what to eat to gain muscle

Question
Hi Sarah, sorry to bother you. I need your advice on what to eat to gain muscle. I'm trying to gain weight. I'm 17 years old, 5'7, 150 pounds. I'm trying to gain muscle by eating a lot and working out. I don't want to gain a lot of fat. I want to gain more muscle than fat. All i eat is lean meats and vegetables. I take a multi-vitamin for calcium intake as well. Could i gain muscle by just eating lean meats and vegetables. I figure lean meats dont have a lot of fat, but a lot of protein to build muscle. Vegetables have your vitamins and minerals. I also drink a lot of water. I never have any food with sugar. every once in a while, i'll have some fried meats like fried fish and chicken, but not all the time. Do you think i'll gain muscle by eating this way. I eat a lot. They say to get big, you have to eat big. Thank you for your help.

Answer
Hi Chris!  I can tell you have put a lot of thought into this.  I am glad to hear you are eating vegetables, many body building/weight lifting magazines focus so much on protein other food groups seem to be forgotten.  Water is also important for good health.  How much muscle you put on is going to be determined mainly by two things: your genetics and how much you are working out.  Some people just naturally put on muscle more easily than other people, due in part to their natural production of hormones.  Other people have to work out a lot to make the same amount of muscle.  Working out should include both weight lifting and cardio (some people focused on building muscle forget the heart is a muscle also or are afraid cardio will "lengthen" the muscles so they get less bulk).  Eating well is important, but there is no magical food to put on muscle: even protein can be metabolized into fat by the body if it is not needed for muscle building or repair or for energy.  The most important way to not put on a lot of fat is to eat the amount of calories you need and not too much more.  Since you are young and male and working out you will probably want to eat about 3,000-3,500 calories, although just how much you need will be most determined by how many calories you are burning while working out.  Lean meats and vegetables are a great start.  Some whole grains and vegetables will also be helpful because your body needs the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and carbohydrates.  The best way to save unwanted calories from fat is to watch how food is prepared (steamed, broiled, and grilled are great) and what you put on your food (condiments can add concentrated fat calories quickly).  Skim milk is actually a great drink for after workouts because it has almost a perfect mix of electrolytes, protein, and carbohydrates to replenish your body (sports drinks tend to focus only on replacing electrolytes and carbohydrates); however, if you do not like milk, taking the supplement for calcium is great.  If you find you are not eating enough calories, you can try a protein supplement; use a supplement such as whey that contains whole proteins and does not concentrate only on one or two amino acids.  (Amino acids compete for absorption so having too much of one in a supplement can actually lead to a deficiency of another, even if you are eating plenty of it in your diet.)  Good luck with "getting big!"  If you have any more questions, please write again.

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