When it comes to making compositional changes in your body, nutrition is everything. Exercise creates an environment for change, but the food you put in to your body is what actually forces it to change, along with proper rest and recovery. Understanding this, you realize that while the number of sets and reps you do in the weight room does have some importance, for your training to be of any real use you have to back it with a very solid nutritional base as well as adequate rest. In addition, when it comes to adding size, there are three foods that add mass like no other: peanut butter, eggs, and cow’s milk.
Peanut butter is one of the most versatile foods known to man. You can literally spread it on any solid food and you will have a mass-building concoction. My favorite peanut butter dish for adding size is the classic peanut butter sandwich, plain and simple. No jelly, no fluff, just two pieces of bread separated by an enormous slab of peanut butter. What makes these so great is how easily they are prepared, stored, and transported. You can whip up five sandwiches in under two minutes in the morning and be set for lunch and snacks throughout the day. If you are looking to add mass you are going to have to eat a lot and eat often, so foods that can be prepared quickly and brought to the gym, to school, and to work are must-haves. The fat in peanut butter is great as long as you are buying quality peanut butter, not Skip or Jiffy. Always look on the ingredients label and find the peanut butter that says, “Ingredients: Peanuts.” If they throw salt in there too it isn’t going to be the end of the world, but make sure to steer clear of any jars that have Hydrogenated Oils, Partially Hydrogenated Oils, or Vegetable Oils listed under their ingredients. Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils are code words for trans fat, and Vegetable Oils, well they are basically poison to the human system.
ggs are the second must-have food if you are trying to add size. Not egg whites or eggs in a carton, I’m talking whole eggs, yolk and all. Yes, whole eggs contain saturated fat. Yes, whole eggs contain cholesterol. That stuff is GOOD for you! Regardless if you are trying to add size or not, you should be eating whole eggs. I eat eight whole eggs every morning as a part of my second breakfast. Also, there are so many variations on how you can prepare eggs that I would be incredibly surprised to find somebody who gets bored eating them every day. Eggs are literally the perfect protein source, too. They are the gold standard that all other protein sources are judged from and have been judged from for years. Another “secret” about eggs is that you can buy bags of pre-peeled hardboiled eggs from Trader Joe’s. This is an absolutely incredible product because all you have to do is keep them in the fridge and you can stockpile nature’s perfect protein snack. These are especially great for people who don’t want to take the time or have the patience to boil and peal their own eggs. Just make sure to eat them pretty quickly, which, if you are trying to add mass, shouldn’t be a problem.
Finally, the number-one food substance to take in if you are trying to add mass is cow’s milk. Cow’s milk was designed by nature to turn a baby calf into a giant cow, so clearly it has the ability to add size. Now, in a perfect world all milk would be raw milk and you wouldn’t have to worry about whether to get skim or 2% or what have you, you’d just go straight to the utter. Unfortunately, raw milk is banned in most states for no other reason than pure ignorance, so check your state laws to find out if raw milk is able to be sold in your area. If it is, buy it and drink it, a lot of it. 5/3/1 and Super Squats suggest drinking a gallon a day. That’s a ton of milk, but like I said earlier, if you are trying to add size you are going to have to take in a ton of calories. Raw milk has all of the enzymes and healthy bacteria that spur muscle protein synthesis, which are some of the best reasons for choosing raw milk over pasteurized milk. Among those enzymes is the lactate enzyme, which is what those who are lactose-intolerant are missing, and therefore those who are lactose-intolerant easily handle raw milk. A friend and former teammate of mine who is lactose-intolerant couldn’t ever drink pasteurized milk, but when I got him started on raw milk he was able to handle that just fine.
If you can’t get raw milk you should go for organic whole milk. This milk will still be pasteurized so it won’t have the enzymes and bacteria that you want, but it will still have a lot of the fat and protein. If you can’t afford organic whole then get regular whole milk, and if you aren’t drinking whole milk then you are just kidding yourself when you say that you want to get bigger. Milk is a great choice to put in your post-workout shake or just to drink right out of the jug during and in between meals.
So there you have it, my top three food choices for adding mass on to your frame. If I was going to throw in a wild card I would put in a fatty beef or steak from grass-fed cows, but I think these give you the most versatility as far as what you can do with them and their convenience. One thing that I have been making lately is a shake consisting of 6 ounces of whole milk (raw milk isn’t sold in Illinois), ½ scoop of whey protein, two giant knife-fulls of peanut butter, ½ a banana, a tablespoon of flax seed, and a couple handfuls of walnuts. I LOVE these shakes and they are a quick and easy way to get in plenty of calories, fat, and protein. Look for a video in the next month or so on my YouTube channel where I make one of these shakes.
Charlie Cates
Self Made, Owner
Charlie Cates is a human performance specialist and the owner of Self Made (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist through NASM and has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. Athletically, he was a 4-year member of the Williams College men’s basketball team, which made a run to the national championship during his senior year. During this time he also worked intensively with the team’s off-the-court training, helping to develop All-Americans and a National Player of the Year. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.
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