By Karen Lirio

I am a huge advocate of using Natural Bodybuilding techniques to help everyone achieve their goals. Most of us are after all on the same quest for a better body. The two most significant things that we can take from Natural Bodybuilding being the type of Training that is employed and the Diet. This blog is all about the diet.

A bodybuilding diet is necessarily high in protein for muscle growth and repair, but still rich in quality carbohydrates for energy and performance. Bodybuilding Competitors have been using this type of diet almost since its conception because it is effective and suits almost everyone. Thanks to the CSIRO’s detailed research into high protein diets we now also understand why a high protein diet is so effective.
In 2005 the CSRIO released The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet based on their research, offering an easy-to-follow eating plan that includes mainstream foods and allows people to eat well without feeling hungry. The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet is a high protein diet that they claim at least 800, 000 Australians have tried and now live by.
The CSIRO’s research considered a high protein diet to be one that consisted of 34% protein, 20% fat and 46% carbohydrate, and a high carbohydrate diet to be one that consisted of 17% protein, 20% fat and 64% carbohydrate.
The bottom line of their research was that a high protein diet promoted greater weight and fat loss, increased satiety, spared lean body mass, reduced insulin sensitivity, lead to greater abdominal fat loss, lowered LDL (bad) Cholesterol, had a 28% greater thermic effect than a high carbohydrate diet, and significantly lowered blood triglycerides (fat) . They also addressed concerns regarding renal (kidney) function on a high protein diet and found no adverse effects during weight loss.
Interestingly, in addition to the high protein diet participants losing an average of almost a kilo more than the high carbohydrate participants, their drop-out rate was a third less.
As with any successful eating plan however, if you are concerned with reducing body fat, or maintaining a lean physique, then your diet should also be low in fat and as “clean” as possible. A “clean” diet aims at obtaining the highest possible levels of quality protein and carbohydrates, with the lowest number of calories. This is done by eliminating processed foods that are typically high in empty calories from saturated fats and simple sugars.