One of the core fundamentals or rather bedrock of any health & fitness lifestyle has to be the type of food you take in. You might have the best workout plan, recovery plan, and the best of intentions, but if you are not eating the right things, it’s all for nothing. And when it comes to taking care of the body, we all know there is nothing that tops good old natural organic food ( lots of adjectives, I know lol). It’s just that one leg of the stool that you can’t compromise on.
Through out my personal experience with bulking over the years, I have noted the foods that I can’t stop getting back to every time I go grocery shopping. They had become so embedded in me, I no longer need a list to remember them. And the main reason is because they have been so good to me in my bodybuilding journey. And I believe they will be good to you too. So with no further ado, here they are:
1. Proteins
This is the first category we are kicking off with. And of course, you can’t say bulk without protein in the mix. I use mainly 3 sources of Protein; Chicken, Eggs, and Dairy.
+ Chicken
I usually buy about 3kg of chicken. I mainly go for chicken breasts, drumsticks, and wings.
+ 2 crates of eggs
+ 5 Litres of Milk and some yoghurt/pudding
I do stack up on some nuts (eg peanuts, almond etc) as protein snacks.
2. Carbohydrates
The next category is Carbs, you can’t forget your energy source. I got more variety with carbs probably because on average this takes the largest portion of my daily caloric intake. I stock up on:
+ 2-3kg of rice
+ Some pasta or macaroni
+ Oatmeal ( go for fine oatmeal, they are faster to cook and easier to gouble down)
+ 2 loafs of brown wheat bread (The darker the better #wink).
+ A Jar of Peanut Butter
+ A pack of buckwheat
+ A bag of Irish Potatoes and
+ Some wheat flour
And the next category we have
3. Vegetables
I’m no the most fancy person when it comes to vegetables. Some weeks I do spice it up with some lettuce, shredded carrots or salad. But for the most part I just do a sort of a vegetable stew or tomato sauce if you may. And the basic ingredients are:
- Fresh Tomatos
- Onions
- Fresh Peppers
- Tomato paste (& some times)
- garlic
4. Fruits
When it comes to fruits, I don’t discriminate. I don’t have a favorite fruit that I keep going back to every week. But usually when I’m choosing, its mostly amongst: apples, grapes,Bananas, Pears, and carrots ( yes I know carrot is a vegetable but my taste buds agree to disagree).
And the last but not the least, we have…
5. Cooking oils and Seasoning
For cooking oil, I usually use sunflower oil and in some cases extra virgin olive oil. But you can opt for something like groundnut or coconut oil ( they have higher smoking point which makes them great for frying).
And for seasoning, I usually get the maggi ( chicken or beef flavored), salt (for fries /chips or seasoning omelettes), teriyaki sauce (for my fried chicken and chips), a couple of exclusive seasoning for: making jollof rice, macaroni in tomato sauce etc and homemade grinded peppers ( I’m African so you already know spicy is the mother tongue).
I do sometimes garnish my food with some canned peas, maze or Heinz beans with coleslaw salad.
And That’s it!
So there you have it. My weekly groccery essentials for dieting to bulk. The list totals to about $50. But depending on your location, it could be more or less. And if it turns out you are allergic to anything on the list, don’t fret. You can always look up a convenient alternative. E.g for dairy products i.e if you are allergic to diary milk, you can opt for almond or soy milk for example. Allergic to peanut butter, there’s always the old classic Nutella chocolate spread. Be creative, Be flexible.
Don’t forget to coment down below your thoughts, dieting experience or what your weekly groccery list look like. Until next time; eat-up, keep-up and Beast up! ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ฏ.