Oatmeal and Bodybuilding.....

If you ask anyone who knows a little about nutrition what macro-nutrient is needed to build muscle, their answer would most likely be protein. While protein is definitely the most important, carbohydrates and fats also play a role in the muscle building process. In fact, unless you are cutting, a good portion of your calories should be coming from carbs. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and should not be forgotten when designing a meal plan.

In most cases the best carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates that have a lot of fibre and burn very slowly in your body. The food next in the Muscle Building Foods series fits that bill perfectly. Oatmeal is a great source of energy and is a complex, slow-burning carb. While oatmeal may not be the most glamorous food to eat or write about it still remains one of the best go-to carbohydrate sources out there.

Nutritional Info
1 cup of dry oatmeal has around 307 calories, 5 grams of fat, 11 grams of protein and 56 grams of carbohydrates. If you measure oatmeal cooked it roughly doubles in volume so a cup of cooked oatmeal has about 166 calories, 32 carbs and 6 grams of protein. So this is definitely a food you need to measure out if you are restricting your calories.

Give a little boost of protein
As previously mentioned, oatmeal has 11 grams of protein per cup (dry.) While this is great since having a little extra protein helps get the total up, the protein is incomplete and can be increased by adding a scoop of LA Whey protein which will bump the protein to around 36g per serving, ideal for bodybuilders as they are getting a mixture of carbs and protein in one meal.

Muscle building nutrients
In addition to having good complex carbs and protein, oatmeal also contains nutrients that the body uses for building muscle. One cup of dry oatmeal contains 3.4 mg of iron and 0.9 mg of niacin (vitamin B3.) Iron helps to transport oxygen into the bloodstream and into the muscles and the B- vitamins help to convert carbohydrates into energy and to properly utilise protein.

Good Source of Fibre
Oatmeal is a good source of soluble and insoluble fibre. While not directly related to building muscle, this is very beneficial for your health and is great for directions.

Other Vitamins and Minerals
Oatmeal is also a good source of vitamins and minerals like thiamin, folic acid biotin and vitamin E. These all have a positive effect on the immune system and can speed you body’s reaction to infection and can help your body heal faster from illness. This is more of an indirect benefit to building muscle since it’s really hard to train and get results when you are sick.

Best ways to eat Oatmeal
Oatmeal is best cooked either in the microwave or boiled on a stove with water. Once ready you can add some cinnamon and LA Whey protein to give it more flavour and increase the protein content of the oatmeal. You can also add things like peanut butter, mixed fruits, bananas, honey, Nutella, mixed nuts etc.

Best times to have Oatmeal
In the mornings as it's a great source of energy.

In conclusion oatmeal is great for bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts as it's full of benefits, a great source of energy and complex carbs as well as containing a healthy amount of protein and vitamins. Make sure to add oatmeal to your next shop or purchase it direct from LA Muscle by clicking here.