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Happy Tummy Expert

6 months ago

Hi Sanket, thank you for the question.

Kudos to you on your initiative on starting the journey towards leading a healthy lifestyle.

Gaining muscle mass, toning of muscles, and body shaping requires specific exercise regimen followed by appropriate dietary changes, especially in terms of good quality proteins balanced with appropriate calories, which should be done under professional guidance. For specific exercise regimen please contact a fitness expert.

Some of the nutrients that support healthy muscles and bone include protein, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium etc. Some of the food sources rich in these nutrients include milk and milk products, green leafy vegetables, lentils, soybean, nuts, etc. Include these foods in your daily balanced diet.

For general wellbeing, you can begin by consuming a balanced diet is which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportions. It can easily be achieved through a blend of the four basic food groups. The quantities of foods needed to meet the nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. A balanced diet should provide around 50-60% of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably from complex carbohydrates, about 10-15% from proteins and 20-30% from both visible and invisible fat.

As a general dietary guideline, for an apparently healthy individual/ with no specific health or nutrition needs and/or metabolic condition it is recommended to consume 2000kcal/d and the RDA for protein requirement is 54g/d for men.

Here are few guidelines for healthy balanced diet that can be considered:

• Have a Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning.
• Try to incorporate the My plate Concept by dividing your plate into 4 quadrants, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, the other two quadrants with cereals and protein. A small quantity of dairy intake is recommended.
• Some of the good sources of protein include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, lean meat, nuts & seeds, etc.  
• Begin your day with a well-balanced breakfast as it is an important meal of the day.
• Avoid skipping meals. Also, try to avoid fasting and feasting too often.
• Consume small frequent meals, with healthy snacking options.
• Consume minimum 5 servings of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit as they are rich in Fiber, essential minerals & Vitamins as well as they give you a feeling of satiety.
• Try to consume more of Whole grains, Millets and Multigrain foods as they are a good source of fiber.
• Limit intake of deep-fried foods. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
• Have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before sleep time.
• Drink adequate amount of water (minimum 8 glasses) of water daily to keep yourself well hydrated
• Engage in at least 30-45 minutes brisk walk/physical activity of moderate intensity at least 5 days a week.
• Try and follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and Quality.

A high protein diet is recommended for muscle gain or weight gain. Daily protein requirement should ideally be followed as 0.8-1g protein per kg body weight for muscle maintainance.

High protein foods like pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, lean meat, nuts & seeds, etc also give a feeling of satiety, delay gastric emptying and help in maintain lean body or muscle mass. 

You can include non-vegetarian sources of protein such as chicken, fish, prawns etc and vegetarian sources Milk & milk products like paneer, Legumes, lentils, beans (chickpeas, kidney, mung, pinto etc.), peas (green, split, etc.), soybeans (and products made from soy: tofu, tempeh, etc.), peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, squash and pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds as a part of your daily balanced diet

For a customised and personalised meal plan for specific conditions please contact your Health care professional or any registered dietician.

Hope we have answered your query.

Wishing you a great day ahead

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