A critical component of any bodybuilding or fitness regimen is the diet; not eating the right types of foods at the right time of the day can offset many muscle gains and make it very difficult to perform at your best. Learning some basic nutrition principles and guidelines used by professional bodybuilders can help you get the most out your commitment to working out, and help you achieve your goals of building lean muscle mass or losing body fat.

Successful bodybuilders and athletes have to consistently watch their diets and are often responsible for mapping out a nutrition program that works with their lifestyle, workout routine and their tastes and preferences. If you don't take charge of what you're eating every day, you may be setting yourself up for failure with your bodybuilding program. Here are some diet and nutrition essentials you need to keep in mind when your goal is to increase muscle mass:

1. Know that some foods are more nutritious than others. It is not enough to monitor your calorie intake; you also have to be conscious about the source of the calories. 200 calories from oatmeal looks the same as 200 calories from sweetened cereals. However, you may not know that oatmeal is the healthier choice. Sweetened cereals will give you energy, but the energy it gives is quickly burned by the body making you crave for more food. The calories from oatmeal are steadily absorbed by the body giving you a constant supply of energy. In addition, oatmeal provides more than just energy to your body because it is also a good source of fiber and protein.

2. Eat small meals at the right time. We are used to eating three large meals per day. This is now considered a bad habit by nutritionists since we tend to eat a lot in those three meals. Nutritionists recommend eating 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day at regular intervals. The amount and timing of your meals will stabilize your blood sugar level and will make you less likely to crave for food and eat excessively. Combined with eating nutrient-rich foods, this habit will aid you in maintaining the energy level you need throughout the day and for workouts.

3. Take advantage of pre and post-workout windows. Eating before and right after your workouts can greatly enhance your training results. You see, our body use up a lot of energy when we workout so eating a high-protein snack complemented with some healthy carbohydrates can give enough fuel to our body to last us throughout a session. Our bodies then become very receptive to nutrients after our workout. Take advantage of this by eating a high-protein meal after your work out.

Understanding some key principles of nutrition and diet is essential for increasing muscle mass and fine-tuning your results. Take the time to learn these three key principles as you develop a solid training program that works for you.

If you have enjoyed reading this article, you can read more posts on fitness nutrition, and similar topics like exercise, working out, wellness programs, and finding the best body building supplement on our fitness site.