The question has arose about counting fruit towards your carbohydrate intake. Fruit does contain sugar (carbs), but is also full of vitamins, minerals and are high in fibre. So yes, the carb levels of fruit are to be counted towards your daily intake. Only when small quantities are taken in (quarter glass juice, slice of apple), is it unnecessary to count them.

What to look at is what fruit you are taking in. Fruit juice for instance is the fuir minus the fibre, so if you are going for a drink, get the most out of it by making it a smoothie, or by keeping ‘the bits’ in. Due to the low levels of carbs needed initially when dieting, I would refrain from drinking any form of fruit juice not containing pulp.

Vegetables also contain carbs, but less of them (less sweet). This does not include potatoes or very coloured vegetables. Green vegetables have very little carbs. Due to the small amount of carbs in veg versus the energy needed to metabolise them, veg carbs do not need to be counted. Only when taken in vast amounts are their calories to be counted.

When looking to make gain in lean muscle mass you must take advantage of the Anabolic Window. This is the period of time after hard training when you have depleted your muscles of glycogen (the energy used in anaerobic exercise).  If you dont supply yourself with the energy and protein needed to start immediate repair to the damage you’ve done to yourself, your body will go catabolic (muscle watage) and attack your muscle tissue to find these nutrients. To maximise results you cannot overlook this window of opportunity.

But what to take in..  Glycogen is made in your body from sugar, which is broken down from carbohydrates. As your body is in such immediate need for sugar you go for High GI carbohydrates, the fast acting carbs (as opposed to oats etc, low Gi which takes too long to absorb). Which sugar you go for is also important. Fruit (fructose) is not ideal as this sugar is lower Gi and likely to be stored. Starch (potatoes, rice etc) is ok and will do he job, but again not perfect. Everyday sugar (glucose) is half fructose, half dextrose, so is a bit better (sugary sweets etc). The best fastest acting sugar to have is pure dextrose, which can be bought in health food stores, or found in powdery suagry sweets (jelly tots). Dextrose is the perfect fast acting sugar to quickly restore muscle glycogen.

With these fast acting carbs you must also take in Protein, which are amino acids (which is muscle tissue). So taking in carbs and protein while Anabolic makes sure you are getting the bricks and mortar to the muscles at a vital stage. A liquid protein/carb source is best because of its easy absorption. Fats or fibre of any kind will only slow down the absorption process (as they are slow digesting).

Aim to take in 0.5gms of protein and 0.5gms of carbs per kilo bodyweight directly after training to replace lost glycogen stores.

Breakfast – 4-6 egg white omelette (protein) with oats (carbs) and a slice of low-fat              cheese , with Flaxseed powder (fats), pint of water.

Snack – Cottage Cheese, Raw Nuts (almonds,walnuts), water

Lunch – Chicken breast, brocolli and green beans (protein, fibre and vitamins)

Snack – Mixed fruit, 4 slices ham

Dinner – Tuna Steak, Kidney Beans, pine nuts, salad and bit of sweet chili sauce plenty of water

Before Bed – Optional Casein shake for lean muscle.