There is no doubt at all in order to build superior muscle mass one must eat a superior diet of healthy whole foods. Whole foods are simply foods which are completely unprocessed, or a minimally processed.
I see a lot of discussion about the merits of, or pitfalls of cheat meals.
A cheat meal is simply a meal not deemed particularly healthy or useful to a bodybuilder, plus the bodybuilder is ‘cheating’ by eating such a food.
My own personal belief is that there is absolutely nothing wrong in cheat meals providing they are eaten in moderation. For instance, having a cheat meal every single day would be too excessive, as too many calories of sub par nutrients will be taken in.
Having a cheat meal once a week is much more acceptable, and can actually help you to remain focused by showing you that life doesn’t have to be all healthy this, healthy that, and you can still have a great body and great overall health and get to enjoy the foods you like fairly regularly.
It is absolutely up to you. Some take bodybuilding so serious that to them, cheat meals are a no-no, or only happen once a year, or something. I think this is far too strict but, each to their own.
What you have to remember is a lot of people came into bodybuilding from a lifestyle of guilt-ridden overeating and obesity so they place extra pride and emphasis on the fact they now eat healthily at all times, and cheat meals to them may resemble a return to the unhappy days they had, whereas cheat meals to others, may bring them a return to more pleasurable eating days.