Its a well known fact that building muscle mass can’t be done without muscle building foods and sweat inducing workouts. However, most of us fail to strike a right chord between the two and fail in our mission more often than not.
Having muscle building foods and maintaining proper diet is critical to you gaining muscles in the long run. This article will deal with some of the best foods that can help with muscle gains.
Some Of The Top Muscle Building Foods
Egg whites – They are probably your best bet in building muscle. Egg whites are cheap to buy, low in fat, and rich in amino acids that are very useful in muscle recovery after a heavy workout. However, it is essential to cook them right to make the perfect use of them.
While overcooking will render them useless, consuming them raw will risk you with contacting Salmonella. It is not a bad idea to keep the cooking temperature below 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
White meat – Lean chicken meat or white meat is an excellent source of protein. Always consume the breast portion as they are rich in protein. They can help you build damaged muscles in a quick time. What’s more, you can take them along with some veggies to make it delicious.
Salmon – Salmon is rich in protein and essential amino acids and can easily help you in stimulating metabolism. Since Salmon consists of a higher calorie amount per serving, it is a very good protein for those who are looking to gain weight with muscle building foods and workouts to reach that higher calorie intake per day.
Salmon is also an excellent source of omega-3 fats. They in turn can help you prevent heart related ailments, fight inflammation and regulates insulin levels.
Muscle Building Foods For Vegetarians
Beans – They are probably the most underutilized foods for muscle building purposes. Nonetheless, they are an excellent source of fiber and proteins. The fiber in beans helps to regulate the levels of insulin which in turn is useful for muscular growth. Black beans are most preferred but pinto, green, navy, kidney, and garbanzo beans are good as well. When you mix rice and beans together according to Brazil Butt Lift creator Leandro Carvalho, it makes for a great protein as well.
Milk – The protein rich milk is essentially a combination of 20% whey, a fast digesting protein, and 80% casein, a slow digesting protein. The former can be easily broken down into amino acids and thus renders the milk a perfect drink after a session of heavy workout. The latter however takes time to get digested completely. It however supplies the body with regular dosage of proteins in smaller amounts at regular intervals. Drinking at least 3-5 glasses of milk a day reduces the chances of strokes and heart attacks considerably. This has also been proved medically.
Quinoa – For vegetarians who need to find a plant-based protein, quinoa provides about 8 grams of protein per serving.
Other Foods Helpful In Building Muscle
Foods rich in slow-burning carbohydrates:
- Pasta
- Sweet potatoes
- Rice
- Barley
- Once again, Quinoa
These are good options. Carbs present in the muscles are chiefly responsible for providing energy to the body during workouts. Quinoa is one of my favorite carbs to eat because it is also a complete protein source as I mentioned above. With rice and pasta, you would need a protein to balance out the macronutrient requirements in your meal. With quinoa, you can just eat it by itself and it counts as both. In the absence of carbs, the muscles get weakened and can easily affect your workouts.
Water, which comprises about 80% of muscle in our bodies, is obviously a necessity in building muscles.
According to MensHealth.com, In 1997, a German study found that protein synthesis happens at an increased rate with hydrated muscles verus dehydrated muscles. Another case study shows that researchers at Loma Linda University, found that men who drank 5 or more 8oz glasses of water per day were 54% less likely to have a heart attack versus those who drank 2 or less per day.
Regular intake of water will enable transportation of nutrients and minerals all through the body. They help your muscles look toned and ‘fuller’. They also help in flushing out unwanted toxins from the body and thus keep the body in good health.
Summary:
When building muscle, you must gain some weight along the journey. The carbs are needed for energy and the protein for muscle gains. There are many foods to meet your needs no matter if you are vegetarian or not. Building muscle mass means you have to eat. So take these muscle building foods with your workouts and create your own delicious recipes around them.
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