In my opinion  80% of your success in bodybuilding is related to what you eat. Your food is your fuel, and it is extremely important to think about what kind of fuel you use. If you are happy with a Volkswagen (take no offence) fine, but if you want a Mercedes or a Ferrari -then don’t think about stuffing yourself with french fries and doughnuts. Muscle is protein and protein is muscle -so, what are you going to eat in order to gain muscle? Right! Lots of protein. Every 3 hours, 6 times a day, you should consume some protein. The amount is related to your weight, but I will advise you to eat around 1.5-2 grams per pound of bodyweight. 

CARBS. People have a lot of ideas about carbs...funny ideas...think about the car again. -Are you going to put a lot of fuel on your car when you are going to put it in the garage? No, I didn’t think so. So why are you eating late, when you know you are going to bed afterwards? - You can eat protein late to maintain size, but not carbs. Actually most people eat far too many carbs, - more than necessary. People complain: “I have to have energy for my workout or energy for this or that”. Let me tell you, if you eat the right carbs, you will have energy. You also have to look at your needs: are you a marathon runner? Do you have a desk job, where you don’t really move around? What are your needs? Every meal plan has to be individual, because we are individuals! If you are a bodybuilder you need some energy, because muscles consume a lot of energy, but you don’t need the energy of a runner, so eat complex carbs, slow carbs, -like brown rice, whole-wheat bread, vegetables - the more fibrous the better! I personally think that carbs are highly overrated. 

FATS. I believe it’s good to consume healthy fats. Small amounts though. The so called EFAs (essential fatty acids). Essential fatty acids mean that your body is not capable of producing them –you have to get them through your diet. Since I don’t eat very much fish, nuts or other good fat-sources I supplement with healthy oils (like flax oil or Udo’s Choice). I feel I profit from this in my training -I have more stamina and strength. Sometimes I suffer from joint-aches, but when I supplement with oil, I don’t have problems. If you don’t stick with a low-fat diet I wouldn’t recommend supplementing with oils though. In the pre-contest period I don’t supplement with oil. 

Example of my meal plan: 

#1    60g (2oz) oatmeal, 40g of whey protein
#2    200g (60z) potatoes, 200g (6oz) skinless boneless chicken breast
#3    50g whey protein
#4    60g (2oz) rice, 200g (6oz) chicken breast
#5    200g (6oz) lean steak or chicken, vegetables
#6    50g whey protein

I stick to simplicity. In the off-season I also eat bread and drink skimmed milk and eat low-fat yogurt. Sometimes I bake my own healthy cakes and bread. I like to prepare everything myself, because I like clean foods. I am a great opponent to colorings, preservatives and additives. I don’t believe it is good for our bodies to take in all these chemicals that are in food products today. Many of the additives are added because the product will look better, enhance the taste (did you know that many sausages contain more fat than meat - manufacturers adds colorings to the fat! -and it’s perfectly legal - talk about fraud...) or keep longer - all of the things which are beneficial for the manufacturers. If the sausages look red and tasty, we will buy it, -but if it’s pale and yellowish from all the fat, we are not likely to buy it (sorry to say it -but it’s the same sausage!) If it tastes good we will buy the product again, but if the ingredients were to be genuine, wouldn’t that be better? -instead of giving fat meat-taste (to use that example)...keep longer...We do like that our foods don’t spoil, but if the foods are kept properly (even though they don’t contain artificial preservatives) they will not spoil easily. I find it very strange, that sometimes when I buy a loaf of bread it doesn’t spoil - it doesn’t spoil! I have to toss it away because it has become hard as cement, not because there is mould on it!

I believe in natural products, and as far as possible I shop for organic foods.