Does the paleo diet work for bodybuilding? Could it help me with building muscles?

Question 1

Hello, guys, again! I am still looking for my ideal bodybuilding diet. A few days ago, I got information about ‘paleo diet’. I’ve watched hundreds of videos about it, about people, who tried it on themselves, and I have to say, that I liked that diet. However, the only thing that was missed in all these videos was it’s relation to bodybuilding. Does the ‘paleo diet’ work for bodybuilding? Could it help me with building muscles? If not, what should I eat to have visible results? Thanks for your feedback!

Question 2

Hello there! Yeah, I know these doubts about the real effect of paleo diet if you want to build muscles. Of course there are pros and cons. Paleo diet is very popular, based of some “nostalgic” feelings about hunters and gathers lifestyle two and a half million years ago. It is quite romantic indeed. Eating fruit and vegetables that grew in the place you live in, “hunting” for some fresh meat in supermarket got easier for sure, the healthy effect is obvious since it is one hundred per cent natural and simple. So why not to follow this diet to make your body leaner and stronger? No dairy, bad carbs or usual junk stuff we are tempted to consume nowadays…

Mary Lace Staff · Answer · Published: December 28, 2018 | Modified: October 15, 2019

Hello there! Yeah, I know these doubts about the real effect of paleo diet if you want to build muscles. Of course there are pros and cons. Paleo diet is very popular, based of some “nostalgic” feelings about hunters and gathers lifestyle two and a half million years ago. It is quite romantic indeed. Eating fruit and vegetables that grew in the place you live in, “hunting” for some fresh meat in supermarket got easier for sure, the healthy effect is obvious since it is one hundred per cent natural and simple. So why not to follow this diet to make your body leaner and stronger? No dairy, bad carbs or usual junk stuff we are tempted to consume nowadays…

Question 3

Here are some pieces of advice how to make your bodybuilding performance better while living the paleo diet lifestyle. One hundred grams of vegetarian carbs between workouts must be enough to supply your body with energies. You are welcomed to increase the amount of carbs on your intensive workout days. Oats, lentils, beans and rice are good, they will also help your muscles to restore after training. Dairy is a debatable issue in paleo diet experts. I hope you belong to those who accept milk and cheese in your nutrition plan as they are wonderful source of what your muscles need to grow and function better.

Question 4

Apart from healthy proteins that are found in milk (amino acids, whey, casein), make sure your body gets enough of vitamin D and calcium. By the way! If you are about to buy a pack of milk in your store, chose the full fat one. Otherwise, you won’t get these important nutrients. In general, I would not treat the paleo diet like Ten Commandments or some unbreakable rules. There is always a reasonable way to modify and change the plan according to your personal needs. Take care and have nice winter holidays!