Bodybuilders are always looking for the best way to maintain or gain muscle mass. But what about other people? What do they need to eat to stay healthy and strong? Working out and eating right are two of the most important steps to achieving your goals in fitness. But how do you know what is best for you? Trying different things can lead to a lot of wasted time, effort, and money.
Body types are a collection of proportions of body shape and composition. Your genes determine your body types, and the combinations of genetic traits that come from your parents determine your overall physical traits.1 In studies, nutrition for body types has shown to be important in helping those with certain traits that would otherwise be hard to maintain or grow. For example, if you have low body fat percentage (or high body fat percentage), you may have difficulties growing your hair, maintaining your bone mass, or losing weight. However, many people with these body types can eat a balanced diet and live healthy lives.
There are three main categories of body types – the ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. Each of these body types can be further categorized into five subtypes.2 The ectomorph is considered the “skinny” body type; it is made up of small bones and lacks muscle mass. Mesomorphs have medium to large muscles and are considered to be the “athletic” body types; they have a wide muscle mass but lack fat.3
Understanding Nutrition For the 3 Different Body Types
When talking about the importance of nutrition for different body types, there are 3 major categories. These include the ectomorphs, mesomorphs and the endomorphs. If you want to gain muscle mass, you must eat foods rich in protein. The same applies if you want to lose fat. You must consume foods that contain lower carbohydrates as well as lower fats.4
In order to answer the question: what is the importance of body type nutrition? you need to understand the differences between each body type and then consider which body type would best suit your lifestyle. You also need to consider the importance of exercise if you want to tone your body. Lastly, it is important to consider your daily caloric intake and find out whether you are getting enough nutrients.
Ectomorphs
The ectomorphs are the most easily defined body types. They have a broad range of physical activities because their body has no specific needs and as such there is little need to develop any specific muscle or body part. An ectomorph’s body type is generally considered to be “athletic.”5 Because of this lack of a functional body part, the ectomorphs generally burn through calories very quickly and can maintain a high weight.6
Mesomorphs
The mesomorphs differ from the ectomorphs in the way they look. They have a more definite and visible body structure that tends to be stocky and muscular.7 The mesomorphs typically have a lot of lean body mass and are considered to have an average lifespan of about forty years old. Because their body type nutrition is similar to the ectomorphs, many researchers have concluded that the mesomorph body type nutrition is the most important for weight loss.8
Endomorphs
The endomorphs are the body types that have the broadest range of nutritional requirements. Their body type nutrition usually revolves around eating to support the development of their muscles and giving energy to help maintain their bodies’ normal metabolism.9 Endomorphs often have a problem gaining weight and body mass but because their metabolism is normally quite fast, they can often maintain their weight much longer than the others. Some researchers think the endomorph body type nutrition is the most important for athletes and sportsmen.10
The Importance of Nutrition For Different Body Types
The importance of nutrition for different body types cannot be stressed highly. Most of the people don’t pay attention towards it and often they feel that eating healthy foods is an extra cost. This is not true at all, as simple things can help you in a big way in reducing your weight. However, you should keep in mind that the consumption of different food items should be made only after consulting your doctor. Only then you will be able to determine the right type of nutrition for your body type.
When we talk about nutrition for different body types, the first and the most important factor is the type of diet that you follow. If you follow a low carbohydrate diet, chances are that you may gain weight and if you try to increase the carbohydrate quantity, it will have the reverse effect on your body. So, it is better to stick to a low carbohydrate diet while trying to reduce weight.11 On the other hand, the protein quantity should be increased while you are trying to gain weight if you want to stay fit and fine.
Another factor which is the vital part of the nutrition of different body types is the type of minerals and vitamins that are consumed in sufficient quantities. You can lose many valuable nutrients due to the excessive intake of junk food items. So, it is necessary to consume plenty of vegetables and fruits in order to receive all the essential nutrients and minerals. You should also try to include some proteins in your meals in order to provide your body with all the essential amino acids.
Benefits Of Proper Nutrition For Children
One major benefit of proper nutrition is the proper function of the immune system, this benefit is often overlooked or put on the back burner. Proper nutrition is the main tool in your arsenal to keep your immune system healthy. Getting proper nutrition can reduce the risk of cancer, infection, obesity, and fatigue, particularly if this other than doing some daily aerobic exercise and is part of a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise not only helps to keep you fit and healthy but it also has many other benefits including proper nutrition benefits which includes the reduction of the risk of several types of cancer.
Healthy nutrition benefits like lower risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, obesity and type II diabetes (prevention). Our modern day diet is usually very high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables and therefore there are many benefits to a healthy diet such as higher energy levels, better memory, clearer thinking, happier emotional response and lower stress.12
The benefits of nutritional habits extend beyond the body’s ability to live healthier and longer. It has been demonstrated that people who eat a healthy diet have stronger immune systems, have less illness, have greater self confidence, lower stress levels, less body odor and sleep better at night.13 They have more enjoyable days and sleep better at night and feel better about themselves. When the proper amount of nutritious foods is eaten these healthy benefits become much more real and meaningful to the individual. With the proper care and understanding one can take these benefits of healthy eating and realize the wonderful benefits they offer.
Image Credits
Jefit / 2021
Slideplayer / 2017
Mint / September 4, 2018
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3 “THE 3 SOMATOTYPES – University of Houston.” https://www.uh.edu/fitness/comm_educators/3_somatotypesNEW.htm Accessed 14 Jul. 2021.
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10 “What Is the Endomorph Diet? Food List, Sample Menu, Benefits ….” 20 Nov. 2019, https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/endomorph-diet/ Accessed 14 Jul. 2021.
11 “Why Carbohydrates Are Important for Your Diet | Everyday Health.” 25 May. 2010, https://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/why-carbohydrates-are-important-for-your-diet.aspx Accessed 14 Jul. 2021.
12 “What are the benefits of a healthy diet? | Balanced Diet | Patient.” 16 Sep. 2020, https://patient.info/healthy-living/healthy-eating Accessed 14 Jul. 2021.
13 “Healthy diet – WHO | World Health Organization.” https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/healthy-diet Accessed 14 Jul. 2021.
