Three types of food to avoid when building muscle

There are so many choices when it comes to eating well and incorporating healthier produce and recipes into your diet – so it’s more useful to know exactly what not to eat when building muscle and bulking up. Here we share three main food groups to avoid when working out to maximise your fitness routine and keep your body fit and healthy, primed for muscle growth.

Refined flours and processed goods

White bread, cakes, white pasta and other products made with refined flour are basically just pure carb – not to mention saturated fat when you opt for baked goods like bagels and biscuits. Neither of these will help you to build muscle. You will need carbs in your diet however to bulk up – so instead stick to 100% whole wheat alternatives which offer fibre to help your body to trim down and tone.

Sugary foods

Excess sugar has been shown in studies to deposit as fat in the body – not good news for anyone looking to tone, trim down and bulk up. It’s also known to cause diabetes, mineral deficiency and heart disease. Insulin spikes caused by overconsumption of sugar without any sustenance to support the ensuing crash can cause poor performance, dizziness and weakness. More bad news – artificial sweetener is no good either. As these synthetic sugars are a hundred times sweeter than the real stuff they get your taste buds used to sweetness and induce unhelpful cravings.

Fatty processed and fast foods

Processed foods are bad news across the board. Created for convenience, they often feature preservatives, synthetic flavours and excessive salt and don’t score highly on the nutrient, vitamin and mineral front. Processed meat in particular is packed with calories, bad fats, sodium and even sugar. The good news is that most processed foods are easy to avoid – simply opt for food in its real, recognisable state over ready meals, pre-packaged goods. Even if it says ‘healthy’ or ‘high protein’ on the packet, really you’re often just paying for expensive junk food that won’t benefit your body.