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A proper diet is important in any bodybuilding routine. Our body needs ample protein, an abundance of vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and water to put it in an anabolic (muscle building state). Men and women have different body chemistry and slightly different requirements for building muscles. Women have much less ability to produce testosterone, which is an essential hormone needed for either sex to build muscle, that's the reason why a female bodybuilding diet must address what's different in their muscle-building chemistry. How To Design An Anabolic Diet In order to design a diet that puts your body in an anabolic state; you must have just enough of, or more of the essential nutrients necessary to accomplish that goal. Since women produce less testosterone than men, it's important to encourage your body to make more testosterone, while not encouraging more estrogen production, which is counter-productive to muscle building. Limit Estrogen Products While opinions differ on the subject: Soy products contain excessive amounts of plant estrogen and any serious female bodybuilding diet will limit the amount of soy products (including soy protein supplements). Animal Proteins Animal proteins, especially red meat contain creatine and glutamine, which help speed up recovery time, immune system function and nitrogen processing in the body. All of this amounts to an increase in your body's anabolic response and testosterone production. Calcium Supplementation Along with decreased testosterone production and increased estrogen levels, a woman's body needs more calcium to maintain bone density. Obviously we need strong bones to support our muscles, so make sure a good supplement containing calcium citrate is included in any female bodybuilding diet. Water This one should go without say, but it's worth a mention: Drink 8 glasses of water a day. You'll have to experiment to see how much is comfortable for you (and how often you want to spend making a trip to the bathroom), but drink as much as you comfortably handle. You need water to allow your muscles to work at their peak during a workout and promote proper digestion. Learn more about female bodybuilding diet at our fitness tips website.
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