You don't want something that contains bad stuff also not something that has way way too much sugar in it.
What he is trying to say is that you do not want too much stuff with too many ingredients that you cannot pronounce.
Now to your question;
Having 5-8 meals a day is advised not because it will keep you full or because its easier and quicker to prepare or consume than three large meals, it is advised in order for your body to have a constant supply of nutrients and proteins throughout the day. Just as a side note; protein is very important in muscle building (but do not disregard everything else) See when you eat three large meals you do supply your body with all the needed nutrients for body building (if you eat right) but the body does not have a "lets keep this for another 3-4 hours" program in it. The body pushes everything down regardless of your plans for body building. Because of this, the 60grams of protein that you may have eaten during lunch, maybe 40g will be absorbed because the other 20grams will pass through your small intestine too quickly (small intestine is where the nutrients get absorbed) That is why it is advised to eat every three hours or so, so your body will contantly get the nutrients and protein it requires for building muscle.
Do not be mislead, however, not all protein types are the same. There is regular proteins which take 1-3hours to digest and absorb (the stuff in foods), there are protein isolates which get digested and absorbed quickly (whey protein powders), and casein protein which gets digested and absorbed very slowly something like 3-8hours (the stuff in dairy products) At times like post workout, you would want protein isolates so that the protein may reach your muscles quickly and aid their repair. During meals throughout the day you would want regular protein, found in meats and such. Before bed (since it’s the longest time of you being inactive and unable to get protein from food) you would want casein protein because it digests very slowly, this way you got a constant supply of protein through the night. Like I already said, casein protein may be found in dairy products.
If you understand that, take a look at my meal plan. I eat seven meals a day, each of which is fairly balanced.
6:00 AM - Protein shake with one scoop of whey, ~250mL fat free milk mixed with ~250mL of water. Then I return to bed for ~2.5 hours, so dont think I sleep for only 5hours.
Value : ~220calories, 32g protein
9:00 AM - Either protein pancakes, Kashi Cereal with Greek yogurt and milk or oatmeal with whey.
Value : ~250-350calories, ~30g protein
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Workout
12:00 (Noon) - Protein milkshake made of one frozen banana, ~250mL fat free milk, one scoop of whey, and some other frozen fruit (mostly blueberries or cranberries)
Value : ~350calories, 34g protein
16:00 PM - Some sort of grain (about one cup) with frozen vegetables and ~4-5oz chicken breast.
Value : ~500calories, ~32-40g protein
19:00 PM - Usualy scrambled egg whites with either ~4oz shrimp or can of tuna with frozen vegetables (cook it all on the skillet)
Value : ~300calories, ~35g protein
22:00 PM - ~60g of dried roasted soybeans
Value : ~340calories, 32g protein
01:00 AM - ~250mL fat free cottage cheese
Value : ~200calories, 30g protein
Total Value (from what I listed) : ~2150-2250calories, ~225-235g protein
The 2100 or so calories a day aren’t my TDEE. I eat a lot of fruit and a teaspoon, or two, of peanut butter as well which easily bumps my intake to ~3100 which is what I need. I also drink 5-6L of water a day. Keep in mind that all of these meals change regularly, so it does have quite a bit of variety. For instance, I often make salmon and replace the chicken for it. My parents also like to grill a lot in the summer months so I eat a lot of red meat as well. The grains, I change them up each time I finished whatever I cooked before.
If you dislike the foods that I eat, or want some more variety in your diet, here is a list of high protein foods;
Meats (I consider poultry and fish as meat too):
Chicken or Turkey breast (these are the leanest parts of both birds), Tuna (in water), Chicken or turkey hearts (you might want to cut off the fat off of these, the white slimy parts), Chicken, turkey or cow livers (cut off the fats too), Ham (try to find smoked ham, the stuff they sell in most stores are highly processed), Shrimp, Salmon, Flounder (fish), sturgeon.
You should have steak once in a while too. Those meats (red meats) contain nutrients that some white meats do not. So if youre having a cook out, and there is a mouth watering ribeye steak being offered, go ahead and eat some.
Dairy and Eggs :
Low fat or fat free milk, Skimmed milk, low fat or fat free cheese (these may pose a challenge to find), Low fat or fat free cottage cheese or white cheese (white cheese many times comes in semi liquid form, its up to you if you like cottage cheese or white cheese more), Low fat or fat free chocolate milk (watch the sugar content though) Yogurts (I prefer Greek yogurt, they are the most natural ones you can find at most stores) Yogurt (go for Greek yogurt, its the least processed and with lowest fat and highest protein per serving) Eggs (I try to eat egg whites only) They actually cell pure egg whites in grocery stores in carton bottles now, so if you want to get some quick egg whites that the stuff right there.
Grains :
White rice, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Couscous, Quinoa, Oatmeal.
