When you exercise, you need more calories to gain muscle, but that doesn’t mean you should eat anything. Good sugars aren’t bad for muscle growth and building, but too many sweets don’t meet what the body needs to achieve the goal.

Nutrition for muscle growth
Depending on how intense your workouts are, you may need 16 to 30 calories per day per pound of body weight. This does not mean eating a lot of ice cream or sweets. For bodybuilders, most calories should come from carbohydrates and not sugar, especially added.
You also need 30 percent of your calories to come from fat, because this type of calories contributes to the production of testosterone, which plays a role in building muscle.

As for protein, it is a vital component of muscle building, and you need about one gram of it daily for every half kg of body weight, and this average may decrease or increase according to the intensity of daily exercises.

Natural vs. Added Sugar
When talking about sugar and muscle growth, it is necessary to distinguish between natural sugar and added sugar, because they are not equal. So read the nutrient labels on foods, and avoid foods that contain a lot of added sugar.
Natural sugars are those naturally found in healthy foods, such as milk and fruits, and they are a source of many nutrients that the body needs from protein, vitamins and minerals, in addition to the role of fruit fiber in improving bowel functions.

When reading food labels, remember that the following are labels for added sugar: sucrose, maltose, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, fruit juice concentrate, and high-fructose corn syrup.

Acceptable amount of sugar
How much candy you can eat depends on your gender. According to the American Heart Association, women should eat no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar, and men no more than 150 calories a day. This translates to 20 grams of added sugar for women, and 38 grams for men.

Pre and post workout meals
Nutrition experts recommend eating: yogurt and bananas, or cereal and milk, or a grilled chicken sandwich before exercise.
After a workout, you can have a glass of chocolate milk, roast chicken and baked potatoes, or peanut butter and crackers. In other words, avoid added sugar after exercise as it does not help muscles recover after workouts.