Super foods, drinks and recipes for bodybuilding

The following foods are a bodybuilder's 'desert island' foods - as in, if they were stranded on an island but also won a lifetime's supply of twelve food items (it could happen!) then these are the things they would be best off ordering. Between them they make up a complete and varied diet that's high in protein and energy and low in fat. More importantly they're all delicious.
Just as an asside however, as you are not on a desert island (I assume), and can infact eat more than just these things, it is highly advised that you make like scooby and do (where the hell did that come from?).

Tuna
Tuna is the ultimate super-food, the Superman of food if you like. It is at once high in protein (with 78% being utilised), high in antioxidants (which is good for fighting free radicals, preventing cancer and prolonging life), oily (which is good for joints), good for the brain and most importantly, delicious in a sandwich. One can contains the adequate daily recommendation for vitamin D and it's also very lean, unlike many other meats that are high in fat. Tuna also comes in many forms, as a steak or in chunks and as an ingredient in many recipes. Some people warn that it has dangerous levels of mercury (which would make me like a walking thermometre) but my answer to that is: whatever, shut up and piss off. It's a price I'm willing to pay and I will often eat tuna at every meal. I advise you eat as much as humanly possible.

A quick recipe: Tomato-y tuna
Many bodybuilders moan that dry tuna is boring. Personally I don't get it, I'd be happy to eat them straight out of the sea if that wasn't weird. Still, their gripe is that without mayonaise or salad cream, which are quite high in fat. The simple solution to that is to mix it with tinned tomoatoes. Now it can be eaten on its own, put in a sandwich or served with pasta. Another bonus there is that tomatoes too are high in antioxidants making it a great meal for those who want to not die for ages.

Bananas
Bananas are the best source of carbs you are likely find and one 20p banana is far more potent at boosting the quality of a workout than any amount of expensive creatine. A single banana will provide you with 29 grams of carbohydrates - more than any other fruit. The absorption of the carbs into the body is fairly slow; to time it perfectly you should eat one four hours before a workout. I literally swear by them and can honestly notice a massive difference when I forget to have mine at lunch, not only are my workouts better but I also work better and even have wittier conversations (and damn I'm witty). An added bonus of bananas is also that the potassium will minimise cramps - which is always good.

A quick recipe: Mashed banana
Mash banana is a delicious and quick recipe that will act as a high energy snack for breakfast or simply a healthy pudding. Basically take your banana, mash it up in a bowel, then poor milk on it. I used to have this as a little kid and never grew out of it, you can add sugar too if you feel you deserve it or alternatively whisk the two together for a simple smoothie.

Milk
Milk is an important source of protein and calcium. Some people don't know this, but the trusty whey protein that so many swear by is actually a bi-product of pasturised milk. Calcium is also important for strengthening bones and muscles and like potassium can help prevent cramps.
Milk, and particularly full-fat or semi skimmed (the good stuff), can be a source of fat which puts allot of bodybuilders off using it. Fat is an important part of any complete diet however and so to get some through milk is no bad thing. Not only is fat good for your skin and hair, but it is also crucial for dissolving certain 'fat soluble' vitamins such as A, K, D and E. To completely erase fat from a diet then is a mistake - as is eliminating any aspect of your diet. Everything that we eat, we eat for a reason.

Beans
Beans, baked or otherwise, are a source of protein as well as carbs and also count as a portion of veg. Beans are like a jack of all trades that offer allot of different advantages. They are also easy and versatile and lead to much wind related fun.

Eggs
Eggs are the main staple in most bodybuilders' diets. This is because they are possibly the best source of natural protein with 88% being absorbed and converted to muscle. They are also a lean source, although some prefer to do away with the delicious yolk which is a bit fatty. The extreme will go one step further and eat the egg shells as well. I really don't think that's really worth it to be honest.
Don't worry about Salmonella either. That sounds like terrible advice again coming from the guy who tells you how to work out when you've broken your arm, but it comes from well researched statistics. Only one in every 30,000 eggs is likely to be infected. That's only a .003% that you're going to get sick - nothing compared to eating puffer fish. Furthermore, most of those cases will be battery eggs, whereas if you eat free-range eggs that have been tested for salmonella too your chances of getting a bad egg are almost 0. For some that might still seem a bit close for comfort, but then you have to consider that most cases of salmonella are mild and only very few are serious. So stop being a pussy and eat those eggs raw! Rocky does it so should you! (although Rocky also chases chickens and you shouldn't do that - it scares them).
For me though, eggs are secondary as protein sources to Tuna. Eggs you see are high in cholestrol and so to eat allot of them might not be great for your heart, especially if you already have problems in that area. Secondly they don't have all the other advantages of tuna - egg white is mostly just water with a bit of protein. Cooking eggs also wastes some of the protein, and while eggs are normally a versatile food source there's not that much you can do with raw egg whites.

A quick recipe: Carbonara - old style
Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish that was designed in World War 1 to make use of rations. Today it's a delicious meal that involves cream, cheese, bacon and all sorts of other things (you should come round and try mine some time it's devine). Back in the day however it was simply one raw egg cracked over the pasta - the idea being that the pasta would be hot enough to semi-cook the egg. For bodybuilders this is a brilliant recipe - high in protein and carbs and low in fat. Also it's a happy medium between cooked and raw.

Apple Juice
Apple Juice is a great source of vitamin C. Bodybuilders often are so concerned with keeping a high intake of protein that they forget other essential food stuffs which is a major mistake. Vitamin C is very important for the immune system and fights progress-slowing colds as well as being involved in the formation and maintainence of collagen which is essential for the connective tissue in skin, bones and ligaments. Collagen is high in amino acids and so speeds up the healing of wounds and burns and will aid in the repair of muscles. Vitamin C is more important when the body is placed under stress (i.e. through bodybuilding) and a lack of it can result in fatigue. Bad times. When you train you lose vitamin C through sweating and this is a reason you should down some apple juice soon after training and it also helps keep cholestrol down which can counteract the effects of all the eggs. Good times.

Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower Seeds are a fantastic solution to hunger pangs and one bag will last you forever. They are a good source of Linoleic acid which is an essential fatty acid which helps with healing. They're also very good for your prostate, strengthening it and fighting off cancer - eat enough and you'll be able to piss over the wall into your neighbours garden which is great fun! They are an aditional source of protein, iron and fibre aswell.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are high in antioxidants yet again as well as being good for vitamins and low in fat. Particularly C and A. As a small warning though, tomatoes can aggravate acne and so are not particularly advised for the spottier among you - I'd know.

Alchohol
Come on, you're stuck on a desert island! You've got to have some fun otherwise you will likely go mental and kill yourself. Also alchohol is actually useful in small doses. I have in the past quite regularly worked out while inebriated which often leads to me puking my guts out. While this is good training for your abdominals I really don't recommend it.
Red wine is a good source of yet more antioxidants and as such is actually recommended by doctors (bloody hell, you're never going to die at this rate!). Likewise all alchohol is good for your heart. It reduces the chances of getting heart disease or diabetes and of dying from either a heart attack or stroke. Buster Martin is the oldest living employee in Britain and he puts his success down to a beer a day. That's good enough for me!
When I say doctors advise it obviously what I mean is they advise one or two glasses a day. May I suggest Newcastle Brown - it's particularly high in calories but is also very lovely. Like all things Alchohol is best in small doses; overdo it and you risk damaging your liver, taking in allot of calories, binge eating, killing brain cells and getting black eyes and STDs and waking up weird places. Great fun though.

Pasta
Pasta is not only a great source of carbs but also an essential ingredient in many dishes and so has to go on the list.

Bread
Another good source of carbohydrates but most importantly - you need bread to make sandwiches. This is why bread should be praised as a holy food item.

Salad
Sadly if you're limitting your foods to a few select items then it's crucial that you include greens somewhere. They are low in calories and high in just about everything else particularly iron, calcium, vitamins and fibre. Iron is crucial in the creation of hemoglobin, for transporting oxygen around the blood, and myoglobin, found only in the muslces. Contrary to popular belief Spinach is no higher in iron than other leaf foods, the myth actually being a result of a misplaced decimal point.
Greens also count as a portion of veg so out of our twelve foods we've managed five fruit and veg! Suprisingly leaves also contain protein, although you'd never be able to eat enough to get it in bodybuilding quantities.
The downside is that they're boring as anything and you'll feel like a rabbit munching away on them. I eat mine as part of a delicious tuna salad sand with cheese that they sell in my local newsagents. Takes the sting off a bit.

A quick recipe: The Warrior's Supper!
The Iron salad! Here's where we put everything together in the ultimate bodybuilding recipe. It's a basic salad including hard-boiled chopped up eggs, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds and kidney beans. Put this with a tuna steak and some apple juice to wash it all down. And why not finish off with a delicious mashed banana for pudding!

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