If you’re aiming to improve your overall health or focus on specific goals like bodybuilding or endurance training, building muscle and burning fat often go hand in hand. Most advice out there centers on specific exercises and workout plans, but what if changing your diet could do the trick? It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not. Our team has gathered some great diet tips to help your body naturally burn fat and build muscle as you go about your day.
### Give Up Alcohol
Even the fittest people can be negatively affected by alcohol. Drinking can disrupt your sleep, reduce your body’s self-repair abilities, increase cortisol levels, hinder nutrient absorption, cause hormone imbalances, and add empty calories. By taking a break from alcohol for just a month, your body’s natural systems will be more in sync, and you can boost your efforts to burn fat and build muscle.
### Go Raw
Research shows that eating foods in their raw form helps your body burn more calories during digestion. While building muscle requires plenty of calories, burning extra calories while eating boosts your overall metabolism. This helps with both fat loss and muscle growth in the long run. Plus, raw foods offer a wider range of nutrients and fiber. Obviously, some foods need to be cooked for safety, but when possible, opt for raw to enhance your efforts.
### Eat Whole Foods
A common piece of advice for fat loss is to return to eating whole foods. Ditch the processed food, ready meals, and snack foods that are convenient but unhealthy. Choose simple recipes with high-quality ingredients to get more nutrients in each bite. This will help your body convert useful calories into muscle, using surplus fat for energy.
### Eat More Often…Or Don’t
Some experts suggest eating small meals throughout the day, as often as every three hours. However, recent research from the International Society of Sports Nutrition shows that this might not always be necessary. The key is to get enough calories to feel satisfied and to distribute the right nutrients across your meals. Stable blood sugar levels from increased meal frequency can benefit overall wellbeing. The trick is to find a personal balance in both meal timing and composition.
### Get Enough Protein
The golden rule for burning fat and building muscle is to consume at least a gram of protein for every pound you weigh each day. Protein is crucial for supporting various body systems and is the most important nutrient for muscle repair and growth. If you miss any part of your daily intake, don’t let it be protein.
### Listen to Your Body
As with any changes to your diet or routine, it’s important to listen to your body. Adjust your strategy based on what works and what doesn’t, and accept advice from friends and professionals who support you. Burning fat and building muscle can feel like a full-time job some days, so remember to take your rest days seriously, just as you do your workouts.