What Is An Ectomorph Body Type? | Ectomorph Diet and its Advantages

Are you tired of being skinny? Want to gain weight but not able to?

Maybe you have an ectomorph body type

An ectomorph is someone who is naturally very thin and has a metabolism running at a rapid pace. Whatever they eat runs out faster.

The human body is classified into three types:

• Ectomorph
• Endomorph
• Mesomorph

Ectomorph is usually of a small frame, light build, lean muscles and are usually flat chest and the other two body types are mesomorph, someone with a sporty, athletic, and a muscular built and endomorph, a large-boned person who has more fat in the body.

Those with ectomorph body type tend to handle carbohydrates the best than any body type as they have a higher insulin sensitivity to process carbs. They need to increase the protein intake and combine it with a strength training plan. The diet of an ectomorph should be higher in carb and protein and low in fat.

Now an ectomorph needs to follow a specific diet plan such as:

• To gain weight and muscle, the ectomorph needs to increase their calorie intake. They need to start eating more calories than they usually do.
• It is important to calculate the number of calories you consume each day. If the calorie intake is equal to the calorie expenditure, you would not gain any weight.
• For gaining healthy weight you need to increase the calorie intake by 250-350 each day.

As the ectomorph needs to increase their calorie intake, they should stay away from low-calorie food. Food which is eaten even in small quantities such as oats, fills you up, is not for an ectomorph.

Instead, they should consider consuming calorie-dense food such as nuts, fish and protein.

Eating just three meals in a day would not work well with an ectomorph body type. Being an ectomorph you need to consume 6-8 meals a day and that too at frequent intervals.

They can have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner and in between, they can take up healthy snacks. This would help them to keep up with the energy level and also gain weight at an easy pace.

Protein shakes are not just for athletes and gym-goers. It is an easy way to increase calorie intake, which makes them perfect for those with ectomorph body types. It helps them reach their daily calorie target with ease. You can also add oats, peanut butter, fresh fruits, and yogurt to the protein shake.

Ectomorphs respond well to carbohydrates, but it is very important to choose the healthy source of the same. Health carbohydrate-rich foods are fiber-rich foods, veggies, and whole grains.

To optimize health, protein intake should be increased which includes lean animal sources, plants like nuts and seeds.

Foods which an ectomorph should include in the diet are as follows:

• Chicken
• Whitefish such as cod, Mah-Mahi
• Eggs
• Turkey
• Lean steak
• Seafood such as shrimp and scallop

Low fat or fat-free milk or yogurt

• Berries
• Mango
• Pear
• Banana
• Apples
• oranges
• Green beans
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Brussel sprouts
• Squash

• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanuts
• Pumpkin seeds

• Brown rice
• Sweet potato
• Whole-wheat bread
• Quinoa
• Faro

1. As the eating plan of the ectomorph is rich in carbs, it meshes well with the taste of the most. Due to high metabolism, the body metabolizes carbs well and you are able to eat heavy carb dishes without fearing a risk as other body types.
2. The diet advises eating more protein combined with weight training, which helps build more muscles.
3. Such a diet increases the muscle mass which not only boosts the metabolism but also protects the bones.¹ A research also found that losing muscle mass is related to the risk of osteoporosis.²