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You should consume a variety of fruits and vegetables if you�re a serious bodybuilder who wants to gain and maintain size. Let me explain.

You�re right, we do push protein: It�s the most critical macronutrient category for bodybuilders, regardless of the type of diet. You simply won�t grow as well or hold on to hard-earned muscle when cutting up if you don�t consistently consume a substantial quantity of protein.

I�m glad you also noticed that we don�t just stress consuming protein powders. We emphasize the value of mixed meals based around whole high-protein foods. Powders are great and can make it easier and more convenient to consume large amounts of protein (without extra fat and carbs), and thus achieve your maximal potential, but they are not essential for developing a massive and monstrously strong physique.

Remember, food forms the basis of your nutrition plan and supplements enhance a balanced diet. We regularly publish full-length features and short reports that recommend fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are typically promoted because of their content of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, as well as their direct and indirect influence on metabolism and overall health. The benefits are many and potentially quite significant, especially in the long run. For example, in a previous article (�Pipe Dreams,� February 2000), we noted that fiber has significant �gut building� (as in the lining of the intestines, not your waistline) effects that, among other things, help process and utilize protein more efficiently. One very important but little-publicized reason for bodybuilders to hit fruits and veggies hard is the potential anticatabolic effect of these foods � their ability to help maintain muscle and bone.

PROTEIN AND METABOLIC ACIDOSIS
When your diet is unbalanced, you stand to lose muscle and bone through metabolic acidosis, a situation in which the body retains more acid than it excretes. When that happens, the body strives to correct the acidosis in two main ways. First, glutamine is cannibalized from muscle; this generates bicarbonate, a major acid buffer, and increases urinary nitrogen excretion. (This is another important reason to supplement with L-glutamine or glutamine peptide.) Second, calcium is released from bone to help buffer and eliminate excess acidity. It doesn�t take a genius to realize that avoiding acidosis is a good idea if you want to hang on to � and build � muscle and bone mass.

The metabolism of animal-based proteins leads to the production of phosphoric and sulfuric acids. Although food proteins differ greatly in their potential acid load and, therefore, in their ability to generate acids, a diet high in animal-source foods � and especially one low in fruits and vegetables � can cause chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis, even in healthy young men. Whether and to what extent this occurs in bodybuilders is not known, but it�s certainly conceivable that many bodybuilders suffer from chronic low-grade acidosis. Consuming 300-500 grams (g) of animal-source protein per day would raise levels of blood sulfuric acid (by breaking down sulfur-containing amino acids, such as cysteine and methionine) and phosphoric acid (by breaking down phosphorylated amino acids, such as phosphoserine and phosphothreonine). This could easily lead to low-grade acidosis. Diets that are low in carbohydrates, and especially those that are concurrently low in calories, also contribute to acute acidosis and negative nitrogen balance. For these reasons, bodybuilders probably have a higher-than-normal risk of low-grade acidosis.

FRUITS AND VEGGIES CAN BE ANTICATABOLIC
To regulate the potential catabolic effects of an unbalanced high-protein diet, you can consume fruits and veggies. They contain organic compounds (e.g., citrate in citrus fruits, malate in apples), the metabolism of which yields acid-neutralizing bicarbonate ions. The addition of fruits and vegetables, especially those high in potassium, to a high-protein diet reduces the output of acidic urine, ammonium and net acid excretion, as well as decreases the amount of calcium lost through urine. Bone loss may be halted and bone building may actually occur, not to mention improved capacities for skeletal muscle contraction, relaxation and growth.

The U.S. government wisely suggests a minimum of five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, but we�d prefer to see you consume eight to 10, depending on how much protein you�re slamming. If you follow our guidelines for fiber intake � 10-15 g per 1,000 calories consumed (working up to that amount over a period of four to six weeks) � your fruit and veggie intake should be adequate. You say you�re not crazy about fruits and veggies and want a simpler protein-based diet. We say get over it. If you�re serious about bodybuilding, get your priorities straight. You may not have liked squats when you first started training, but you�ll never reach your potential without learning to love them. Start by eating fruits and veggies you like. It should be easy and inexpensive to have a piece of fresh fruit several times a day. Then add some that you�re not crazy about but can tolerate, and build from there.

SYNTHETIC BUFFERS
An alternative to fruits and veggies is potassium bicarbonate supplementation. We don�t recommend its use in this capacity, but we feel compelled to mention it, nevertheless, because it supports the concept that neutralizing metabolic acidosis prevents muscle and bone loss.

In one study of postmenopausal women, muscle loss caused by diet-related acidosis was prevented by administration of only 6-12 g of potassium bicarbonate per day. The subjects excreted less nitrogen in their urine (14.1 g less, on average) in the course of the 18-day test than during control periods. On the basis of those results, the women would gain about one pound of muscle every three months, rather than lose about a half-pound of muscle per year (L. Frassetto et al., �Potassium bicarbonate reduces urinary nitrogen excretion in postmenopausal women,� Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 82:254-60, 1997).

The effects of potassium bicarbonate haven�t been fully studied yet; the research doesn�t warrant suggesting that bodybuilders add it to their list of supplements. Furthermore, high doses of potassium in pill form can cause stomach irritation, as well as fatal complications in some people. It makes much more sense to neutralize excess body acid by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. You�ll get maximal results from your time in the gym by eating a diet high in protein, fruits and vegetables.