Welcome to the Expert Q&A Section for October 2007. There's no arguement that your diet plays a vital role in muscle development. In this section of the magazine, our resident diet expert Doug Lawrenson answers a question sent in by one of our subscribers or forum members. If you have question you would like Doug to answer here, head over to our muscle building forum and post your question in this thread.

October Diet&Nutrition Question:

I am a skinny person and find that I don’t have the appetite to eat. How can I increase my appetite?

Answer:

Professional bodybuilders can frequently eat up to 10 meals a day and have an advantage over people who find it hard to eat frequently. But there are ways to increase the appetite just by making simple changes to your nutritional intake...

• Eat low fibre foods: We need certain amounts of dietary fibre per day for healthy bowels and digestion. Foods such as beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts etc all provide indigestible substances that pass through the digestive system slowly. This type of fibre also gives you “that full” feeling. Which maybe fine for people who are dieting, but not much good if you are a hard gainer and trying to add mass. A better choice of carbohydrates to add calories in the diet are the starchy carbohydrates which are more calories dense, such as rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals etc. Starchy carbohydrates are stored in the muscle as glycogen and help drive water into the muscle. A diet of 50-60% carbohydrates is ideal for a growth phase. Also a ratio of 2:1 carbs to protein has been associated with higher testosterone levels. But you should monitor your bodyfat percentage as starchy carbohydrates encourage bodyfat storage.
• Drink a glass of fruit juice 30 minutes before a main meal. Fruit juices are again calorie dense and encourages a release of insulin which in turn lowers blood sugars, the body then reacts to the low blood sugar by triggering the appetite.
• Have a large meal before bed which again increases the release of insulin, the appetite stimulating hormone will help increase metabolism and you will wake in the morning feeling as if you are starving.

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About Doug Lawrenson:

Doug Lawrenson is our resident diet guru & fitness over on the Muscle&Strength Forum. Doug has had experience as a bodybuilder, coach and judge at national competition level. If you have questions for Doug or need some advice you can chat to Doug on the forum. Doug is on the forum almost every day!

Doug has written some in-depth and informative articles that have been featured on Muscle&Strength.com. To read some of his articles, check out the diet & nutrition articles section of this this website.