When I first started trying to build muscle I only wish I had known everything that I know now!

I was pretty much doing everything wrong, a lot of my friends would tell me workouts to do (the wrong workouts) but nobody had ever really told me anything about how important a good muscle building diet is in the quest to gain muscle mass, especially so for skinny hardgainers (ectomorphs). So I was just eating what I would normally be eating while trying to gain muscle and obviously it wasn't going very well, I was getting very frustrated that I wasn't building muscle like everybody else and I couldn't figure out why!

But when I eventually realized my mistake and started eating some proper muscle foods, I felt so much better, as well as packing on more muscle than ever before. So here are some of the foods that I just couldn't do without these days and always try to have them in my cupboards:

1.Mixed nuts – If your a skinny guy trying to put on muscle then nuts are a must as they contain mono and poly -unsaturated fats (the good fats) along with plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals. Just try to make sure you go for the unsalted variety's.

2.Quinoa – I love this stuff, I usually have it instead of rice because it has more protein and fibre.

3.Whole eggs – A lot of people just have egg whites or you can even get egg substitutes now but most of the nutrients are in the yolk, so please don't just throw it away.

4.Salmon – Is one of the best sources of omega 3 and I try to have some kind of oily fish twice a week.

5.Broccoli – Is one of the super veggies, it is full of calcium, vitamin c etc. and it can even lower your oestrogen levels and therefore increase testosterone which equals bigger muscles.

6.Turkey – This meat is very low in fat so is a fantastic choice when trying to build muscle.

7.Red Meat – You've got to love some nice lean steaks and they are a super protein source. I really can't understand these vegetarians.

8.Cottage cheese – I find it very handy to always have a few pots of cottage cheese and pineapple in the fridge to have for a quick snack.

Getting the right amount and quality of nutrients is extremely important if you are trying to gain muscle fast! Or at all for that matter. But the most important thing to remember is that you have to get the whole package right (workout,diet,rest etc.) in order to see real muscle gains.

To find out how I went from a skinny weakling to building more muscle mass every week, then you can check out my website at http://howtogainmusclefast.us