- Micronutrients
. If you are deficient in a vitamin or mineral it could have a harmful effect on
your training and recovery. e deficiency could be the result of following an
obviously very poor diet, and thus be easily corrected. Alternatively it could
be because you have some increased need for a given nutrient, or even several
nutrients. Some people apply a shotgun approach and try to mega-dose on
every known micronutrient in the hope that any possible deficiencies would
be corrected. is strategy assumes that the supplements taken are actually
used by the body.. Swallowing whole tablets is no guarantee that they will be used by the body.
No matter how supposedly good a tablet is, if it passes out of your body
whole, it will do you no good. Chew your tablets before you swallow them.. Suppose that you have truly applied the training and rest advice given in
this book, and all the nutritional advice given in this chapter. If you still
cannot gain, it would make sense to investigate whether you are deficient in
some nutrient(s) that is/are inhibiting your gains. Get yourself tested for
nutritional deficiencies by an appropriate professional, perhaps an ortho-
molecular nutritionist (ask your physician for a referral), and then take any
necessary corrective action.Making the most of milk
. Milk is a concentrated source of nutrition. If you stick to low-fat or, better,
skim milk, you can get a lot of protein, carbohydrates and water in a very
convenient and economical form. To eliminate milk and its products from
your diet when you are trying to build muscle and might can make meeting
caloric requirements tricky, especially if you have well-above-average caloric
needs.. Whether you drink milk will largely depend on your ability to digest it. If
you suffer from gas, bloating or diarrhea after drinking milk or eating a dairy
product such as cheese or ice cream, you are probably lactose intolerant.
is means that your small intestine does not produce enough lactase, the
enzyme needed to digest lactose. Lactose is the natural sugar found in milk
and other dairy products.. Lactose intolerance is a common condition, though the extent of the intoler-
ance can vary a great deal. While some people do not produce enough lactase