you to eat before bed.

3. Quinoa

Go on, have a go at pronouncing it. Pronounced ‘keen-wah’ this grain should be a constant in your diet. As well as being a slow digesting, energy releasing carb, it is also a complete protein. This super-food has also been linked with an increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 levels, one of the most important factors associated with strength gains and putting on lean muscle.

4. Spinach

There is some truth behind Popeye’s love for the green stuff, despite the fact that it decreases to about 1/8 of its original size when it’s cooked. Spinach is a great source of amino acids and glutamine, essential nutrients for the growth of lean muscle.

5. Greek Yoghurt

Although it does originate from the same source as milk, Greek yoghurt has a lot more protein, packing in a muscle building 20g per 235ml; it also contains fewer carbohydrates than normal yoghurt. Not to mention it is a healthy source of casein protein.

RECOMMENDED: Cheap 7-Day Muscle Building Diet Plan

6. Brown rice

It might not taste quite as good as white rice, but the browner stuff is a lot healthier. It’s a slow-digesting wholegrain that will provide you with longer-lasting energy during your workouts. Brown rice is also known to boost your growth hormone levels, which are essential for encouraging fat loss, strength gains and the growth of lean muscle.

RECOMMENDED: Brown Rice Autumn Bowl Recipe

7. Beef

You can’t go wrong with a good bit of beef. It might have become fairly expensive in recent years but it’s an important lean-muscle building food due to its sky-high protein, zinc, B vitamins and iron content. Try to buy organic beef if you can, as grass fed, healthier cows have high levels of CLA, which gives you a boost in building lean muscle and shedding fat.

8. Apples

It might come as a surprise to many, but apples help to prevent muscle fatigue and increase muscle strength due to the specific polyphenols that they contain. Recent research has also suggested that apples speed up the fat-burning process, making them an ideal pre-workout snack.

9. Sweet potatoes

Although they are full of carbs, sweet potatoes are great for building lean muscle. The carbs contained in sweet potatoes keep your glucose stable, a key element in burning fat and preserving muscle. They are a unique carb that actually aid weight loss due to their high fibre content, but they actually keep you fuller for longer than most other starchy vegetables.

10. Eggs

Often described as the perfect protein, eggs are your best friend when it comes to boosting lean muscle growth and strength gains, but this isn’t just down to the protein alone; the cholesterol found in the yolk is also a contributing factor.

Photograph: Jean Cazals

Everyone likes ribs, but the secret to making this muscle-building pork feast taste amazing is Chinese five-spice powder. It takes its name not from the number of ingredients, but the way this single spice mix hits on all five principal tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. The sweet, spicy flavour acts like a bridge between salt and the heat of chillies, giving these ribs a really round, warm deliciousness. It also lends meat a handsome reddish tone – like the one you get when you put meat in a smoker – which is a big improvement over the unappetising grey tinge that ribs can take on when they’re cooked in the oven.

RECOMMENDED: How to Cook Pan-Roasted Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 racks of pork spare ribs cut St Louis−style by a butcher Because ribs are delicious
• 2tsp Chinese five−spice powder Hits all five principal tastes in one spicy mix
• Palm sugar caramel sauce See below for how to make the sauce that makes the meal
• Coarse sea salt A good pinch of coarse sea salt will further enhance the flavour
• Freshly ground black pepper As well as seasoning, black pepper is high in vitamin K and iron

How To Make Glazed Pork Ribs

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Season your ribs on both sides very simply with salt and pepper and dust with the Chinese five-spice powder.
3. Place the ribs meat-side down in a pair of aluminium or glass baking dishes. Cover the dishes with foil and roast the meat for four hours.
4. Drain off the drippings. Flip the ribs over using two spatulas (and an extra pair of hands, if you have them) so the meat side is now up. Be gentle, as they may be so tender they start falling apart.
5. Paint a layer of palm sugar caramel sauce on the ribs and return them to the oven uncovered for a further 20-30 minutes. Serve straight out of the oven.

Palm Sugar Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 400g palm sugar
• 1tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 200g thinly sliced shallot (4–6 large shallots)
• 1 dried hot red chilli
• 3 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 120ml Thai fish sauce

How To Make The Perfect Ribs Sauce

1. In a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, combine the palm sugar, lemon juice and 4tbsp water and bring to the boil. Using a wet pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until it begins to reach an amber colour after about 20 minutes (watch the pan carefully, because caramel can go from pale to burnt in seconds).
2. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shallots, chilli, star anise, cinnamon stick and black pepper. Whisk in the fish sauce and another 4tbsp water. Return the pan to a medium heat and stir until the caramel is smooth.
3. Pour it into a heatproof bowl and let it cool. Remove the chilli, star anise and cinnamon stick, and pour over the ribs while warm.

Taken from Cooking, Blokes & Artichokes by Brendan Collins (£20, Kyle Books). Buy on amazon.co.uk

In This Series

• Bulking to Build Muscle: What You Need to Know
• What’s a 10-Week Bulking Training Plan Actually Like?

What’s a 10-Week Bulking Training Plan Actually Like?

Can you go from scrawny to brawny in just 10 weeks? In 2014, Sam Rider, from Coach’s sister title Men’s Fitness, investigated

I’m skinny. My body type means I’m naturally thin. In many ways that makes me lucky, but after more than a decade of intensive weight training in an attempt to pack on muscle I’ve got nowhere. My bodyweight has flatlined since I turned 17. No matter how many overhead press variations I use, or all-you-can-eat buffets I visit, I can’t seem to make my shoulders any less bony, or my weight climb any further north than 76kg (12 stone).

I’m not the only one. The population is split into three different body types. My characteristics are typical of an ectomorph, also known as a ‘hard gainer’. The rest are either lucky mesomorphs, who pack on pecs just by looking at a bench press, or the less fortunate endomorphs, who’ll get fatter just by walking past a burrito stand.

But your genetic predisposition doesn’t doom you to the same physique for your whole life – with the right kind of training, you can overcome it. In fact it’s possible for an ectomorph to pack on considerable lean muscle, healthily and quickly. That’s what transformation specialist Adam Gethin, founder of Creating Physiques, tells me when I challenge him to help me pack on as much lean mass as I can in just 10 weeks. At the start he sets me a top-end target of adding 10kg but right now anything would be a bonus.

Before I begin I take biometric tests at data-based gym Speedflex, to measure my weight, body fat, muscle mass, cholesterol and other key health indicators. The challenge is to pack on lean muscle, but I also want to make sure I’m doing it in a healthy way so I’ll be doing the same tests at the end of the ten-week period.

Part 1

For my first hour-long session I head to W10 Performance in west London, where I’ll be training four times a week. The first two weeks of the plan alternate low-rep, heavy days for strength with high-volume hypertrophy days to add size. But Adam stresses the biggest factor in achieving any gains will be my diet – consisting of lots of protein, lots of carbs and a healthy dose of good fats.

It’s going to be a big challenge, but as an example for all hard gainers, I want to prove that it is possible to overcome your genetics and get into the shape your hard work deserves.

Watch the video below to see how I get on at my first workout.

Part 2

In the above video at W10 Performance Gym you join me at the halfway point. To help me cope with the vast quantities of healthy food I need to eat to grow I've been making weekly orders of lean meat, nuts and egg whites from Muscle Food. I've also been using PhD supplements to support my training.

That's a carb shake I'm swigging and those pills I keep popping are branch chained amino acids (BCAAs). The shake gives me energy and helps me hit my daily calorie target of 4,500 calories (turns out I was seriously under eating for my rapid metabolism). The pills reduce muscle breakdown. And I certainly need them, because this upper body hypertrophy workout Adam's got me doing includes three punishing supersets. Nobody said it was going to be easy.

Part 3

In the above video you join me for a brutal lower body workout at W10 Performance in West London. I'm seven weeks in and making good progress but my body is beginning to get used to the increased workload and 4,500 calorie diet I've been ploughing through. So to keep me on track Adam has shaken things up.

In the kitchen I've been tasked with squeezing in another 500 calories. Rather than altering my protein intake this has come from increasing my carb and healthy fat intake. The solution: Snack a Jacks caramel flavoured rice cakes with banana slices and crunchy peanut butter. Cramming in a couple of those morning, noon and night hasn't been too painful, but the changes in the weights room certainly have.

In this lower body workout Adam has switched up the typical order of my exercises to keep my muscles guessing. We start with five sets of 15 glute-ham raises, finishing with a drop set. This is where you do as many reps as you can with a weight until failure. Then reduce or take away the weight and go again until you can't do any more, all with the aim of keeping the muscles under tension - the golden ticket in making them grow.

Next were the dreaded Bulgarian split squat. This followed the same principle but Adam had me digging in for 20 to 30 reps per set because the quads respond better to a higher volume. Either that or he's just trying to break me. This was followed by weighted walking lunges, squats and calf raises to finish.

For the squats Adam had another trick up his sleeve: density sets. Using a relatively light weight, around 50kg for me, I had to do as many reps as I could in three minutes. I could put the bar down for a breather but I had to pause for a second at the bottom of each rep. Adam challenged me to beat 30 reps and this competitive element helped me ignore the searing pain overwhelming my thighs to clock up 50 reps.

I heartily encourage you to give it a go. It's a superb way exert a great deal of time under tension on your muscles in a short timeframe, and leaves you feeling like you've had a tough aerobic workout at the same time.

Part 4

One is never enough. It's true for drinks on a night out, silverware in your trophy cabinet and beach holidays in a calendar year. And it's also true for building muscle in the gym - as I found out during this transformation. Doing one exercise for each muscle group is not going to cut it. For example, I've always struggled to get bigger shoulders, but that's because I thought just doing push presses, for three sets of ten reps once a week was enough to develop them. How wrong I was.

In the above video you join me for a shoulders, back and biceps workout in week eight. First up are four sets of seated overhead presses, swiftly followed by three relentless tri-sets of lateral raises, partial lateral raises and wide-grip upright rows to attack the deltoids from every angle. With each exercise Adam has abandoned the principle of doing a prerequisite number of reps, in place of simply making me keep the muscles under constant tension by reducing the weight so I can keep pushing until complete failure.

With the finish line in sight, all the emphasis of my training is on this form of hypertrophy workout to increase muscle cell size. That means using at least three exercises per body part and bombarding them with infinite reps, endless sets, a painfully slow tempo and short rest periods, while I bombard Adam, my chief tormentor, with numerous expletives for putting me through this punishment.

Part 5

The ten weeks are up and the results are in. In the above video you join me for the Men's Fitness photoshoot. Here you'll also hear from my associate editor Joel Snape and my girlfriend Kathryn to reveal how the transformation affected my work and home life.

Because the challenge has been to put on as much lean mass as I could, rather than specifically get in cover model shape, I've been spared the typical depletion workouts and diet fixes to drop my body fat percentage. Instead for the the last two weeks I've introduced cable crunches and hanging leg raises plus high intensity interval training to my workouts to ensure I don't lose sight of my abs muscles.

I've pushed myself to my limits in every workout and prioritised eating over entertainment to make sure every day of the final fortnight counts. Now it's time for the revelatory photoshoot. Under Adam's instruction I've shaved my chest and had a spray tan – something he assured me would help highlight my new muscles and make them look leaner despite the ridicule I've been getting from my colleagues and rugby teammates – and headed back to Speedflex for my final body fat assessments to find out the extent of my transformation.

For more information on Adam Gethin and Creating Physiques go to creatingphysiques.com and for more on W10 Performance visit w10performance.com

If you're looking to bulk up, you've got to get the balance right – it's all about making sure you're eating the right amount of the right foods and are training hard enough. A bodybuilding doctor and a nutritionist guide us through what you need to know about bulking up and offer some helpful tips. 

And if you're wondering what it's actually like to follow a bulking training plan, we've got the answer. Writer Sam Rider tries out a 10-week bulking training plan and shares his experience, below.

Bulking to Build Muscle: What You Need to Know

Know What Your Body Needs 

“The principle of bulking is to achieve a calorie surplus, where you consume more than you burn off, and converting it to muscle with smart training,” says doctor and bodybuilder Emil Hodzovic. If you’re a “hardgainer” – someone with a rapid metabolism who struggles to gain weight – that can mean chowing down a tonne of food. First, identify how many calories you need by working out your basal metabolic rate using an online BMR calculator, then slightly exceed your calorie target the clean way, eating whole food sources like steak, eggs and milk. Here nutritionist Matt Lovell describes the daily macronutrient totals for both hardgainers and those who have no such problems.

So for a 75kg hardgainer, the amount of protein is calculated as 3 x 75 = 225g.

RECOMMENDED: Sam Warburton Diet and Workout to Build Bulk

Fast Food Doesn’t Mean Dirty Dining

Have you ever tried eating 6,000 calories’ worth of chicken breast and broccoli in a day? Hodzovic has, and he doesn’t recommend it. That’s when loading up on convenient high-calorie fast food can seem an appealing solution. “But feasting solely on nutritionally weak junk food can cause you to lurch way beyond your calorie requirements and get fat, risking a host of illnesses from diabetes to heart disease,” Hodzovic says. It’s important not to compromise on quality. Go for grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and eggs and chemical-free nut butters – and there are even good-quality pot noodles called Quick Sports Meals from Sport Kitchen for a fast but clean hit.

Have Some ‘Strategic Overfeeds’

It’s the new way to do cheat meals. Lovell, who advises the Football Association and works with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, prescribes these to youth footballers to help them get big enough to survive the intensity of the Premier League. The rule: eat clean 80% of the time and afford yourself an “anything goes” policy for the remaining 20%. For example, most of your breakfasts should look like the “clean” omelette drizzled with omega 3-rich extra virgin olive oil and packed with veg, turkey and chorizo on the left, below, but one in five times you can cut loose with a plate of these “dirty” bacon and blueberry pancakes – but fry everything in coconut oil for bonus healthy fats, and don’t skimp on quality.

Keep Doing High-Intensity Exercise

“If your calorie intake is high, your training intensity has to be higher,” says Hodzovic – otherwise bulk will turn to bulge. Lifting heavy with big multi-joint compound moves will create the stimulus for muscle synthesis, while occasional high-intensity intervals on the rower or bike will keep your body fat low.

The hardgainer who incinerates calories even when resting should replace calories lost during a session with a carb and protein shake before and after a workout. Wear an activity tracker that monitors your heart rate to identify how many calories you burn in a session.

RECOMMENDED: Protein Shake Recipes

Squat Every Day

Or at least every workout. “Squats are an epic exercise and they build a hell of a lot more than just your legs, including a mental toughness that you just won’t get doing endless biceps curls,” says Hodzovic. There is a time and place for a bodybuilding muscle-group split but, to take advantage of the calorie surplus of a bulk, full-body workouts are key.

Take it Easy

Working out a plan of endless drop sets, negatives and supersets will probably take longer to do than the workouts themselves, and it’s not time well spent. Instead stick to Hodzovic’s tried-and-tested solution, “controlled movement with slow tempos and rest-pause sets”.

Try this tempo rest-pause set with biceps curls: lift your ten-rep max at a tempo of two seconds up, four seconds down until failure. Rest for 15 seconds. Lift again for two seconds up, two seconds down to failure. Rest 15 seconds once more, then do a final set of as many reps as you can muster at a faster tempo. Then shake off the agonising lactate. And never forget – you grow while you rest.

RECOMMENDED: Try the Bulking Workout Plan Henry Cavill Used for Batman v Superman

Go Beyond Pasta

If you’re training hard, you’ll need a hefty dose of carbs with your protein and healthy fats to speed up muscle recovery. A University of Connecticut study identified 470ml of chocolate milk, which provides all three, as the best post-workout antidote. But the rest of the time you shouldn’t just stick to bread and pasta. “Shake up your carb sources constantly,” says Lovell. “Cycle between wholewheat, rice (especially basmati, wild and Thai black rice), oats, barley and quinoa for a huge variety of nutrients to help you grow healthy as well as big.”

Eat the Rainbow

As with carbs, you should keep your sources of fruit and vegetables varied. “Eat green leafy veg, bright tropical fruit, dark berries, the full spectrum,” Lovell says. It’ll provide all the micronutrients you need. Bulk up your meals with pulses and legumes so you don’t have to buy so much expensive meat. “Don’t compromise on this,” says Lovell. “All-cause mortality drops by 5% for every daily portion of fruit and veg you eat.” That’s a decent trade-off.

Watch Your Blood Sugar Levels

Your body is a control freak – in a good way. It’s excellent at controlling your blood sugar with hormones such as insulin. “But scoffing sugary foods on a ‘dirty bulk’ causes blood sugar spikes, which carries risks for type 2 diabetes,” says Hodzovic. One jam doughnut won’t tip you over the edge, but a few might leave you feeling sluggish when your blood sugar drops after spiking. Regular exercise can offset some of the risks, so save the cakes for big training days.

Get Help From Supps

Matt Lovell reveals the essentials

Fish oil: To fire on all cylinders for maximum growth, your cells need essential fatty acids from pharmaceutical-grade fish oils. Get yours with added vitamin E.

CLA: Fats like conjugated linoleic acid help your body manage the glucose you’re taking on from carbs so that it goes to your muscles and isn’t stored as fat.

ZMA: If you’re taking care of the eating and training parts of the growth triumvirate, this combo of zinc and magnesium aspartate will aid your demand for the third – sleep.

Probiotics: For immunity support and gut function to tolerate the high demands on your CNS and digestive system from heavy-duty eating and lifting.

Digestive enzymes: You can’t afford a slow digestive grind. Look for the word “proteolytic” on the label for supps that aid protein breakdown for max muscle.

R-ALA/blueberry extract: Like CLA, this insulin sensitiser helps shuttle sugar into muscles and less into fat stores.

RECOMMENDED: The Best Supplements for Getting in Shape

I Followed A 10-Week Bulking Training Plan

Can you go from scrawny to brawny in just 10 weeks? In 2014, Sam Rider, from Coach’s sister title Men’s Fitness, investigated.

I’m skinny. My body type means I’m naturally thin. In many ways that makes me lucky, but after more than a decade of intensive weight training in an attempt to pack on muscle I’ve got nowhere. My bodyweight has flatlined since I turned 17. No matter how many overhead press variations I use, or all-you-can-eat buffets I visit, I can’t seem to make my shoulders any less bony, or my weight climb any further north than 76kg (12 stone).

I’m not the only one. The population is split into three different body types. My characteristics are typical of an ectomorph, also known as a ‘hard gainer’. The rest are either lucky mesomorphs, who pack on pecs just by looking at a bench press, or the less fortunate endomorphs, who’ll get fatter just by walking past a burrito stand.

But your genetic predisposition doesn’t doom you to the same physique for your whole life – with the right kind of training, you can overcome it. In fact it’s possible for an ectomorph to pack on considerable lean muscle, healthily and quickly. That’s what transformation specialist Adam Gethin, founder of Creating Physiques, tells me when I challenge him to help me pack on as much lean mass as I can in just 10 weeks. At the start he sets me a top-end target of adding 10kg but right now anything would be a bonus.

Before I begin I take biometric tests at data-based gym Speedflex, to measure my weight, body fat, muscle mass, cholesterol and other key health indicators. The challenge is to pack on lean muscle, but I also want to make sure I’m doing it in a healthy way so I’ll be doing the same tests at the end of the ten-week period.

Part 1

For my first hour-long session I head to W10 Performance in west London, where I’ll be training four times a week. The first two weeks of the plan alternate low-rep, heavy days for strength with high-volume hypertrophy days to add size. But Adam stresses the biggest factor in achieving any gains will be my diet – consisting of lots of protein, lots of carbs and a healthy dose of good fats.

It’s going to be a big challenge, but as an example for all hard gainers, I want to prove that it is possible to overcome your genetics and get into the shape your hard work deserves.

Watch the video below to see how I get on at my first workout.

Part 2

In the above video at W10 Performance Gym you join me at the halfway point. To help me cope with the vast quantities of healthy food I need to eat to grow I've been making weekly orders of lean meat, nuts and egg whites from Muscle Food. I've also been using PhD supplements to support my training.

That's a carb shake I'm swigging and those pills I keep popping are branch chained amino acids (BCAAs). The shake gives me energy and helps me hit my daily calorie target of 4,500 calories (turns out I was seriously under eating for my rapid metabolism). The pills reduce muscle breakdown. And I certainly need them, because this upper body hypertrophy workout Adam's got me doing includes three punishing supersets. Nobody said it was going to be easy.

Part 3

In the above video you join me for a brutal lower body workout at W10 Performance in West London. I'm seven weeks in and making good progress but my body is beginning to get used to the increased workload and 4,500 calorie diet I've been ploughing through. So to keep me on track Adam has shaken things up.

In the kitchen I've been tasked with squeezing in another 500 calories. Rather than altering my protein intake this has come from increasing my carb and healthy fat intake. The solution: Snack a Jacks caramel flavoured rice cakes with banana slices and crunchy peanut butter. Cramming in a couple of those morning, noon and night hasn't been too painful, but the changes in the weights room certainly have.

In this lower body workout Adam has switched up the typical order of my exercises to keep my muscles guessing. We start with five sets of 15 glute-ham raises, finishing with a drop set. This is where you do as many reps as you can with a weight until failure. Then reduce or take away the weight and go again until you can't do any more, all with the aim of keeping the muscles under tension - the golden ticket in making them grow.

Next were the dreaded Bulgarian split squat. This followed the same principle but Adam had me digging in for 20 to 30 reps per set because the quads respond better to a higher volume. Either that or he's just trying to break me. This was followed by weighted walking lunges, squats and calf raises to finish.

For the squats Adam had another trick up his sleeve: density sets. Using a relatively light weight, around 50kg for me, I had to do as many reps as I could in three minutes. I could put the bar down for a breather but I had to pause for a second at the bottom of each rep. Adam challenged me to beat 30 reps and this competitive element helped me ignore the searing pain overwhelming my thighs to clock up 50 reps.

I heartily encourage you to give it a go. It's a superb way exert a great deal of time under tension on your muscles in a short timeframe, and leaves you feeling like you've had a tough aerobic workout at the same time.

Part 4

One is never enough. It's true for drinks on a night out, silverware in your trophy cabinet and beach holidays in a calendar year. And it's also true for building muscle in the gym - as I found out during this transformation. Doing one exercise for each muscle group is not going to cut it. For example, I've always struggled to get bigger shoulders, but that's because I thought just doing push presses, for three sets of ten reps once a week was enough to develop them. How wrong I was.

In the above video you join me for a shoulders, back and biceps workout in week eight. First up are four sets of seated overhead presses, swiftly followed by three relentless tri-sets of lateral raises, partial lateral raises and wide-grip upright rows to attack the deltoids from every angle. With each exercise Adam has abandoned the principle of doing a prerequisite number of reps, in place of simply making me keep the muscles under constant tension by reducing the weight so I can keep pushing until complete failure.

With the finish line in sight, all the emphasis of my training is on this form of hypertrophy workout to increase muscle cell size. That means using at least three exercises per body part and bombarding them with infinite reps, endless sets, a painfully slow tempo and short rest periods, while I bombard Adam, my chief tormentor, with numerous expletives for putting me through this punishment.

Part 5

The ten weeks are up and the results are in. In the above video you join me for the Men's Fitness photoshoot. Here you'll also hear from my associate editor Joel Snape and my girlfriend Kathryn to reveal how the transformation affected my work and home life.

Because the challenge has been to put on as much lean mass as I could, rather than specifically get in cover model shape, I've been spared the typical depletion workouts and diet fixes to drop my body fat percentage. Instead for the the last two weeks I've introduced cable crunches and hanging leg raises plus high intensity interval training to my workouts to ensure I don't lose sight of my abs muscles.

I've pushed myself to my limits in every workout and prioritised eating over entertainment to make sure every day of the final fortnight counts. Now it's time for the revelatory photoshoot. Under Adam's instruction I've shaved my chest and had a spray tan – something he assured me would help highlight my new muscles and make them look leaner despite the ridicule I've been getting from my colleagues and rugby teammates – and headed back to Speedflex for my final body fat assessments to find out the extent of my transformation.

For more information on Adam Gethin and Creating Physiques go to creatingphysiques.com and for more on W10 Performance visit w10performance.com

It’s safe to say that brownies rank pretty highly in the pantheon of American culinary inventions, but like most of their compatriots – think Twinkies, corn dogs and Dunkin’ Donuts – ingesting them in large quantities won’t do your waistline any favours. This problem inspired the chefs at fitness restaurant Gym’s Kitchen (gymskitchen.com) to come up with a radical solution: replace all the sugary, processed carbs in traditional brownie recipes with the natural goodness of, yes, sweet potato. The results taste as good as they look, and offer plenty of blood sugar-steadying low-GI carbs as well as 14g of muscle-building protein per brownie. 

Ingredients

800g sweet potato, peeled and diced

80g ground almonds

14 dates, finely chopped

100g oats

100g chocolate whey protein powder

4tbsp cocoa powder

3tbsp pure maple syrup

1tbsp baking powder

How to Make It

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

Step 2: Boil the sweet potato in water for eight to ten minutes until soft. Drain and place it in a bowl. Mix with the remaining ingredients and mash until you get a smooth consistency.

Step 3: Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spread the mixture evenly over it. Bake it in the oven for around 18 minutes, then slice into ten and eat. Not all at once.

The Numbers (per brownie)

309 calories

14g protein

56g carbs

6g fat

Belgian cuisine can be a bit hit-and-miss if you’re trying to add lean muscle. Carbonnade? Fantastic. Chips with mayonnaise? Not so much. But one dish of Belgian origin you should most definitely add to your bulk-building eating regime is moules marinière. In addition to offering high levels of muscle-building protein, these crustaceans are also rich in bone-strengthening manganese and sleep-improving selenium.

The MF-enhanced recipe below – provided by Michelin-starred chef Adam Gray – also swaps the traditional cream for vitamin B12-rich natural yogurt to give you an extra energy boost. Adam Gray is executive chef at Skylon in London.

Try this seafood soup with mussels 

Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

Calories: 751

Protein: 65g

Fat: 27g

Carbs: 43g

Ingredients (serves 1)

1.5kg mussels in shells, cleaned and beards removed / 1 bay leaf / 100ml dry white wine / 4 shallots, peeled and sliced / 20g unsalted butter / 2tbsp natural yogurt / 25g curly parsley, roughly chopped

To make

Wash the mussels in a pot under cold running water. If any of the mussels float, discard them. Press the shells of any open mussels together with your fingers and if they don’t close, discard them.

Heat the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and bay leaf and soften for one minute.

Add the mussels and wine cover the pan tightly with a lid and cook for four to five minutes until the mussels have all opened. Stir in the yogurt and parsley and serve.

Expert upgrades

Add these extra ingredients to your moules for bonus health benefits

Artichoke hearts provide fibre, which improves digestion, says functional medicine consultant and personal trainer Aaron Deere kxlife.co.uk

Try these recipes to make artichokes better

Celery provides B vitamins, which help to boost immunity, says sports scientist Laurent Bannock guruperformance.com

Add celery to these juices for a healthy punch

Garlic provides sulphuric compounds that reduce inflammation, says performance nutritionist Nick Morgan awordonnutrition.com

More recipes with a punch of garlic

Any self-respecting gent has made his own burgers at some point – and it doesn’t take much sense of adventure to dabble with turkey mince, or even lamb. But fish burgers are a different kettle of… well, you know. Fortunately, this salmon recipe – provided by Michelin-starred chef Adam Gray – is easy to make and provides similar levels of muscle-building protein to a traditional beef burger. As a bonus, it’s leaner and offers high levels of energy-boosting vitamin B12 and sleep-enhancing selenium. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the burger 600g salmon fillet, skin and any bones removed / 1tbsp rapeseed oil / 40g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped / 1tsp soy sauce / 2tbsp tomato ketchup / Handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped / Pinch of cayenne pepper / Salt and pepper, to taste / 4 sourdough buns, halved / For the salad 2 Braeburn apples / 8 radishes, washed and trimmed at either end / 1tbsp chopped chives / 50ml walnut oil

To make:

• Cut the salmon into 3cm chunks.
• Place the salmon, ketchup, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, ginger and coriander into a food processor and blend it to the consistency of mince.
• Shape into four evenly sized burger patties.
• Brush the burgers with the rapeseed oil and fry for four to five minutes on each side until cooked through.
• Cut the apples and radishes into small batons, place in a bowl and mix with the chives, walnut oil, salt and pepper.
• Top the burgers with salad and serve in the buns.

Check here for more musle-building recipes

Add these expert upgrades for bonus health benefits

Spring onions

‘Chop them and add them to the burger mix to improve your gut health by increasing bifidobacteria levels,’ says personal trainer Aaron Deere of kxlife.co.uk

Mustard

‘A teaspoon will give your burgers an added kick and provide immunity-boosting antioxidants,’ says sports nutritionist Laurent Bannock of guruperformance.com

Lemon zest

‘Chuck some vitamin B-rich lemon zest in your burger mix for better red blood cell production,’ says performance nutritionist Nick Morgan of awordonnutrition.com

Bulk-buying canned tuna might be a cost-effective shopping strategy, but treating yourself to the fancier fresh stuff opens up far more exciting muscle-building meal options. For example, this tuna steak and salsa combo, which offers extra servings of fat-fighting chromium and metabolism-boosting potassium.

Sesame tuna with salsa salad

Ingredients (serves 1)

For the tuna

2 150g tuna steaks / 2tbsp dark soy sauce / 1 garlic clove, finely chopped / 2tsp grated root ginger / 1tbsp rapeseed oil / 1tbsp black sesame seeds / 1tbsp white sesame seeds

For the salsa

Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered / ½ red onion, diced / 1 garlic clove, finely chopped / Salt and pepper to taste / ½ red pepper, diced / ½ yellow pepper, diced / 2tbsp lemon juice / 1tbsp olive oil / 1tsp coriander leaves, chopped

To make

• Mix the ginger, garlic and soy sauce, and marinate the tuna for five minutes. 
• Meanwhile mix all the salsa ingredients and season with salt and pepper. 
• Remove the tuna from the marinade and roll it in the sesame seeds. 
• Heat the oil in a pan until hot and cook the tuna for 30 seconds on each side. Slice the tuna and serve it with the salsa.

With a protein-packed double whammy of egg and sausage meat, this classic British snack is an ideal post-gym treat – provided you avoid the processed perils of the supermarket variety and make it yourself. This simple recipe from Michelin-starred chef Adam Gray features high-quality ingredients that will help, not hinder, your training. 

Wondering what to eat after a workout, and which are the best high-protein foods? Check out the nutrition section of our website for more easy recipes to fuel your training.

Scotch Egg Recipe

618 calories per Scotch egg

Ingredients (Makes Four Scotch Eggs)

• 5 large free-range eggs 
• 275g Cumberland sausage meat 
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• 125g plain flour  
• 125g dried wholemeal breadcrumbs 
• 1 litre rapeseed oil, for frying

Method

• Boil four eggs in a pan of water over a medium heat for six minutes.
• Remove the eggs from the pan and place them in a bowl of ice water for five minutes.
• Remove from the water and peel carefully.
• Divide the sausage meat into four balls and flatten them using the palm of your hand.
• Place an egg on each of the sausage meat patties and carefully wrap them up, ensuring all of each egg is fully covered and sealed.
• Break and beat the fifth egg and season the flour with the black pepper. 
• Dip each sausage meat-coated egg in the flour, then the beaten egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Ensure each egg is fully covered at every stage.
• Heat the rapeseed oil in a pot over a medium heat, then shallow fry the Scotch eggs for four minutes, turning throughout with a slotted spoon.
• Carefully remove the eggs from the pot and place them on kitchen roll to remove any excess oil.

Nutrition

We used Myfitnesspal, one of the best weight-loss apps for calorie counting, to get approximate nutritional values for this recipe. Each Scotch egg contains around 618 calories, and provides 52g of carbohydrates, 36g of fat, 22g of protein and 3g of fibre.

Chef tips 

Heston Blumenthal says: “If you prefer your snacks spicy, add smoked paprika and mustard to the sausage meat.”

Jamie Oliver says: “Add finely chopped fresh chives and parsley to the sausage meat for a herby undertone.”

Delia Smith says: “Add finely chopped spring onions to the sausage meat and you’ll give it a tangy kick.”

More About Nutrition 

• Prepare a healthy meal in minutes with these simple protein-rich salad recipes
• Get an instant hit of the essential muscle-builder with these high-protein snacks
• Take the hassle out of eating healthily with the UK’s best healthy meal delivery services

When you think of a tempting protein-rich food, you probably imagine a juicy steak, a plump chicken breast or a lovely dollop of peanut butter. You almost certainly don’t think of a crunchy bug. But a recent surge in popularity – triggered by a UN campaign trumpeting their nutritional viability as an alternative to meat and dairy – has led to a range of creepy crawly-infused snacks and meals appearing in shops and restaurants.

Insects that were once the preserve of jungle-dwelling Z-list celebs are now being served as gourmet fitness food, thanks in part to their impressive protein content. Grasshoppers, caterpillars and mealworms are all over 20% protein, putting them on a par with muscle-building staples such as chicken and beef, and they’re more sustainable to produce than livestock. But will they ever taste good enough to replace a steak? MF turns insectivore to find out.

Archipelago

One of the UK’s leading global fusion restaurants, London’s Archipelago serves a selection of unusual insect dishes, as well as rare, protein-rich meats such as crocodile, wildebeest and kangaroo. 

‘We do get an occasional scream from a squeamish customer,’ says Daniel Creedon, Archipelago’s head chef and general manager. ‘But most people are very open to what we offer. It’s funny, because people freak out about eating insects but they’re happy to eat prawns, which are basically large insects that swim in the sea.’

On the Archipelago menu today are pan-fried crickets with quinoa, spinach and dried fruit, a cricket and locust salad and – most ominously – mealworm caviar. ‘Insects have a very particular, slightly bitter flavour,’ says Creedon. ‘This comes from chitin, which is the protein that their exoskeletons are made from. In east Asian countries people grow up eating it and become accustomed to the flavour, but it’s not something people are used to in the UK.’

I ask if the recipes are of Asian origin. ‘Not necessarily,’ Creedon replies. ‘Most of our menu consists of dishes I designed myself. There’s a lot of trial and error involved when you’ve got such varied ingredients.’ 

I start with the pan-fried crickets, which contain 13g of protein per 100g. ‘We usually dry insects out in the oven to make them nice and crisp,’ says Creedon. ‘But we deliberately fried these crickets, so they burst in your mouth like a grape, which some people find strange.’ To my surprise, the taste is fairly mild, and the grape-like texture complements the quinoa and dried fruit well. If anything, the overriding flavour is that of the spicy chermoula butter – made with chilli, garlic and coriander – that the dish has been fried in. 

Next up is the cricket and locust salad. Crisp and crunchy, the locusts – which are roughly 60% protein – have a pleasing walnut-like flavour that’s further enhanced by the garlic, chilli and lemongrass sauce. Finally I move on to the mealworm caviar. Served in a caramel peanut sauce with coconut cream, it’s a struggle to identify a specific worm flavour, but the texture is a perfect substitute for actual caviar and the sauce is sweet and punchy.

archipelago-restaurant.co.uk

Wahaca

Mexican street food-inspired restaurant chain Wahaca launched its flagship grasshopper dish, Chapulines Fundido, in 2013, and it’s back in season – and on the menu – this November. 

‘Insects such as grasshoppers and crickets are very popular foods in Mexico, especially when they’re fried in chilli, garlic or lime,’ says Wahaca’s head of menu innovations, Edson Diaz-Fuentes. ‘We wanted to bring some of this interesting Mexican food to the British market, so we’re flying grasshoppers in from the state of Wahaca to serve in our restaurants.’

The dish consists of a salsa base topped with melted cheese and served with tortilla chips, which you use as makeshift cutlery. ‘We crush the fried grasshoppers and mix them with the other salsa ingredients,’ says Diaz-Fuentes. ‘Mixing them in makes the dish more appealing to people who might be scared by the thought of eating insects, although we do put one whole grasshopper on top for presentation’s sake.’

The result is a satisfying cheese feast with a smoky, earthy undertone. The combination of casein-rich cheese and grasshopper – which contains 20.6g protein per 100g – makes for an excellent muscle-building meal, although I struggle to resist the urge to wash it down with a mojito. 

wahaca.co.uk

Selfridges

One of London’s oldest department stores, Selfridges offers a selection of insect-based snacks in its food hall. They’re produced by exotic food specialists Edible (edible-shop.com) and provide an opportunity to sample insect cuisine without splashing out on a full restaurant meal.

First up from the Edible range is toasted scorpions. While not technically insects – although they share the same arthropod phylum and exoskeletal body type – scorpions are similar in taste and texture to crickets and locusts, with an earthy, nutty flavour and a slightly bitter aftertaste. ‘All the scorpions are farm-raised, then detoxified and toasted until crisp,’ says Selfridges buyer Emma Murphy. It gives them a similar texture to pork scratchings, and after a few crunchy chews they dissolve easily in my mouth.

I follow up this savoury starter with a few sweet snacks, including a sugar-free Antlix lollipop, containing black ants. According to Murphy these contain ‘energy-giving enzymes’, but I struggle to pick out their flavour. To wash it down, I’m given a glass of worm gin. ‘The worm adds a unique taste to the gin, and you can eat it when you finish the bottle,’ says Murphy. Given that it’s 8am, I decide not to polish off the bottle for the sake of sampling the protein-rich worm, but the few sips I do enjoy are crisp and refreshing. 

selfridges.com

Few things in life are as satisfying as a really good Sunday roast. And luckily, chicken – a roasting tin staple – is one of the leanest, healthiest meats you can eat. Follow the recipe below for flawless fowl.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1.6kg free range or organic whole chicken / 100ml rapeseed oil / Sea salt to taste

To make

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 5.
• Remove the wishbone at the neck end of the chicken with a small, sharp knife – this makes the carving process much easier.
• Brush the chicken all over with the oil and season it with the salt.
• Place the chicken on a roasting tray, breast-side up, and put it in the oven.
• Roast the chicken for one hour, occasionally basting with the juices in the roasting tray.
• To establish if the chicken is cooked, pierce it between the thigh and the breast with a skewer and check that the juices run clear.
• Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a large plate and leave it to rest for ten minutes.
• Carve the chicken into thick pieces, as this helps retain the moisture.

For more muscle building meals be sure to checkout our other recipes. 

Calories: 1,179kcal (whole chicken)

Fat: 108g 

Protein: 59g

Carbs: 0g

Marco Pierre White suggests… covering the chicken with cling film when you leave it to rest to stop it from drying out.

Rick Stein suggests… stuffing your chicken with minced pork seasoned with paprika, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg to give it an Indian twist.

Delia Smith suggests… layering rashers of smoked streaky bacon over the bird before roasting for added meaty flavour.

Yes

says Nick Mitchell, founder of training company Ultimate Performance, who says a diet including meat and fish is essential if you want to make the best possible gains

If you train hard and want to be the strongest you can possibly be, it’s optimal to have meat and fish in your diet. That’s not to say you can’t progress without them – but you’ll be at a distinct disadvantage. 

Meat and fish aren’t just beneficial for their protein. It’s also the creatine, iron, leucine, zinc, taurine, glycine, vitamin B12, carnosine, carnitine, omega fats and other nutrients they contain. These all help create a better muscle response to exercise and better recovery, resulting in a superior ability to pack on size.  

In theory it’s possible to replace meat with supplements. But it’s an expensive way to get everything your body needs and is a lot harder than just getting those nutrients through food. And even if you invest in all the pills and powders, you’ll need to watch out for gelatine-based capsules and products containing animal derivatives such as rennet. 

I once had a vegetarian guy who came to me to do a transformation for a magazine feature. After I put him through his paces in the gym it was clear that he needed to change his diet to reach his goal. Being a persuasive type, I convinced him to eat meat and fish. The photoshoot looked great, and I guarantee he would never have achieved such incredible results if he hadn’t turned carnivore.

If you have ethical beliefs that stop you eating animal products, I respect that. And you’ll still make progress in the gym – it will just be slower. There are muscular vegetarians and vegans out there, of course. I’ve just never met any. 

No

says Derek Tresize, a vegan with a certification in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University and a WNBF pro natural bodybuilder with three first-place finishes

First let’s get one thing straight: there’s not much in animal foods that can’t be found in plants. Whole plant foods contain proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. On the flipside, animals contain no carbohydrates, no fibre, no antioxidants and very few vitamins or minerals, and they have more contaminants due to bioaccumulation (mercury in fish, for example), and potentially unhealthy substances such as saturated fat. 

Animal proteins have the advantage of being more concentrated (often about 80-90% of the calories are from protein, while high-protein plants are closer to 50%) and containing more creatine and leucine. However, it’s still easy to hit your protein quota by eating plenty of legumes, green vegetables, nuts and seeds. There are also high-quality plant-based protein powders available if you need to supplement your diet. As for creatine and leucine, even meat eaters have to take supplements to get the amounts needed for serious muscle growth.

Eating plants will provide all the essential nutrients you need to build healthy lean body mass. Also, animal proteins take more time and energy to digest. Every vegan athlete I’ve spoken with, from endurance athletes to MMA fighters, describes feeling more energetic and enjoying faster recovery after eliminating animal proteins. In my experience, the only people convinced you need meat and fish for optimum muscle growth are those who are too scared to go without it.

If you want to fill out your frame with lean muscle, getting plenty of protein in your diet is critical. That’s why we’ve included it in all the meals and snacks in this plan, including this succulent pork rib recipe, provided by Michelin-starred chef and duathlete Alan Murchison, which makes for a well-earned reward after a tough session at the gym. For other ideas, read our guide to the best protein-rich foods.

Breakfast

Chorizo and poached eggs provides all the amino acids your muscles need to grow.

Lunch

Salmon and cream cheese on a wholemeal bagel contains plenty of omega 3 fatty acids, which help to reduce inflammation.

Snacks

Beef jerky and brazil nuts are good sources of muscle-building creatine and muscle mass-preserving BCAAs.

Dinner - Rack of ribs

Ingredients

1 full rack of pork ribs / 6tbsp honey / 3tbsp oyster sauce / ¼tsp chilli flakes / 1 courgette / 100ml milk / 2tbsp chickpea flour / 1tbsp olive oil / 1 corn on the cob / 1tsp butter / Salt and pepper to taste

To make

• Spoon the honey and oyster sauce into a roasting tin or baking dish. Add the chilli flakes, salt and pepper. 
• Toss the ribs in the marinade, then set aside for at least two hours.
• Preheat the oven to 160˚C/gas mark 2-3. Roast the ribs in the tin for 90 minutes, turning them in the marinade occasionally.
• Turn the heat up to 200°C/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes, keeping an eye on the ribs to make sure they don’t burn.
• Meanwhile, cut the courgettes into chip-shaped chunks, soak them in milk for 30 minutes, then dry them using kitchen paper.
• Roll them in the chickpea flour and then fry them in the oil over a medium-high heat for four minutes.
• Boil the corn on the cob in water for 4-5 minutes, then remove it and grill it under a medium heat for five minutes, turning frequently.
• Spread the butter over the corn, then serve with the ribs and courgette fries.
•  

You don’t need meat and fish to gain muscle in the gym. It’s a common misconception that eating meat will make you big and strong but vegetarians can get enough protein from a plant based diet and amino acid supplements.

Click here for inspiration on how to make a delicious muscle building vegetarian meal plan

Protein sources

Broccoli contains more protein per calorie than steak and spinach is about equal to chicken and fish (per calorie). Your primary protein sources should be eggs, beans, quinoa, broccoli, grains and legumes. You can also supplement with plant-based or whey protein powder. When your diet includes complete proteins in combination with healthy fats, you should have no problem putting on muscle.

Fat is necessary

Fat is the most energy dense form of food we eat and you need to make sure you’re getting enough fat in your diet. It’s a good source of energy for both immediate needs and delayed use when food intake is reduced. Fat in the diet helps the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). It’s a source of the essential fatty acids that the body cannot make itself.

Plants most often store fats in their seeds, nuts and fruits. Make sure you include ingredients like avocados, coconuts and olives as they are all a great source of healthy fat. ‘Healthy fats’ such as omega-3 fatty acids can be consumed through flax seed oil, which has way more omega-3s per calorie than fish.

Click here to read how a vegetarian fat-loss plan can help you shed fat in just four weeks!

Eggs

Proteins are made up of amino acids. We need protein in our diets as there are about 9 amino acids that we cannot naturally produce. Whilst meat does have a superior amino acid profile, we can still access the majority of these from a plant based diet. Eggs actually have the highest biological value of any other food, even including beef, meaning they can support your body’s protein needs. You also need less protein from eggs, calorie for calorie, than you do from other sources to build solid muscle. And no, eating a reasonable amount of eggs every day won't increase your risk of heart disease.

Supplements

It’s important to remember to take supplements to ensure you have enough creatine, BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) and taurine, which are essential amino acids for muscle growth, repair and energy.

Creatine is a highly regarded amino acid in the fitness industry, known for its muscle-building features and although our bodies naturally make creatine it always advantageous to get more introduced into our system. The only food sources that have creatine are meat (beef, pork, and fish) but it can be supplemented inexpensively with creatine powder that you can get at virtually any supplement outlet. Even some grocery stores carry this since it’s so popular.

BCAAs can help protect your muscles from the catabolic effects of dieting and can help you gain mass. According to a study published in The Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, BCAAs reduces muscle soreness after sessions of intense exercise. In fact, most bodybuilders aren’t getting enough BCAAs from food alone so I’d recommend that both meat eaters and vegetarians take them.

Click here to read the 5 best sources of protein for vegetarians

Even if you ignore all the advice above there are so many protein supplement products suitable for vegetarians that there’s no reason why cutting fish and meat out of your diet should hamper your attempts to build muscle.

Time to cook / prepare: 3 hours 

The meal: Calzone

Most calzones consist of mounds of insulin-spiking white dough, stuffed with trans fat-heavy processed meat. Not so the MF version, which is made with blood sugar-steadying wholemeal dough and filled with protein-rich mozzarella and iron-packed spinach.  

The swap: White flour for wholemeal 

‘The white flour in pizza dough leads to fat storage,’ says Gray. ‘Swapping it for wholemeal flour will help to reduce these spikes without compromising taste or texture.’

The bonus: More energy, less hunger

Mozzarella is high in energy-boosting phosphorous, while mushrooms are packed with filling fibre.

The recipe: Ingredients (Serves 4) 

For the dough 225g organic wholemeal flour / 90ml semi-skimmed milk / 50ml water / 1tsp dried yeast / 25ml rapeseed oil / 1 pinch of salt

For the filling 150ml rapeseed oil / 500g chestnut mushrooms, washed and quartered / 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced / 300g spinach leaves, washed and drained / 200ml passata sauce / 125g organic mozzarella, torn into pieces /Salt and pepper to taste

To make

Filling

• Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the rapeseed oil.
• Add the chestnut mushrooms and garlic and cook for two to three minutes.
• Add the spinach leaves and cook for two minutes until they have wilted.
• Place the cooked mushroom mixture into a mixing bowl and add the passata and mozzarella pieces. 
• Season with salt and pepper and set it to one side to cool.

Dough

• Pour the salt and wholemeal flour into a large mixing bowl.
• Mix the milk, water and yeast together in a separate bowl.
• Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix it all together to form the dough. 
• Knead the dough for five minutes on a floured surface
• Slowly pour the rapeseed oil over the dough and continue to knead it until it’s fully absorbed and the dough is firm and smooth.
• Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover it with clingfilm and set it to one side for two hours.

Calzone

• Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat it to 230°C/gas mark 8.
• Divide the dough into four equal portions and roll them into balls.
• Lightly sprinkle flour on a worksurface, place the balls on it and roll them out into 20cm-wide circles.
• Place a quarter of the filling mixture on one half of each dough circle, leaving a 2cm gap around the edge.
• Brush the edges with water, then fold the empty halves over to cover the filling, pinching the edges with a fork to seal the four parcels.
• Place the calzones onto the preheated baking tray in the oven for eight to ten minutes, until the dough is cooked through and the filling is piping hot.

Few foods are as effective for building muscle, burning fat and generally improving your health as eggs, thanks to their high levels of protein, vitamin D and omega 3. There are plenty of ways to cook an egg but they’re all easy to get a bit wrong – by undercooking the yolk or overcooking the white – so you’re left eating something pretty nasty. These tips from chef Karol Gladki (karolgladki.com) will help you to avoid common mistakes and ensure your eggs are just right, however you like them. For other ideas for getting more protein into your diet read our guide to the best protein foods.

Poached eggs with asparagus 

Ingredients

2 large free-range organic eggs / 4-6 asparagus spears  / 4tbsp distilled vinegar

To make

• Fill a pan with water and bring it to the boil, then stir in the distilled vinegar. ‘It’s crucial to use the vinegar because it helps the white to hold to the yolk,’ says Gladki. 
• Crack the eggs into the pan and simmer for three minutes. ‘The consistency of the egg will be better if you take it straight from the fridge rather than letting it come up to room temperature,’ says Gladki.
• Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in boiling water for three to five minutes.
• Lift the egg out quickly with a slotted spoon, place on top of the blanched asparagus and serve.

Boiled eggs with wholemeal soldiers 

Ingredients 

2 large free-range organic eggs / 2 slices of wholemeal bread

To make

• Fill a pan with water and bring it to boil, then add the eggs and simmer on a low heat for seven minutes. ‘The temperature is just as important as the time,’ says Gladki. ‘If the water is boiling rather than simmering, it will overcook the egg.’
• Toast the two slices of bread and cut into soldiers.
• Lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and dunk them for a second in a bowl of cold water. ‘Eggs will generally keep cooking after you remove them from the pan, so this is a useful way of stopping that process,’ says Gladki.
• Cut the tops off the eggs and serve with the soldiers.

Fried egg with lean bacon 

Ingredients

1 large free-range organic egg / 2 slices of lean bacon / 1tbsp of coconut oil

To make

• Heat the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat. ‘Coconut oil is great for frying because it has a high smoke point,’ says Gladki. ‘If the pan is too hot, the bottom of your egg will be burnt and rubbery.’
• Crack the egg into the pan and cook to preference.
• Meanwhile grill the bacon under a medium heat, turning occasionally, and serve with the egg.

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon

Ingredients

2 large free-range organic eggs / 50g smoked salmon, cut into strips / 2tbsp milk / 1tsp butter

To make

• Add the butter to a large frying pan on a low to medium heat. ‘If the pan is too hot you risk burning the butter, which releases lots of unwanted carcinogens,’ says Gladki.
• Crack the eggs into a mixing jug and whisk with the milk.
• Add the mixture to the pan and keep stirring till half cooked, then add the smoked salmon.
• Cook the mixture until it reaches your preferred texture. ‘If water starts coming out of the egg you are overcooking it,’ says Gladki.

Coach’s sister title Men’s Fitness and the Body Coach  Joe Wicks go way back. Way back to 2014, which is when Wicks demonstrated this super-easy, incredibly tasty no-bake chocolate peanut butter protein brownie recipe in a lean 15 seconds. Watch the video above, or follow the instructions below.

Ingredients

• 75g oats
• 150g dates
• 50g dried blueberries
• 25g walnuts
• 25 almonds 
• 75g whey protein 
• 30g coconut oil 
• 2tbsp cocoa powder
• 75g crunchy peanut butter
• 3 squares of melted 90% cocoa chocolate

See related 

• EXCLUSIVE: Joe Wicks’ Four-Week Fat Loss Workout
• Our 35 Favourite Super-Fast Meal Ideas From Joe Wicks
• The Body Coach Is On A Mission

Method

1. Mix the oats, dates, blueberries, walnuts, almonds, whey protein and coconut oil in a blender or food processor.
2. Smooth the mixture onto baking paper.
3. Spoon the peanut butter on top and pat down with the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Drizzle over the melted chocolate.
5. Place in a fridge and leave to set. 
6. Cut the set mixtures into bars.
7. Scoff. 

Steak and chips is a classic manly meal combo, but one that’s often enjoyed with copious amounts of salt, sugary condiments and lager at the pub. Swap your local’s effort for this healthy home-made version and enjoy it as part of the meat-filled muscle-building meal plan below.

Breakfast

Bacon and eggs provides inflammation-reducing omega 3 fatty acids and bone-strengthening phosphorous.

Lunch

Chicken and avocado salad offers heart-healthy fats and energy-boosting B vitamins.

Dinner

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 sourdough baguette /2 150g lean organic beef minute steaks / 3 medium sweet potatoes / 2tbsp wholegrain mustard / 150ml rapeseed oil / Salt and pepper to taste

To make

• Heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and place a shallow baking tray inside.
• Wash the sweet potatoes and, leaving the skin on, cut them into finger-length pieces. Place the sweet potato chips in a bowl, then add 110ml of the rapeseed oil and mix thoroughly. Place them on the pre-heated tray in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning them halfway through.
• Rub 35ml rapeseed oil on to both sides of the steaks and season them with the salt and pepper.
• Heat a griddle pan to a high heat, place the steaks on it and cook them for one to two minutes on each side (one minute for rare, two minutes for well done).
• Slice the baguette in half lengthways. Spoon half the mustard on one half of each baguette and brush a little more rapeseed oil on the other half.
• Place the steaks between the two halves and slice the baugette in two. 
• Serve with the sweet potato chips.

Snacks

Beef jerky and cashew nuts are good sources of brain-boosting iron and energy-enhancing copper.

Mustard helps to stimulate circulation to soothe your aching muscles

Sourdough bread has a low glycaemic load, which helps you avoid fat-storing insulin spikes

Sweet potato contains high levels of immunity-boosting vitamins A and C

The meal: American breakfast

Much like an English fry-up, an American-diner breakfast tends to consist of cheap eggs and unhealthy trans fat-loaded meat. This home-made alternative uses quality ingredients and smart cooking techniques to help you achieve your gym goals and satisfy your taste buds.

The swap: White flour for wholemeal 

‘Pancakes are normally loaded with blood sugar-spiking white flour that encourages fat storage,’ says Gray. ‘Wholemeal flour reduces these and provides an extra hit of gut-protecting fibre.’

The bonus: More energy, less inflammation

Bacon provides plenty of energy-boosting vitamin B12, while eggs are rich in joint-soothing omega 3 fatty acids.

The recipe: (Serves 2)

4 rashers of unsmoked back bacon / 4 free-range eggs / 30ml semi-skimmed milk / 320g Cumberland sausage meat /4 spring onions, finely chopped / 100ml rapeseed oil / Maple syrup to serve / Salt and pepper to taste.

For wholemeal pancake batter: 230g wholemeal flour / ½tsp salt / 50g caster sugar / ½tsp bicarbonate of soda / 1tbsp baking powder / 530ml semi-skimmed milk / 2 free-range eggs

To make 

• Thoroughly mix the sausage meat and the chopped spring onions together and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the mixture equally into four and mould the pieces into round-shaped patties roughly 1cm high by 5cm wide.
• Place them in the fridge for 10–15 minutes before cooking.
• To make the pancakes, mix the ingredients for the batter together using a hand blender or whisk and pass them through a fine sieve.
• Heat a little of the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then spoon about a quarter of the batter into the centre of the pan, creating a pancake roughly 1cm high and 5cm wide.
• Lightly fry the pancake until it’s golden brown on one side, then flip it over and repeat on the other side.
• Remove the pancake from the frying pan and place it on a plate. Repeat the process to make another three pancakes.
• Grill the bacon and the sausage patties under a medium heat, turning halfway through, until heated through.
• Whisk the eggs and the semi-skimmed milk together and season with a little salt and pepper. 
• Place the egg mixture in a small, thick-bottomed saucepan and cook it over a medium heat, stirring until you have light, fluffy scrambled eggs.
• Spoon half of the egg on each plate, along with two rashers of grilled bacon, two sausage patties and two pancakes.
• Drizzle maple syrup over the pancakes and serve.

16/8 

5:2 is dead – long live 16/8. Popularised by Swedish nutritionist Martin Berkhan and used by Hugh Jackman during his prep for X-Men: Days Of Future Past, this is fasting, but not as you know it. Rather than spend entire days without food, you simply extend your overnight ‘fast’ to 16 hours. Ideally, towards the end of the 16 hours you hit the gym, chugging a protein shake or a handful of BCAAs before training, and eating your first and biggest meal of the day straight after. Two more meals follow, spaced a few hours apart before the eight-hour eating ‘window’ closes. 

The idea behind 16/8 is to reap the benefits of regular fasts but without disrupting your performance in the gym. Unfortunately there’s a real lack of
research on 16/8, and on fasting combined with exercise in general, but there are studies that show long gaps between meals can have advantages for muscle retention and fat loss. 

The problem with all fasting diets is making sure you hit all your targets nutritionally and eight hours to eat an entire day’s worth of food is a problem for some.

Pros: Simple set-up and possible health advantages.

Cons: It’s tough to hit your nutrition targets in the time available.

Verdict: A good choice if you have a tough time staying lean and don’t mind eating big.

Anabolic Diet

You may have heard of ketogenic dieting or ‘keto’ – the high-fat, high-protein, low-carb method designed to get your body using fat as its main fuel source. The Anabolic Diet, created by Mario di Pasquale, is the upgraded version, devised to help people keep lean while gaining muscle. 

In a nutshell, the plan consists of a two-week strict low-carb adaptation phase, and then a weekly cycle of six days of a high-protein and high-fat diet, and one weekly carb re-feed day. This combination supposedly gives the advantages of strict ketogenic diets – such as increased fat burning with better muscle retention –
but gets around the problems that come with not eating carbohydrate, meaning you can train harder and longer than you might with keto.

In principle the food choices are very healthy: lean proteins, plenty of good fats and low-starch vegetables through the week, and fruit and healthy starches when carbing up. In practice you usually find people consuming decent food through the week and then hammering doughnuts and beer on re-feed days.

Pros:The advantages of strict keto, but with carbs for performance (and sanity).

Cons:Because it’s tough to stick to, it’s hard to avoid poor food choices on re-feed days.

Verdict: Consider this if resisting temptation isn’t a problem for you.

IIFYM

‘If It Fits Your Macros’ might not have a catchy acronym but it’s swiftly becoming one of the most popular diets available – if not necessarily the most effective. As the name suggests, the purpose is to track your intake of macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat), aiming at your specific daily target for each. What makes it so popular is that as long as you hit those targets – typical numbers might be 200g protein, 300g carbs and 80g of fat for someone eating 2,700 calories a day – you can eat literally anything you want.

Most research on dietary compliance shows how useful flexibility of food choices is, and diets that ask you to eat very differently from family or friends fail quickly. The IIFYM recommendations are also high-protein – research shows that this is ideal whether you want to gain muscle or lose fat. 

The two main problems with it are that tracking the macronutrient numbers at every meal is a pain and that the rules can be used as an excuse to eat junk. It may be junk that ‘fits your macros’ but it’s still junk, and trans fats and preservatives are linked to unpleasant long-term health effects.

Pros: Allows you great flexibility in the types of foods you eat, so it’s not socially isolating.

Cons: Quality of food choices might suffer and it’s not easy to track the three separate macronutrients each time you eat.

Verdict: Best suited to muscle- and number-crunching bodybuilders.

Primal

Like the idea of eating like a caveman but can’t face tea without milk? Primal could be for you. Invented by Mark Sisson – creator of Paleo website Mark’s Daily Apple – it’s based on Paleolithic eating and avoids processed foods, grains and legumes. The important difference is dairy: while Paleo dieters are strongly discouraged from eating or drinking cow juice, Primal style eaters are allowed some, on the condition it’s high-fat, organic and preferably from grass-fed animals.

Another important difference is that while Paleo is not specific about macronutrients, Primal suggests keeping carbs low. The bulk of Primal’s food intake is proteins and low-starch veg – carbs are strictly rationed so that only enough carbohydrate to power training and recovery is eaten.

Although there’s no extensive research on Paleo, small studies have indicated that this type of diet can be even more effective than the gold-standard Mediterranean diet (vegetables, legumes, healthy fats, small amounts of meat) for improving health. Another strength of the Primal plan is its emphasis on training, sleeping well and generally being a rounded happy person.

Pros: Lots of high-quality foods with slightly more variety than hardcore Paleo.

Cons: Still restrictive, and there’s not a huge amount of evidence of its efficacy.

Verdict: For anyone looking for a healthy eating plan, especially if you have any digestion problems with grains or legumes.

Flexitarian

This hybrid diet is partly about health and partly about food ethics. Flexitarian has no strict definition but essentially it’s a mostly vegan diet with a serving of meat or fish once or twice a week. ‘Going flexi’ means making your diet largely plant-based – you’ll be eating a lot more veg and significantly less meat. That means more fibre, phytonutrients and micronutrients and less saturated fat. 

That’s the argument for it, at least. In reality, research shows vegans and veggies aren’t significantly healthier than meat-eaters who actually care about their health. Also many vegan diets are absolutely terrible, featuring lots of processed grains and little in the way of quality protein, fats and micronutrients. If you’re considering Flexitarian it’s essential to pay attention to your sources of omega 3 fats and seek out high-quality protein foods such as tofu and tempeh.

If you're concerned about animal welfare, make sure you’re eating grass-fed and free-range meat where possible - as a bonus, it’s got a far superior nutritional profile to standard meat as well.

Pros: Flexibility to eat socially, and eating more vegetable matter should deliver more phytonutrients and micronutrients.

Cons: It can be constricting at times, and takes some planning.

Verdict: Best for those who worry about ethics and their wallet, but you must plan properly to not miss out on essentials.

Okinawa Diet

It’s a pretty safe bet that the population with the highest life expectancy on earth can teach us something about health. As you might expect from a traditional island-based culture the diet of Okinawans has plenty of whole foods and vegetables. What is a little more surprising is that there isn’t a huge amount of fish. In fact, although the diet is about 10-15% lower in total calories than the standard Japanese diet, it is around 30% lower in total protein and fat. 

The amount of carbohydrate eaten is similar to the standard Japanese diet but Okinawans’ choices are more nutrient-dense, with the majority of carbs  coming from plants such as the phytonutrient-rich purple yams. Research indicates that the reduction in calories and protein is reflected in people’s body shapes, with the longest-lived having BMIs at the lower end of the ‘healthy’ range. 

Although quite a lot of research has been done on Okinawans’ diet, as with all epidemiological research there are plenty of questions but no firm answers. Ultimately, we don’t know what it is about the diet that works. 

Pros:

It’s been shown to support longevity and general health.

Cons:

It’s not ideal for most athletes and those looking for muscle gain.

Verdict:

If longevity is the number one priority, this is the diet for you. It’s more suited to endurance than power athletes.

Chicken and broccoli. Egg whites and spinach. Mountains of brown rice and raw veg. It’s little wonder strict diets are hard to follow. But, whether you’re looking to shed weight or add muscle, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can spice up your food with healthy condiments, sauces and dips that will not only make meal times less of a chore, but can make achieving your goals easier too. Here’s what you should look out for.

Guacamole

This Mexican dip is full of healthy monounsaturated fats and tons of fibre. Because it’s basically just avocado mixed with onions and tomatoes, it’s really healthy. It’s calorie-dense, so it’s best for those who want to add calories to their diet for muscle gain. 

It also contains a lot of carotenoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties and have been shown to boost your body’s absorption of key antioxidants. If you’re trying to lose fat you could replace mayonnaise with guacamole in a sandwich because it offers that same creaminess but with fewer calories.

Pesto

This is a great calorie-dense option for muscle gain. Traditional Italian pesto, made from basil, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts, provides similar health benefits to guacamole. On top of a healthy dose of monounsaturated fats from the olive oil it has antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s great with chicken – in pasta or a sandwich – but if you buy it ready-made, check that it uses extra virgin or regular olive oil instead of the less healthy industrial vegetable oils such as sunflower oil. 

Mustard

Mustard seeds come from the brassica family – the same family as broccoli and cabbage – which means they are from an incredibly healthy plant line. They contain lots of phytonutrients including glucosinolates, which have strong anti-cancer properties. Studies show that they slow or decrease the growth of existing cancer cells and help prevent the formation of new cancers, especially things like colorectal cancers and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. 

Mustard does contain a fair amount of sodium, but it’s virtually calorie-free, so it’s a great fat-loss condiment. It goes really well with chicken and fish – salmon in particular is great with mustard-based marinades.

Hummus

Hummus is underrated. Typically made from a blend of chickpeas and olive oil, it’s rich in healthy fats, but also contains plenty of fibre, vitamins and minerals that people often miss out on such as manganese and folate. It’s nutrient-dense and low in calories. If you’re on a fat loss diet and force-feeding yourself a ton of bland vegetables, substitute hummus for salad dressing.

Tomato ketchup 

Although it’s probably the least beneficial of the bunch, this much-maligned condiment can be a relatively good choice because of its lycopene content. Lycopene has antioxidants and anti-cancer properties that work especially well against prostate cancer, so it’s particularly useful for men. Ketchup is actually a more bio-available source of lycopene than regular tomatoes – meaning you can absorb more from ketchup than you can from raw tomatoes – because of the way it has been processed. 

However, processed ketchup often contains a significant amount of sugar and salt, so look for low-sodium versions and keep the portion size reasonable. You don’t need any more than 1-2tsp to improve the taste. Remember you’re trying to enhance the flavour of your meal, not drown it.

When was the last time you managed to cram in six healthy meals – along with exercise, a productive workday and going out with your mates – into a day? This approach to eating healthily is unsustainable and, unless all your friends and family live in your kitchen, frankly unsociable. There are equally effective, and far more practical, alternatives. Intermittent feasting is a dietary approach that works around your lifestyle. The principle is simple. Eat light during the day and feast in the evening. Here’s how it breaks down. 

Crunch the numbers

First, focus on the numbers. Based on your bodyweight you can work out how many calories you need a day and how many should come from protein, fat or carbs (see the box below). Your calorie target will be higher if you’re looking to gain muscle and lower if your goal is fat loss. 

Pick up your groceries

Next, make sure those calories come from the right sources. Follow the ‘caveman rule’: if it was around in caveman times, you can eat it. That means protein and fats should come from animal sources such as fish, meat and eggs. Vegetables and whole fruit provide fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Your primary energy fuel for anaerobic training comes from natural starchy foods such as sweet potatoes, yams and rice.  

Feast on your own terms

Now plan a diet structure that’s easy and sustainable for you. With intermittent feasting you can eat most of the calories you need at a time that’s convenient. For most people that’s at dinner time when you get home, but the beauty of this approach is that you can tailor your meal distribution to work around your job and social patterns.

Timing is everything

Humans evolved on a fasting and feeding cycle. Daytime was for hunting and gathering but night was the time to feast. The same is true today. When you wake in the morning your body is still fuelled from dinner the night before but is optimised to burn body fat. Skip breakfast and just grab a tea or coffee. Eat a lunch of animal protein plus veg and nuts. On training days, have a piece of whole fruit before and after your workout. For dinner, go big to hit your daily calorie quota and end the night satisfied. 

Carbs aren’t the enemy

When it comes to carbs there are two templates to follow: the low-carb, Paleo diet for sedentary people to help with fat loss and maintaining lean muscle, and what I call the traditional Japanese village diet for athletes and regular gym-goers. The latter should eat rice and root vegetables to support their training. If you exercise intensely three or more times a week your body is recovering pretty much all the time. Failing to give your body the nutrients it needs can lead to low testosterone and sex drive, muscle loss and, most noticeably, a foul mood. 

It’s never too late

Another misconception is that eating a big meal before bed will make you store fat. Nonsense. It’s total food intake that’s important. If you eat light during an active day, chances are you’ll be in energy deficit by your evening meal. A high-carb dinner will restore energy reserves but is unlikely to spill over into fat stores. 

Cheats do prosper

Sustainability is the key. Planned cheat meals will keep you on track – within reason. If you allow yourself one night a week when you don’t obsess about your diet, especially when socialising, you’ll be less likely to cave in to your cravings the rest of the time. It’s better to eat well 90% of the time and stay on target long term than to go for 100% and burn out after only a couple of weeks. 

Food formula

Use these feasting figures to work out your daily menu

Get 20% of your calories from healthy fats, eat 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight and make up the difference with carbs. The amounts simply change depending on your size and goal. Too complicated? Don't worry, we’ve done the maths – if you weigh 80kg, here’s what to eat daily.

For fat loss

22-26 calories per kg of bodyweight

1,920 calories total

176g protein

43g fat

208g carbs

For maintenance 

29-33 calories per kg of bodyweight

2,480 calories total

176g protein

55g fat 

320g carbs 

For muscle gain 

35+ calories per kg of bodyweight

2,800 calories total

176g protein

62g fat

384g carbs

While it’s true that grass-fed lamb is usually pricier than the wares on offer at your local late-night kebab shop, that doesn’t mean healthy eating has to cost a fortune. The meal plan below provides the perfect mix of lean protein, slow-release carbs and healthy fats required to pack on muscle and torch fat, using budget-friendly ingredients such as carrots, onions, porridge oats and canned tuna. To make your money go even further, buy the ingredients in bulk and batch-cook meals so you have plenty of nutritious leftovers for the rest of the week. For other ideas for getting more protein into your diet read our round-up of protein-rich foods.

Breakfast

Porridge oats with milk and honey are rich in filling fibre.

Lunch

A 160g can of tuna with wholemeal pasta and chopped tomatoes offers 25g of muscle-building protein.

Dinner

Lancashire hotpot   (serves 4)

900g diced lamb shoulder / 2-3tbsp olive oil / 3tbsp plain flour / 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1cm-thick discs / 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced / 1 sprig of thyme / 1 bay leaf / 600ml lamb stock / Salt and pepper to taste / 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced.

To make

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3. 
• Dust the meat lightly with the flour and season
• it with salt and pepper. 
• Heat some of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the lamb until browned. Remove and set aside.
• Add a little more oil and fry the onions and carrots over a low heat until lightly browned.
• Place the lamb, carrots and onions in a deep casserole dish and pour in the stock. Add the bay leaf and thyme and stir the mixture thoroughly.
• Top with three layers of potato slices, brushing each layer with olive oil and seasoning well. 
• Bake for 1½-2 hours or until the meat is tender and the potatoes are crisp around the edges.  
• Cover the hotpot with foil and leave to stand for ten minutes before serving.

Lamb is packed with tryptophan, which helps to regulate appetite.

Carrots are rich in immune-strengthening betacarotene.

Sweet potatoes are a great source of energy-sustaining slow-release carbohydrates.

Snacks

Cashew nuts and sesame seeds contain testosterone-boosting zinc.

Mustard

Getting plenty of protein in your diet should always be a priority if you’re eating to build muscle, but new research suggests you should have mustard with your protein-packed steak. A research report published in the FASEB Journal found that homobrassinolide – a type of plant steroid found in mustard – has a stimulatory effect on protein synthesis in muscle cells, which means that eating it can lead to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass and physical performance. Just don’t use this as an excuse to start scoffing hot dogs from the local burger van.

Quick tip Add a dollop of mustard with your sirloin steak for a protein-rich recovery meal after training. Salenium in mustard helps soothe aching muscles after a hard workout.

Coffee

If you’ve hit a plateau in your muscle-building attempts, try adding a caffeinated drink to your pre-workout routine. While the aerobic performance-boosting benefits of caffeine are well documented, its specific effects on resistance training have been relatively unclear – until now. A new study published in the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research found that participants who ingested a drink containing 179mg of caffeine one hour before training were able to complete significantly more repetitions to failure than those who ingested a placebo. The study covered a variety of resistance exercises, including the bench press, deadlift and back squat.

Quick tip Make it properly. The average cup of filter coffee contains 140mg of caffeine compared with 100mg in instant coffee and only 75mg in tea.

Olive oil

If you want to build muscle, giving your body everything it needs to recover between sessions is just as important as smashing it in the gym. And few healing foods are as potent as olive oil. The reason? Olive oil contains oleocanthal, which has anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe your aching muscles after a tough workout. A study published in the journal Nature found that the oleocanthal in olive oil inhibits the activity of cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes in the body in a similar fashion to painkillers such as ibuprofen, allowing you to recover faster and hit the weights feeling fresh. Using it to oil yourself up bodybuilder-style: optional.

Quick tip Cook with regular olive oil rather than extra virgin because it has a higher smoke point, which is the temperature it starts to degrade in flavour and nutritional value.

Chia seeds 

These lesser known members of the mint family have caused quite the stir in the health and fitness world due to their newly discovered nutritional benefits. Made up of 20% pure protein, chia seeds are not only good for muscle repair but they are also thought to aid weight loss. They're also the richest plant source of omega-3s around, containing a unique type of the nutrient known as steariadonic acid, which gets converted into EPA to guard against inflammation and aid faster muscle recovery.

Quick tip Chia seeds have a fairly strong bitter flavour. Mix them into porridge with honey, or a flavoured protein shake to cover it up, or chuck them into strong savoury dishes such as curries.

Quinoa 

One of the most commonly mispronounced words in the culinary world, 'keen-wah', also contains the highest amount of protein out of all the grains. Sporting a rich, nutty flavour and a satisfyingly chewy texture it's a tasty and nutrient packed substitute for rice. 

Quick tip Quinoa holds a lot of water so be sure to drain it properly after you've cooked it otherwise it might make your entire plate watery. Use a fine mesh strainer to get rid of as much water as you can before serving. 

Cherries 

The humble cherry is packed with nutrients that aid exercise. The polyphenols that are found in cherries help to decrease the amount of damage to your cells that occur during intense exercise. Cherries also help to combat post-workout soreness in the muscles, easing inflammation on swollen joints and easing pain. 

Quick tip Cherries contain a vast array of B-vitamins, these help convert other nutrients into energy so try to eat them on training days if you can. 

The humble egg is the greatest muscle-building tool in any man's fridge: versatile, delicious, a complete source of protein and a repository of good fats. The key to not getting bored? Mastering its many forms. You should already have scrambling, frying and hard-boiling in the bag, but poaching is the ultimate oeuf-based skill: it can easily go wrong, but also makes the tastiest egg. Everyone has their own method, but which is best? Tom Hope, head chef at the prestigious Imperial restaurant, takes us through it.

Wrong turns

Still using the 'vortex' method? Ditch it. 'The only time you need to whirlpool the water is if your pan isn’t deep enough,' says Hope.
'I've also never been a believer in the "take it off the boil and cook for ages" approach. As far as other things that can go wrong, the most common ones would be using too much vinegar and tainting the taste of the eggs, the water not being deep enough for the eggs to form a teardrop and the water boiling so quickly that the eggs break up.' There you have it.

The right stuff

Proper poaching starts in the supermarket. 'The biggest thing that goes wrong is if the eggs aren’t fresh!' says Hope. 'They are impossible to poach without the yolk and white separating. Bring a deep pan of water to the boil and add a splash of white wine vinegar. Turn down to a simmer and crack the eggs into little pots - a small cup will do - before dropping them slowly into the water. Leave for 4 to 5 minutes to poach and then lift out with a slotted spoon. Be sure to season with salt before serving.'

A bit on the side

Once you've mastered poaching, add a healthy accompaniment. 'For a hit of healthy fat, crushed avocado, lemon chilli and coriander on toasted sourdough with a couple of poached eggs is delicious for both breakfast or a late night snack,' says Hope. 'Alternatively, I tend to go the whole hog and have mine with bacon!' You may now scoff disdainfully at anyone you spot eating an egg-white scramble: you've earned it.

The meal: burger and chips

If you only eat burgers from fast-food vendors, you’re missing out. Home-made burgers can be far tastier – not to mention healthier – and they’re surprisingly easy to prepare. Bonus: you can be much more confident they’re made from actual cows.

The swap: potatoes for sweet potatoes

‘Sweet potatoes are lower GI than white potatoes, which means they’re less likely to cause your blood sugar levels to jump,’ says Gray. ‘They also contain more nutrients, including high levels of vitamins A and C, manganese and tryptophan.’

The bonus: more blood flow, less fat storage

Mustard helps to stimulate circulation to soothe your aching muscles, while the wholemeal bun is low GI, ensuring you avoid fat-storing insulin spikes.

Ingredients (serves 2)

3 medium sweet potatoes / ½tsp mild chilli powder / 1tsp paprika / 200ml rapeseed oil / 400g lean, organic minced beef / 1tbsp English mustard / 2 wholemeal burger buns / Natural sea salt and ground white pepper / Toppings: your choice of sliced tomatoes, shredded baby gem lettuce and Swiss cheese

To make

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Put a shallow baking tray in the oven to warm.
Wash the sweet potato and cut into even wedges, leaving the skin on.
Place the potato wedges in a bowl, add the chilli powder and paprika, and mix thoroughly.
Add half the rapeseed oil and mix again.
Place the potato wedges on the warmed baking tray and cook for 20–25 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure they’re crisp on both sides.
Meanwhile, place the beef in a bowl, add the mustard, season to taste and mix thoroughly.
Divide the mixture in half and shape into two 2cm-thick patties.
Warm half the remaining rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the patties for six minutes on each side for a medium finish, or eight to ten minutes on each side for a well done finish.
Slice the buns in half, brush with the remaining oil and place under a low grill
for one minute until warmed.
Place a burger in each bun, finish with any or all of the toppings and serve.

Most people with an interest in fitness know they have to eat a diet high in protein to aid muscle recovery and repair. They also know that a high-protein diet is usually more expensive than eating a standard high-carb diet. But eating for strength and fitness doesn’t have to cost the Earth – the savvy shopper can make some sensible choices to bring down the weekly protein bill. Here are five excellent cheap sources of protein.

Liver Approximate price 17p per 100g, 100g contains 21g protein (less than 1p per gram)

Ox liver is among the cheapest protein sources available and, like most offal, it’s also among the most nutrient-dense foods. But because the liver is the major organ of detoxification for mammals, it can harbor toxins the animal has been exposed to, and liver from bigger, older, non-organic animals is potentially more toxic. Your best bet is chicken or lamb’s liver – organic if possible. Liver contains massive amounts of vitamin A, b12, iron and the full range of B vitamins as well as protein. 

Mussels Approximate price 50p per 100g (frozen), 100g contains 11.9g protein (around 4p per gram)

This is the most expensive protein source here – but at 4p a gram mussels are still great value, especially since they it also contain high levels of minerals such as zinc, selenium, iron and vitamins B12 and C. They’re also high in healthy omega 3 fats. The other advantage is that they’re seriously delicious. Try cooking them in wine, garlic and chilli. Tip – if they don’t open when you cook them, don’t open them.

Quark Approximate price 34p per 100g, 100g contains 13.6g protein (2½p per gram)

This protein-rich creamy cheese is a good source of calcium and B vitamins. You can also use it to thicken up sauces – in fact, you can even throw it into your wine and garlic sauce for the mussels to achieve both a creamier texture and a double protein hit.

Beef Approximate price 30p per 100g (frozen), 100g contains 20g protein (1½p per gram)

Not a surprising protein source, although not usually cited as a cheaper one – but frozen beef can be bought cheaply in bulk and is just as high in protein as fresh steak. Beef also contains good levels of iron, B vitamins, and other useful minerals such as zinc.

Lentils Approximate price 18p per 100g, 100g contains 25.8g protein (0.7p per gram)

You can get lentils for this ridiculously low price if you buy in bulk – and they keep for ages. But even if you buy small packs they come in at around 25p per 100g, so they’re still a remarkably cheap protein source. They also contain vitamin B6, iron, magnesium and folate, plus plenty of natural fibre. 

Whey Approximate price £2.20 per 100g, 100g contains 75g protein, depending on brands (3p per gram)

Real food should come first but if it’s too expensive or impractical – you may not have anywhere to keep a liver or mussel-based snack fresh until your workout – whey is a convenient and fairly inexpensive source. You can easily add it to smoothies, pancakes and porridge. It also has high levels of cysteine, which helps the body produce cell-protecting antioxidants such as glutathione.

Kinetica Sports brand ambassador Matt Lovell is a nutritional therapist with a special interest in elite sports performance. Visit kineticasports.com

Intermittent fasting (IF) is everywhere right now, although the definition varies. Recommendations include fasting for 16 hours a day, 20 hours a day, all day every other day, every third day, twice a week, once a week, once every other week or just when you’re not hungry.

Here’s my take on IF: the use of sporadic eating patterns to lose fat can be effective, but it isn’t healthy, sustainable or beneficial. Here’s why.

Less muscle

When you don’t supply the body with protein every few hours, muscle degradation occurs. Some will argue you can maintain muscle with an intermittent eating pattern, but I’m interested in promoting optimal muscle mass for health and performance.

Research shows increasing muscle mass requires stimuli including weight training, amino acids, testosterone and growth hormone. A study of active but non-weight-trained men on a calorie-restricted diet that provided a robust 1.5g protein per kilo of bodyweight a day resulted in a 20% reduction of protein synthesis after ten days. The effect was a 1kg loss of lean muscle mass. So failing to eat enough during the 24 hours after weight training results in significantly lower protein synthesis and slower recovery.

Reduced performance

At first, reports suggested IF enhances alertness, brain function and, possibly, insulin health in men. But the long-term effects, especially for lean men interested in athletic performance, are suboptimal. Why? Irregular eating leads to spikes in insulin and erratic blood sugar levels, which ultimately sends your hormones, neurotransmitters and circadian rhythm – your internal body clock – out of whack (see below for how else this affects you).

One study tested how IF during Ramadan affected performance and fatigue in elite judo athletes. Results showed that daylight fasting led to a significant increase in fatigue, a slight decrease in power output and anaerobic performance, and a loss of 1.8% body mass. In contrast, eating a typical paleo meal of high protein, low carbs and healthy fats every few hours provides your body with a steady source of amino acids for muscle building and improves cognition and metabolism.

Poor insulin response

Irregular eating patterns influence insulin and blood sugar health. One study analysed insulin and glucose levels over three days in two diet models: intermittent fasting and eating meals five times a day using 55% carbs, 30% fat and 15% protein. The IF model produced significantly greater spikes and troughs of insulin and glucose, indicating a biological milieu primed for insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes.

Limiting high-glycaemic carbs is the key to insulin and blood sugar health. A study that compared three daily meal plans – three high-carb meals, six high-carb meals and six high-protein, low-carb meals – found that blood sugar was highest in response to the six high-carb meals, followed by the three high-carb meals, with insulin the same in both. The high-protein meals  produced dramatically lower insulin and glucose levels. So, for insulin health focus on what you eat – protein, good fats, and low-glycaemic carbs – rather than when you eat.

Unbalanced hormones

The effect of IF on hormones is devastating. Levels of metabolic hormones (insulin), anabolic hormones (testosterone and growth hormone) and energising hormones of the adrenal glands are related, so when one hormone-producing gland goes awry you can bet the others will be negatively affected. This can result in poor metabolism and body composition, inability to build muscle, infertility, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, inflammation and increased risk of disease.

In an indicative eight-week study, middle-aged people went on a diet of either one meal a day or three meals a day with unrestricted calories. The first group lost 2kg fat more than the second group on average. However, they also experienced a significant increase in blood pressure, which is indicative of altered circadian rhythms.
So, while IF can produce fat loss, it isn’t the best method. In fact, it puts your body’s ability to regulate itself at risk, leading to exhaustion and disease.

Get advice, find a course and buy supplements at charlespoliquin.com

I have never agreed with nutritionists and organisations who tell the public that eating some processed foods is OK, let alone those who claim processed foods are actually good for you because they provide fortified vitamins and minerals in a quick, cheap and convenient way.
 
You shouldn’t listen to any such advice if you want to build muscle and burn fat, or if you care about your long-term health. Eliminating all processed foods from your diet in favour of unrefined whole foods is one of the easiest and most effective ways of shedding fat and getting the physique you desire. Even better, you’ll be able to eat much more food for the same number of calories and will have more energy. Still need convincing? Read on.
 
Burn more calories The closer your food is to being in its natural state, the more calories your body will burn digesting it. Protein burns the most calories because it triggers protein synthesis and requires so many enzymes to break it down. Carbohydrates burn fewer calories, while fats burn the fewest.
 
One study found that the thermic effect – the number of calories burned by digesting food – from eating a cheddar cheese sandwich made with wholegrain bread with sunflower seeds was 50% higher than when eating an almost identical sandwich made with white bread, despite both containing the same amount of calories, carbs, protein and fat.

Lose fat A simple way to lose fat and make sure you are avoiding processed foods is to eat more foods in their raw state. By eating a greater variety of raw fruits and vegetables you will get more antioxidants, vitamins and fibre in your diet. Research shows that cooking food ‘pre-digests’ it – this means many of the compounds that increase the thermic effect are broken down, resulting in less energy expenditure from digesting cooked food. A Harvard University study that fed rats either cooked or raw sweet potatoes and beef found the rats that ate raw meals lost weight, whereas those fed cooked meals gained weight.
 
Prevent disease There is a wealth of evidence that if you avoid processed foods and the chemicals they contain, you can prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic inflammatory diseases. Whole foods provide many protective nutrients: fibre for better body composition, antioxidants to fight free radicals and cancer, and vitamins and minerals for optimal enzyme and hormone function.
 
A number of studies have shown that disease rates are increasing exponentially in countries such as Brazil and Guatemala because their populations are increasingly consuming highly processed foods.
 
Control blood sugar High consumption of processed foods raises blood sugar levels very quickly and causes a big release of insulin. This leads to two problems: cells become resistant to the insulin, which leads to low energy levels and increased fat gain; and blood sugar spikes quickly and drops rapidly, which results in people feeling hungry again and eating more – typically more processed foods – and so the cycle continues.

Improve mood Eat whole foods to feel happier, improve your mood and beat depression. Two studies in the British Journal Of Psychiatry show that eating a whole-food diet of vegetables, fruit, meat, fish and wholegrains is linked to lower rates of depression than a typical Western diet of processed foods. Processed chocolate, meat, sweets made from refined grains such as doughnuts and cake, cereal, dairy with sugar and chemicals added to it, and fried foods were all linked with higher rates of diagnosed depression. Researchers suggest that a whole-food diet prevents depression because people take in more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, have healthier guts and have a better hormonal response to eating.
 
Get advice, find a course and buy supplements from charlespoliquin.com

Many of you buy this magazine each month because you want to get stronger or bigger, to lose weight, improve sports performance or simply be a little healthier. However, some of you want something different – to look good with your shirt off. Summer is on its way, so now is the time to start working towards getting a better-looking body so you can ditch the top with pride during those brief outbreaks of blue sky.

But training hard isn’t enough by itself to guarantee you a body that even Michelangelo would marvel at. No, you also need to pay close attention to your diet, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. Here are the rules you need to stick to if you want a summer six-pack.

Eliminate wheat

Not eating wheat or any wheat-derived products is the single most important principle regarding carb intake. Wheat influences blood sugar levels the same way plain table sugar does. Also, the gliadin family of grains, which includes oats, wheat and spelt, is one of the most common food allergens. When you eat an allergen, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol in response, which has the nasty side effect of forcing your body to store more of the energy you consume as fat.

Fibre is your friend

Your main source of carbs should be fibrous vegetables, which typically are very low in carbs. Their high fibre content also blunts your insulin response so you don’t get a big blood sugar spike, making them an ideal fat-loss food. And unlike wheat, veg also has an array of other health benefits (see the box on the right).

Limit fructose intake

Fruits are loaded with nutrients but also contain fructose. This is a type of sugar that can damage your cells if you eat too much. Unlike other sugars, fructose doesn’t raise insulin, so the energy can’t be driven into your cells to be stored – instead it lingers around and wreaks metabolic havoc. In fact, one UK study found that the level of a fructose by-product in the blood was a more accurate test of mortality than cholesterol, blood pressure or body mass index. Limit yourself to no more than 10g of fructose per day (about one apple’s worth), or up to 20g if you are very active.

Stick to dark fruits

The darker the fruit, the better it is for you. Dark fruits tend to have very thin skins, so they need to produce more antioxidants to protect themselves from the sun. That’s why darker fruits are great anti-inflammatories. Bananas have thick skins so therefore have lower antioxidant content. 

Time your carbs

The best time to load up on carbs is in the first ten minutes after a workout. Insulin sensitivity is at its highest after the workout, so this is the time to maximise muscle mass gains. The best carbs to take on board? I like fruit juices with a high glycaemic index, such as pineapple or grape, to provide 30-40% of the carbs, with the rest coming in powder form, ranging from dextrose to various types of maltodextrin. Include 15g of protein for every 22kg of bodyweight to increase glycogen storage by as much as 40%.

Pop a pill

Taking an insulin sensitivity supplement with a high-carb post-workout meal will allow more energy to go straight to work in your muscle cells, instead of being stored in fat cells. Supplements that include taurine, arginine, magnesium and alpha-lipoic acid will do the job. 

For more top nutrition and exercise advice, get Men's Fitness magazine. Subscibe now and we'll give you five issues for £5.

Not all carbs are bad. Here are four of the best sources and their additional benefits:

Peppers
4.4g per 100g

These are full of potassium, which will help your metabolism to use energy for muscle growth.

Cabbage
3.1g per 100g

Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C, which will help protect against cardiovascular disease.

Spinach
3.5g per 100g

The dark green leaves are rich in bone-strengthening vitamin K and immunity-boosting vitamin A.

Asparagus
2g per 100g

One serving of spears will give you more than two-thirds of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K.

Serves 4
Per portion: 456 calories, 55g protein, 10.6g fat, 49.9g carbohydrate, 3.2g salt
 
You will need
900g lean shoulder of pork, diced
8tbsp light soy sauce
1tsp sugar
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 chillies, chopped
120ml sherry
16 salad potatoes, washed
4 spring onions, chopped
400g spinach leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

How to make it
Arrange the pork in a single layer in the base of a lidded casserole dish. Mix the sugar, soy sauce, garlic and chillies with the sherry, stir well and pour over the pork. Add the veg, then place the casserole on the hob and bring it to a gentle simmer. Put the lid on and simmer over a gentle heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 
Why should I have it?
Pork is low in fat and provides all the essential amino acids needed for muscle growth. It’s also brimming with magnesium, which helps keep muscles strong. Potatoes are rich in carbohydrate, which provides energy for your workouts. Intensive training saps your body’s store of vitamins and minerals – spinach contains just about everything you need to recover quickly.

Click here for more one-pot wonders

Whether you are new to fitness or a gym fanatic, injuries or aching muscles can really hamper your efforts. This diet plan, devised by nutritional therapist Christine Bailey (advancenutrition.co.uk), includes a range of anti-inflammatory foods to speed up your body's repair processes while helping you lose weight steadily. It also avoids foods known to aggravate the body's immune response.

Monday
Breakfast: 200g low-fat plain yoghurt with 4tbsp mixed seeds and 2 handfuls of blueberries.
Snack: Large wedge of fresh pineapple. Cup of green tea.
Lunch: Salmon salad – flake a 100g cooked salmon fillet and add to a large handful of baby spinach leaves, cooked sweetcorn, ½ a chopped red onion, 1 chopped tomato and ½ a sliced red pepper. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil. 2 oatcakes.
Snack: Handful of almonds and raisins. Cup of green tea.
Dinner: Chicken stir-fry – sauté 1 sliced chicken breast with ½ a chopped red onion, ginger and garlic in olive oil. Add a bag of stir-fry vegetables, soy sauce and water and steam-fry. Serve with 70g (dry weight) quinoa.
Snack: Bowl of cherries. 2 oatcakes.

Tuesday
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with 1 chopped tomato and 1 slice of wholemeal toast.
Snack: Bunch of red grapes. Cup of green tea.
Lunch: Curried lentil soup – sauté ½ a chopped red onion with 1tsp turmeric and fresh ginger. Add 40g red lentils, 150g grated carrots and 250-300ml chicken stock. Simmer until tender then purée with a little milk. Wholemeal pitta.
Snack: 4tbsp fromage frais with almonds and raisins. Cup of green tea.
Dinner: Crunchy fish fillets – place 125g haddock fillet in an oiled dish. Squeeze over lemon juice and season. Grind together 3tbsp mixed seeds with chopped fresh coriander leaves and press over the top of the fillet. Cover and bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Serve with steamed broccoli, sweetcorn and carrots.
Snack: 1 apple. 2 oatcakes.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Protein shake: blend 1 scoop vanilla protein powder with 1 banana, a fresh mango and 250ml water. Slice of wholemeal toast with peanut butter.
Snack: ½ a papaya and 3tbsp cottage cheese.
Lunch: Chinese chicken salad – mix 50g cooked noodles with 1 sliced cooked chicken breast, ½ a sliced red pepper, 2 chopped spring onions and mixed salad leaves. Dress with 1tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp orange juice, grated ginger and 1tsp oil.
Snack: Handful of mixed seeds. Bunch of red grapes. Cup of green tea.
Dinner: Chickpea curry – sauté a chopped red onion with 1tsp each fresh ginger, turmeric, garlic and curry paste in olive oil. Add 200g canned chickpeas with 1 chopped sweet potato, ½ a chopped red pepper, 100g green beans, sweetcorn and 200ml coconut milk. Simmer until tender. Serve with 70g (dry weight) quinoa and chopped coriander.
Snack: Bowl of pitted cherries with 3tbsp plain fromage frais.

Thursday
Breakfast: Mix 2tbsp porridge oats with 4tbsp mixed seeds and soak in milk overnight. Stir in 1 grated apple and handful of almonds and raisins.
Snack: Handful of blueberries and 3tbsp plain yoghurt. Cup of green tea.
Lunch: Spicy eggs – scramble 2 eggs with ½tsp turmeric and 4 chopped mushrooms. Serve with 1 slice of wholemeal toast and a mixed salad.
Snack: 2 oatcakes spread with peanut butter. Cup of green tea.
Dinner: Baked salmon with tomato and asparagus – blanch 100g asparagus spears and place in a baking dish with 2 quartered tomatoes. Drizzle over olive oil and balsamic vinegar and place a fillet of salmon on top. Bake for 15 minutes until tender. Serve with large green salad, steamed carrots and 1 wholemeal pitta bread.
Snack: Banana. Handful of walnuts.

Friday
Breakfast: Berry compote – add 200g frozen mixed berries to a pan and simmer gently for a few minutes. Top with 1tbsp each chopped walnuts and almonds and 3tbsp plain fromage frais.
Snack: ½ a mango. Cup of green tea.
Lunch: Baked sweet potato filled with canned sardines in tomato sauce and 30g sweetcorn. Serve with sliced cucumber and mixed salad. ½ a papaya.
Snack: Toasted wholemeal pitta with ½ an avocado, mashed. Cup of green tea.
Dinner: Thai chicken and noodles – place 300ml chicken stock in a pan and stir in 1tsp Thai curry paste, some grated fresh ginger and crushed garlic to taste, a bag of stir-fry vegetables and 2 chopped spring onions. Simmer for 5 minutes then add 100g shredded cooked chicken and 60g cooked noodles. 1 banana.
Snack: 2 oatcakes with cottage cheese. Cup of green tea.

Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry porridge – cook 3tbsp porridge oats in water. Just before it's done add 100g blueberries. Serve with milk and 2tbsp mixed seeds.
Snack: 2 oatcakes and peanut butter. Cup of green tea.
Lunch: Avocado and feta cheese salad – cook 60g quinoa in chicken stock with 1tsp turmeric. Mix in ½ chopped avocado, ½ sliced red pepper, sliced cucumber, handful of spinach leaves, 30g feta cheese and dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
Snack: 150g fresh pineapple. Cup of green tea.
Dinner: Spiced tuna – mix 1tbsp Thai curry paste with fresh lemon juice and spread over fresh tuna. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with mixed green salad and 100g steamed broccoli and carrots.
Snack: 150g plain yoghurt with 2tbsp almonds and handful of blueberries.

Sunday
Breakfast: 2-egg omelette with handful of baby spinach leaves and 4 chopped mushrooms.
Snack: 2 oatcakes with mashed canned sardines in tomato sauce. Cup of green tea.
Lunch: Wholemeal pitta stuffed with 2tbsp low-fat cottage cheese, raisins, lettuce leaves, sliced cucumber and sliced tomato.
Snack: Fruit smoothie Blend 1 banana, ½ a fresh pineapple and 250ml semi-skimmed milk.
Dinner: Roasted vegetables with chickpeas and feta. Place 2 quarters of a red onion in a baking dish with 1 red pepper and 1 courgette cut into chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Add 200g canned chickpeas and 60g green beans. Cook for further 10 minutes. Top with 30g feta cheese and serve with 1 small baked sweet potato.
Snack: Handful of cherries and mixed seeds.

For more great weight-loss plans, go to our weight-loss meal plan section. You'll find a new one in every issue of the mag too, so subscribe today.

Follow this recipe and four tasty, health-boosting burgers will be yours. Once you've made them you could even invite your friends around for a muscle-building nosh up – pump up and become popular at the same time!

Burger ingredients
500g extra lean organic minced beef
25g coriander, chopped
1tbsp sunflower seeds
1 onion, chopped
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1 free-range egg yolk
1tbsp olive oil
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Serve each burger with
1 wholemeal bun
1 handful lettuce
1 slice tomato
½tsp honey
½tsp wholegrain mustard
½tsp low-fat mayonnaise
1 slice leerdammer cheese
1 slice red onion
2 slices gherkin

To make
Place all the burger ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Shape the mixture into four equal-sized patties with your hands. Cook the burgers under a preheated hot grill for 15 minutes, or until cooked through, turning once. Top each burger with a slice of leerdammer towards the end of the cooking time. Mix together the honey, mustard and mayo. Cut the buns in half and toast under the grill.
 Put each burger on the bottom half of a bun, put the sauce on top of the burger, then add the veg and the top half of a bun.
 
Why you should have it
Beef contains high-quality animal protein and fatigue-fighting iron. Sunflower seeds contain vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that wards off muscle inflammation and disease. Eggs contain vitamin B12, which is needed for fat breakdown and muscle contraction. Coriander contains vitamin C for a healthy immune system and the manufacture of the adrenaline needed for hard workouts. Wholemeal bread adds low-GI carbohydrates to help replenish energy stores steadily and drive the muscle-building protein into your muscles. Black pepper aids digestion. Tomatoes contain vitamin A, B and potassium to prevent cramping and reduce bloating. Cheese contains bone-building calcium and conjugate linoleic acid (CLA), which helps reduce belly fat and build lean muscle.

For a fat-fighting curry recipe, click here. And you'll find more muscle-building meals in our healthy recipes section.

Ingredients
3 large oranges with pips removed
170g almond butter
350g dried apricots, chopped
225g porridge oats
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
125g wholemeal self-raising flour
25g mixed seeds
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp ground cinnamon
Makes 16 bars

How to make it
Preheat the oven to 190˚C (Gas Mark 5). Measure 225g of the dried apricots and purée them with the oranges and almond butter in a blender to form a thick paste. Place the oats, flour, seeds, protein powder, soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the rest of the apricots and then combine with the purée. Press the mixture into a greased shallow rectangular tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool for ten minutes, then cut into small bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Why should I have it?
The nut butter and seeds are full of muscle-building protein, while the oats provide the B vitamins needed for efficient energy release. Cinnamon contains anti-inflammatory compounds that soothe stiff muscles, while bicarbonate of soda can reduce lactic acid production in muscles, meaning you can train for longer.
 
Nutrients per bar
202 calories, 25.1g carbs, 7.8g protein, 8.4g fat.

Ingredients
175g plain chocolate (75 per cent cocoa solids)
350g silken tofu
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
Juice and zest of 2 oranges
Grated orange zest and chocolate, to serve
Serves 4

How to make it
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly. Place the chocolate, tofu, protein powder, orange zest and juice in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Spoon into four individual dishes and chill in the fridge until set. Decorate with a little orange zest and grated chocolate.

Why should I have it?
Known for their muscle-healing vitamin C content, oranges are also packed with photochemical and flavonoids that protect muscles from oxidative damage caused by exercise. Tofu also contains muscle-building protein and calcium, as well as isoflavones, which can block the female hormone oestrogen and make testosterone more prevalent.
 
Nutrients per serving
294 calories, 32.5g carbs, 26.2g protein, 6g fat.
 

In the April 2010 issue of Men's Fitness we revealed how unhealthy most breakfast foods are. Here, the three experts we spoke to for the mag have given you three fitness-boosting alternatives – one for muscle-building, one for energy and one for endurance.

Muscle-building brekkie
Dr Jonny Bowden is a nutritionist and author of The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer (£16.99, Fair Winds Press). He recommends these fruit- and veg-laden scrambled eggs for packing on muscle.

Ingredients
Knob of butter
1 apple, sliced
Handful of spinach
2-3 eggs
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of lemon pepper
 
To make
Heat the butter in a frying pan, then brown the apple slices in the pan. Add the eggs and spinach and continue to stir until the spinach softens and the eggs are cooked. Season with turmeric and lemon pepper.
 
Why you should have it
The eggs are full of protein, which helps build muscle mass and reduce cravings. The spinach helps produce red blood cells, which encourage oxygen to flow around the body. Apples are full of gut-filling fibre and turmeric is packed with anti-inflammatory properties to help muscles recover and grow.

Fighter’s energy-boosting smoothie
Nutritionist Ryan Parsons has provided eating advice for UFC legend Randy Couture. Here’s one of the smoothies the veteran fighter drinks for a morning energy boost.

Ingredients
1 celery stalk
50g spinach
50g kale
1/2 cucumber
1/2 green pepper
 
To make
Throw it all in a blender and add some apple juice if it needs more liquid.

Why you should have it
Kale is packed with bone-building vitamin K and calcium as well as antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals, the damaging by-products of exercise. Cucumbers contain vitamin C, needed for muscle repair and growth, while celery is 95 per cent water so it will help hydrate your body and enhance performance.
 
Runner's breakfast salad
Ruth Heidrich is a health expert and triathlete who has completed six Ironman events. She suggests that runners should try this breakfast, which offers a good supply of energy without bogging you down.
 
Ingredients
Handful of spinach
50g kale
1 apple
1/2tsp grated ginger
Squeeze of lemon juice
 

To make
Chop the apple and mix the rest together in a bowl.
 
Why you should have it
Vitamins C and K, which are found in kale, not only have anti-inflammatory properties but also help you to metabolise carbs and protein for energy. Lemon juice and apples are also packed with vitamin C which is needed to create ATP, the high-energy molecules that fuel your workouts.

For loads more inventive fitness-boosting recipes, subscribe to the magazine. We'll give you five issues for £5.

What’s in it

50g smoked salmon, chopped
6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
Handful of fresh spinach, torn
100g cooked pasta
2tsp chopped parsley

To make

Stir together the salmon, spinach, tomatoes and onion. Mix into the cooked pasta and sprinkle with parsley. Season with pepper to taste.

Why it works

The chromium in onions helps control the body’s glucose levels, and reduces cravings. Their folate content also helps produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, salmon contains natural anti-inflammatory agents that relieve swelling caused by injury and exercise. Pasta provides energy by helping to replenish glycogen. Served with a lean source of protein such as salmon, it releases energy slowly through the day. Parsley is full of fatigue-fighting iron – needed for the production of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the muscles. Tomatoes contain betacarotene and vitamin C, which reduces muscle soreness by attacking free radicals generated during exercise.

Want to fuel your workout? Try this energy-boosting wrap.

A potent mix of spices allows borlotti beans and root vegetables to shine in this vegan recipe which packs in 27g of protein per portion. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, you’re likely to have most of them in your kitchen cupboard already. Buckwheat noodles are a tasty and nutritious alternative to wheat or rice noodles, and they’ll keep you feeling full for longer. You can batch cook the bean and veg stew and freeze portions, or eat them later in the week. 

Interested in following a vegan diet? Here’s what you need to know about the vegan diet, the best sources of protein for vegans and our pick of the best vegan cookbooks.

Vegan Spiced Bean Stew With Soba Noodles Recipe

689 calories per serving

Ingredients (Serves Three)

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1tsp chopped root ginger
• 1tsp fennel seeds
• 1tsp coriander seeds
• 1tsp cumin seeds
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
• 400g can borlotti beans
• 2 carrots, sliced
• whole celeriac, chopped
• 250g button mushrooms, halved
• 2tbsp tomato purée
• Handful of fresh parsley
• Salt and ground black pepper for seasoning
• 200g (dry weight) Japanese soba noodles

Method

In a large pan, heat the oil and gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cumin and coriander for five minutes. Add the sweet potato and cook for four minutes. Add the carrot, celeriac and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for one minute. Stir in the purée, then add enough water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the beans and parsley, season and cook for ten minutes. Cook the noodles according to instructions and serve the stew over the noodles.

Nutrition

We got Myfitnesspal, one of the best weight-loss apps for calorie counting, to do the hard work for us in the nutrition department, crunching the numbers to give us approximate nutritional values for this recipe. This recipe contains around 689 calories per serving, and provides 109g of carbohydrates, 27g of protein, 17g of fat and 9g of fibre.

Sweet potato is a nutritious root vegetable that contains manganese and copper, which are vital for healthy muscle function and energy release. 

Low-GI soba noodles are made with buckwheat and they contain twice as much fibre, protein and iron as wheat spaghetti. They are also high in carbohydrate which will provide plenty of energy. 

Mushrooms are high in the hydrating mineral potassium, which also helps convert sugar into energy-providing glycogen. 

A low-fat source of protein, beans also contain the digestive hormone cholecystokinin, a natural appetite suppressant. 

The beta carotene in carrots reduces the free-radical damage caused by intense exercise.

More About Healthy Eating

• Take the hassle out of eating healthily with the UK’s best vegan recipe box and meal delivery services
• What to eat after a workout and when to eat it to get the most from your training session
• This vegan meal prep method for grain bowls is utter genius

This post workout meal takes mere minutes to throw together. It requires no cooking – just a kettle to provide hot water for the couscous – so you can even make it at work. The turkey offers a hit of protein to help your muscles grow, and the high-carbohydrate couscous will replenish your glycogen stores after a workout. 

Prefer to cut the carbs? Try one of these simple protein-rich salad recipes. For more ways to refuel post workout check out our protein shake recipes and best smoothie recipes, and you’ll find healthy recipes to support your training in our nutrition section.

if you’re following Coach’s weight loss meal plan for women or a weight loss diet plan for men you can use this turkey couscous in place of a meal of a similar calorific value.

Turkey Couscous Post-Workout Meal

493 calories

Ingredients (Serves One)

• 100g couscous
• 3 slices of roast turkey breast (about 75g), diced
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• ½ cucumber, diced
• Chopped parsley

Method

Prepare the couscous according to packet instructions, then place in a bowl. When cool, mix in the turkey, spring onions, tomato and cucumber. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutrition

We used Myfitnesspal, one of the best weight-loss apps for calorie counting, to get the approximate nutritional values for this recipe. It contains 493 calories, and provides 75g of carbohydrates, 37g of protein, 4g of fat and 4g of fibre.

Turkey

Turkey breast is low in calories, fat and salt, but loaded with the protein needed for your muscles to develop and recover.

Spring onion

These are packed with chromium, a mineral that helps maintain blood-sugar levels and controls cravings.

Tomato

Tomatoes are a source of betacarotene and vitamin C, which help reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.

Cucumber

Cucumber is rich in silica, which is needed for healthy connective tissue, bones, tendons and ligaments.

Couscous

This grain has a high score on the glycaemic index, so it encourages fast yet effective glycogen replenishment. It is also light and easy to digest.

More About Nutrition 

• What to eat after a workout and when to eat it to get the most from your training session
• Get an instant hit of the essential muscle-builder with these high-protein snacks
• Take the hassle out of eating healthily with the UK’s best healthy meal delivery services

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½tsp dried thyme
½tsp ground allspice
½tsp cayenne pepper
¾tsp black pepper
½tsp sage
½tsp nutmeg
¼tsp cinnamon
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
2tbsp soy sauce
4tbsp white vinegar

To make

Combine the garlic, thyme, allspice, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the onion, jalapeño pepper, soy sauce and vinegar and mix. Marinate chicken breasts in the mixture for at least one hour. Grill the chicken for seven minutes each side, basting with the marinade, and serve with 75g brown rice per person.

Chicken

Chicken contains all the necessary amino acids required for lean muscle growth.

Brown rice

The unrefined wholegrains in brown rice are high in energy-boosting B vitamins and magnesium.

Jalapeño pepper

These hot peppers contain capsaicin, which can soothe sore muscles and increase blood circulation.

Black pepper

Black pepper helps the stomach produce hydrochloric acid, making it easier to digest your food.