What Is the Mesomorph Diet? Food List, Sample Menu, Benefits, More

If you could pass for Serena Williams or a professional football player, you may be a mesomorph. A mesomorph is one of the three main body types, according to proponents of the body type diet. (Ectomorph and endomorph are the other two.) Some experts say that by pinpointing your body type and understanding its unique strengths and challenges, you can design a diet and exercise plan that gets you faster to your goals for your health and physique.

What Is a Mesomorph?

A person who is a mesomorph is said to have more of an athletic body. “Their body structure is more rectangular or boxy. They’re also thin, but not wiry, and if they work out, they find they build muscle easily,” says Phil Catudal, a personal trainer in Atlanta. You know you might be a mesomorph, he says, if your waist and hips are the same width.

The Other Body Types 

Along with a mesomorph, the other two body types (also referred to as somatotypes) include ectomorph (someone who typically is long, lean, and lanky) and endomorph (a larger-boned person who is curvier or has more fat on their body). (1) 

According to the tenets of the body type diet, people with mesomorph bodies may find that they build muscle relatively easily, and they should follow a diet divided fairly evenly between the macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat). Mesomorphs also tend to have good insulin sensitivity, says Catudal, so, as the body-type thinking goes, they can eat a moderate amount of carbohydrates without wreaking havoc on their blood sugar levels.

There’s no rigorous research on the macronutrient recommendations or their effectiveness for mesomorphs or any of the other body types. But if you’re interested in this eating approach, Catudal recommends getting 40 percent of your calories from carbs, 30 percent from protein, and 30 percent from fat, and to eat at least 1,500 calories daily overall. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA), meanwhile, jointly recommend between 1,800 and 3,200 calories per day (based on age, gender, and activity level), with protein making up 10 to 35 percent, carbohydrates 45 to 65 percent, and fat 20 to 35 percent of those daily calories. Catudal argues the mesomorph will fuel your performance in the gym, and that you will have ample carbs to fill up your body’s glycogen stores for energy and protein for muscle repair postworkout.

Mesomorph Hybrid Types

Of course, many people’s bodies do not land in these confines. People can also have a hybrid body type because of their daily habits, diet, and exercise. One common hybrid type for a mesomorph is a meso-endomorph, says Catudal, which is a thicker person with a boxy midsection. They’re strong but you can’t see a lot of visible muscle. Catudal recommends that meso-endomorphs focus on strength and cardio workouts and cinch in their diet to promote fat loss.

There is also an ecto-mesomorph, and that’s someone who is naturally skinny but through an emphasis on strength training has become visibly muscular. (They also build muscle by adjusting their macros to eat fewer carbs and more protein.) For mesomorphs who may carry extra weight (a possibility for all body types), Catudal recommends reducing carbohydrate intake to 30 percent of your calories and then eating 35 percent each of protein and fat.

You’re going to want a diet that’s balanced, well-rounded, and doesn’t cut out food groups unnecessarily. Rather than a fad diet approach, you might want to adopt the popular eating pattern of smaller, more frequent meals. With larger muscle mass, your body burns through calories quickly, and you can stoke that fire — and keep your energy up — with balanced meals every few hours, recommends Catudal.

The body type diet states that a mesomorph will do best with a well-balanced meal plan (40 percent carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fat), focusing on whole grains and starchy carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein-rich foods. Catudal says this will provide the needed energy for workouts as well as nutrients for muscle repair. They can also usually eat more calories compared with the other body types, as their higher percentage of muscle means a speedier metabolism. Here are the recommended foods on a mesomorph diet:

Meat and Fish

• Fish (salmon, tuna)
• Chicken
• Lean steak
• Turkey
• Eggs
• Protein shake

Dairy

• Yogurt
• Cottage cheese

Fruits and Vegetables

• Berries
• Apples
• Pears
• Oranges
• Avocado
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Brussels sprouts

Nuts and Seeds

• Nut or seed butter
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Pistachios
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds

Grains and Starchy Vegetables

• Sweet potato
• Lentils
• Beans
• Quinoa
• Brown rice

Day 1

Breakfast Greek yogurt parfait made with pumpkin, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins

Snack Two hard-boiled eggs and strawberries

Lunch Large salad with chopped veggies, sweet potato chunks, avocado, and vinaigrette.

Snack Hummus and bell pepper sticks

Dinner Chicken and vegetable stir-fry over brown rice with crushed peanuts

Day 2

Breakfast Smoothie made with soy milk, peanut butter, banana, and spinach

Snack Cheese stick with an orange

Lunch Three-bean chili, side salad drizzled with vinaigrette, and a small whole-grain roll

Snack Veggies with a yogurt-based dip

Dinner Spaghetti squash noodles with tomato and ground turkey sauce

Day 3

Breakfast Whole-grain toast with almond butter, hard-boiled egg

Snack Trail mix

Lunch Pizza made on a whole-grain tortilla, topped with veggies and chicken sausage

Snack Protein bar

Dinner Baked salmon, roasted broccoli, sweet potato with a tab of butter

Day 4

Breakfast Cottage cheese with pineapple and crushed macadamia nuts

Snack Roasted chickpeas and an orange

Lunch Turkey chili spooned into a sweet potato

Snack Packet of flavored tuna and celery sticks

Dinner Fajita lettuce wraps made with sliced steak, bell peppers, and onions, topped with avocado slices

Day 5

Breakfast Greek yogurt with blueberries, toasted quinoa, and sunflower seeds

Snack Veggies and hummus

Lunch Whole grain wrap with chicken, sliced veggies (bell peppers, carrots) on the side

Snack Turkey rolled around sliced bell peppers and mustard

Dinner Tuna niçoise salad

Day 6

Breakfast Avocado toast with peaches and a hard-boiled egg

Snack Chocolate protein shake

Lunch Chicken salad (made with a base of Greek yogurt) over greens

Snack Roasted lentils and an orange

Dinner Roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, and sautéed kale

Day 7

Breakfast Slice of veggie frittata and a banana

Snack Celery with peanut butter

Lunch Grilled salmon salad

Snack Protein bar

Dinner Quinoa bowl with chopped chicken, veggies, and a dollop of guacamole

Lucky for mesomorphs, “this body type is the most malleable through diet and exercise,” says Catudal. Meaning: While you can’t change your bone structure or frame, it may be easier for you to lose fat and build muscle. Another benefit is that someone who is more muscular and athletic may be able to generally tolerate more carbs, says Melina Jampolis, MD, an internist and board-certified physician nutrition specialist in Valley Village, California. And you will probably enjoy the satisfaction of being able to split your calories pretty evenly between carbohydrates, fat, and protein, rather than putting limitations on your diet and feeling deprived.

Again, though, understand there’s no scientific proof that one body type tolerates carbs better than another; this is simply what Dr. Jampolis has seen in her practice.

There are few disadvantages to eating a balanced diet that includes a pretty even split between carbohydrates, fat, and protein, especially when you’re physically active and have sport-related goals. That said, experts aren’t all onboard with this idea.

Jampolis generally doesn’t support eating for your somatotype and instead focuses on where patients are storing body fat. Storing fat around your middle is a risk factor for developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that makes it more likely you’ll develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease. (2) Getting your waist circumference to where it needs to be (under 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men, notes the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) should be your primary goal, and you can achieve that with other more studied diets, like the Mediterranean diet. (3,4)

Your ideal workout will depend most on your goals. “Weights will help you build muscle quicker, but cardio will help you drop weight quicker. Athletically, mesomorphs have it the best because they’re more responsive to exercise,” says Catudal. The one catch is that you’re at risk of hitting a plateau. “Mesomorphs maintain their bodies fairly easily, so there can be a tendency to not push yourself as hard,” he says. Switching up your workouts and giving your body something new can help prevent that stall.

A study from 2018 rated somatotypes of 36 active men and had them do weight-bearing exercises. (6) The authors concluded that about one-third of strength performance was driven by somatotypes. That means you don’t have to be limited by your body type. What’s more, not all experts agree about the merits of training for your body type. Nanci Guest, PhD, RD, a nutritional scientist and personal trainer in Toronto, points out there isn’t research that supports this idea of training for your genetics.

• Just Your Type: The Ultimate Guide to Eating and Training Right for Your Body Type, by Phil Catudal with Stacey Colino.
• The Truth About ‘Body Type Dieting’ for Ectomorphs, Endomorphs, and Mesomorphs, by Helen Kollias, PhD, and Ryan Andrews, RD, Precision Nutrition.
• “How to Eat for Your Body Type,” Open Sky Fitness podcast.
• “How to Lose Weight Based on Your Body Type,” Jacked on the Beanstalk podcast.

With greater muscle mass, mesomorphs enjoy a speedy metabolism and ability to process carbohydrates well, especially if they’re also performing cardio or doing weights in the gym. For that reason, experts say mesomorphs thrive on a balanced diet.