You know how you eat five doughnuts because you think “hey, I worked out yesterday.” Well, you almost got the right idea, it’s just backwards! Your body likes to use carbohydrates as fuel.
If you’re trying to build muscle, your diet is going to have something in common with any healthy diet—variety and balance. Your body needs carbohydrates to feel energized during a workout, protein to build muscles, vitamins and minerals to help recover, plus healthy fats.

Terrified of that bagel? Not to worry—it will give you energy to work off more calories than you consumed. If you’re still hesitant, here is a list of other carbohydrates to eat when building muscle:

Muscle-Building, Energizing Foods

Whole wheat bread

Barley

Rice

Pasta

Apricots

Dates

Blueberries

Bananas

Figs

Grapes

Apples

Oranges

Pineapples

Strawberries

Watermelons

Raisins

Chickpeas

White Beans

Black Eye Peas

Garbanzo beans

Navy beans

Potato

Sweet Potato

Carrot

Corn

Nonfat milk

Yogurt

Chocolate milk

Skim milk

Peas

Yam

Muesli

Buckwheat

Protein is what makes up the muscle

. Here are some muscle building-blocks:

Whole Eggs

Mixed Nuts

Red meat

Wild Salmon

Flax seed

Quinoa

Your body has just undergone a lot of stress. Give it some loving with these restorative foods, full of vitamins and minerals:

Berries

Yogurt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mixed Nuts

Broccoli

Spinach

Oranges

Organic Apples

Carrots

Remember, balance is key. Just because you’re eating healthy food doesn’t mean you can eat endless amounts. Don’t forget about calories. Be smart, be healthy, be fit!