Body Building Your Blueprint to Physique Success By Labrada Nutrition BodyConcept.com

This quick-fix mentality is costing bodybuilders results and wasting their time and efforts in the gym as they search for the latest and greatest training method or supplement. Many otherwise successful bodybuilders fail to make consistent gains because they don’t stick with a proven training method or supplement program long enough to harvest the long-term beneficial results.

Successful bodybuilders know and science proves that building a championship body is like playing the stock market: you must have a long-term vision, patience, and you must be willing to stick to the fundamentals. Short-term vision leads only to total failure and total disappointment.

FOOD AND SUPPLEMENTS

Whole foods form the basis of a solid nutrition and supplementation plan, and Meal Replacements MRP’s, and RTD’s support the plan.

Whole Foods

Whole foods are the starting point for health. Whole foods are the basics that supply your body with the proteins, carbs, fats and vitamins and minerals which you need for basic health. Many bodybuilders make the mistake of substituting supplements for whole foods, but they shouldn’t because supplements supplement your diet; they don’t replace sound nutrition.

As bodybuilders, we eat foods first for what they do the results they produce and then for how they taste. Vince Gironda – the late bodybuilding guru remarked that Bodybuilding is 90% Nutrition. Whole foods are a valuable tool in your arsenal, and choosing the right foods that provide a firm nutritional foundation is critical.

These foods include, but are not limited to:

Protein Sources – Meat and Dairy

Lean beef
Seafood

i.e. salmon, tuna, orange roughy, halibut Chicken breasts Turkey breasts Low-fat cottage cheese Low-fat/skim milk Egg whites

Carbohydrate Sources Fruits, Vegetables and Grains

Yams and potatoes
Oatmeal and whole grain cereals
Whole wheat bread and pasta
Brown rice
Beans, peas, lentils
Peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower
Apples, bananas, grapes, oranges

Fat Sources

Fish, Flax, and Olive oil
Mixed nuts and natural nut butters

Supplements

The most important dietary supplements for bodybuilders fall into the functional-food supplement category. While vitamin and mineral based supplements support basic health and prevent diseases that result from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, functional food supplements provide muscle building nutrients which take your physique and performance to a whole new level.

Functional food dietary supplements include MRP's (meal replacement powders), MRB’s (meal replacement bars), protein powders and bars, and RTD’s (Ready To Drink protein/meal replacement shakes.)

These supplements are “super-foods” because they are scientifically engineered to provide precise macronutrient ratios which give your body the concentrated raw materials it needs to build new muscle mass and improve performance.

The Benefits of Whole Foods and Supplements

Whole foods form the foundation of success, and quality food-based dietary supplements take your results above and beyond the results seen from just whole foods.

Here is a chart outlining the benefits of foods, MRP’s, MRB’s (meal replacement bars) and Ready-to-Drink Shakes.

As illustrated, whole foods, MRP’s, MRB’s and RTD’s differ in nutritional content, convenience and drawbacks.

While whole foods provide superior nutrition, the time needed to plan and cook food for 5-6 daily meals – not to mention the work involved in cleaning up afterwards – makes eating solid food inconvenient for most athletes. What’s more, prepared whole foods can be challenging to transport and keep fresh, and can require heating before they’re eaten.

While MRP’s (meal replacement powders) provide excellent nutrition and are fairly convenient, you need access to a plastic shaker cup or blender so that you can blend the MRP with water or milk before you drink it.

MRB’s (meal replacement bars) also provide excellent nutrition and are even more convenient and easier to transport than MRP’s. However, some bars melt easily in excessive heat – creating a mess of smeared chocolate goo. MRB’s must be kept at room temperature – something that’s not always possible when you’re on the go.

High Quality Ready-To-Drink Shakes (RTD’s), by contrast, provide excellent nutrition, are easily transported, require no mixing, taste great and don’t need to be refrigerated. Best of all, RTD’s can be consumed any time, anywhere you go – they’re the ultimate in convenience.

But not all Ready-to-Drink Shakes are created equal – tremendous differences exist in term of quality, taste, and nutrition, and you must choose the right RTD to get the best results.

IF YOU WANT PROFESSIONAL RESULTS YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL RTD – YOU NEED THE BEST!

RTD’s: Aseptic vs. Retort Processing

RTD shakes are typically made using one of two processing methods – retort processing or aseptic processing. The processing method makes all the difference in the quality of the RTD and the ultimately, the results you can expect from using it.

Retort Processing

Most RTD’s on the market today are packaged in metal cans – just like soda pop. Canned RTD’s are made using the retort processing method – a food processing method that’s over a century old.

Retort processing is a method whereby the canned RTD’s are sterilized by superheating them for 45 minutes at temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. This effectively sterilizes the cans and eliminates any bacteria and contamination. While heating the RTD’s for a long period of time effectively sterilizes both the metal can and the RTD liquid inside, this excessive heat exposure (overcooking) – also does something else: it denatures the proteins in the RTD.

You see, proteins are made of amino acids that link together and form chains called peptides. When proteins are exposed to extreme heat for long periods of time, proteins become cross-linked – the structure breaks down and becomes denatured - and the protein is rendered,

As another example of the difference between canned and minimally processed food, let’s look at tuna fish. Canned tuna is nowhere near as delicious or nutritious as fresh, sushi-grade ahi tuna. That’s because canned tuna is processed (cooked) using the retort method, while the ahi tuna is fresh and uncooked.

Additionally, the liquid in canned shakes are exposed to metal inside of the can. And, when heated, it is possible that metal residues may leech from the can and into the RTD liquid – giving it a “metallic” taste. be getting a metallic taste. aseptic RTD’

ASEPTIC PROCESSING PRESERVES UP TO 90% OF THE PROTEINS AND VITAMINS. YOU GET A POWERFUL AND POTENT RTD THAT DELIVERS RESULTS!

In fact, aseptic processing is so advanced that the prestigious Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) called aseptic processing “the most significant food science innovation of the last 50 years...ahead of even the microwave!” and went on to conclude that “Compared with traditional canning techniques, the aseptic process allows a substantial reduction in the time and temperature necessary for sterilization. That, in turn, increases nutrient retention and flavor for ensuring safety. Aseptic vs. Retort Processing Methods Conclusion: The quality of your RTD is affected by how it is made. As you can see, Aseptic processing is clearly superior to the outdated Retort method. For best results, choose a high quality aseptic-processed RTD shake.

What to look for in an RTD shake
While aseptic-processing is a must, it isn’t the only thing you should look for when choosing a high quality RTD that delivers outstanding results. You must also choose an RTD that is: Awesome tasting High in protein Low in fat Sugar-free Fortified with vitamins and minerals Re-sealable Awesome taste: You’ll be drinking your RTD every day to get great results, so it had better taste good or you won’t want to drink it; it’s that simple. because you have to eat nutritiously to build the biggest and strongest body possible, your food selections may purposely be limited. Eaten repetitively, whole foods, e.g., lean meats, starchy complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats can become boring very quickly. A high quality RTD shake can help to break the monotony of continually eating the same foods again and again. Sometimes it’s easier and more pleasurable to consume an Here is a chart that summarizes the differences between the Retort and Aseptic processing methods.

Lean Body^®RTD Shake vs. Canned RTD Shakes

No metallic taste May impart metallic taste

Minimally Processed Prolonged Processing

Heat Duration = 4 min @ 300°F Heat Duration = 30–45 min @ 250–300°F

Proteins minimally denatured up to 12% Proteins heavily denatured up to 87%

Vitamins loss minimal at 10–25% Vitamins lost approx. 50–90%
RTD than a whole food meal. And it helps if your RTD tastes so good that it’s capable of winning a Gold Medal Taste Award from a prestigious culinary institute! Make sure that you get top-of-the-line taste for your supplement dollars.

High in protein: Protein is the building block of muscle tissue and you need lots of it in order to train hard, recover and grow. Protein is the only macronutrient which provides your body with nitrogen, which your muscles use for maintenance and growth. The key to building quality muscle is to use a RTD that contains a protein source yielding fast-release and slow-release proteins. These proteins give you a sustained flow of vital amino acids that support intracellular nitrogen retention levels for fast muscle growth and strength increases.
Low in fat: You want to build muscle and burn fat, so in addition to being high in protein, your RTD must be low in saturated fats. Equally important is that your RTD contains small amounts of the “good” unsaturated fats that you need to support health.

Contains no sugar. Sugar has no place in your RTD. Cheap RTD’s use sugar as a flavoring agent because it’s inexpensive and also contains calories so you get fuller, faster. By using simple sugars for flavoring and as filler, manufacturers can put in less protein and can also add the description “energy drink” to their product’s label. But, don’t be fooled – sugar also makes you fat – not big, strong and lean.

Fortified with vitamins and minerals: You need vitamins and minerals to power the hundreds of thousands of anabolic chemical reactions that occur in your body every hour.

Vitamins and minerals are critical for your results because a vitamin or mineral deficiency disrupts the processes in your body that allow for muscle growth and fat burning. You should choose an RTD that is fortified with vitamins and minerals.

Re-sealable: Drinking an RTD is about nutrition AND convenience. Canned RTD’s can’t be resealed once they’re open – so you have to drink them completely or throw away whatever you can’t drink. That’s a waste of your money. Look for a RTD which you can re-seal, so that you can drink it whenever and wherever you need to. It’s part of the convenience you’re paying for.

Lean BodyRTD’s:

The Professional Choice
Professional athletes and bodybuilders know that to get exceptional results they must use every effective tool at Best of all, Lean Body^®tastes so good that it’s a five-time winner of the Gold Medal Taste Award from the prestigious American Culinary Institute! Lean Body^®RTD’s are the best tasting RTD on the market – period! And, Lean Body^®RTD’s come in delicious Soft Vanilla and Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream flavors, so you’ll never have to drink the same flavor over and over again. Finally, Lean Body^®RTD’s are convenient – you can take them anywhere, and use them anytime. No mixing, no refrigeration and no mess required.

Final Thoughts… Building quality muscle, strength and a hard-as-nails championship physique isn’t easy – it takes a lot of work. Professional athletes and bodybuilders know that sticking to the basics and using the best tools on the market is the only way to real and consistent results year after year.

Buy Lean Body RTD's at BodyConcept.com