Everyone wants to put on some muscle, but very few people know the art of doing it right.
It becomes especially difficult when you want to gain size while getting lean at the same time. To achieve your fitness goals, you need to follow a right exercise plan and ensure that you’re eating clean. All the bench presses and squats will pay no dividends if you do not consume the right food to build big muscles.
You can hope to max out your muscle-building power by including these 13 foods in your diet.
Egg:
After being vilified for years, eggs have finally received the attention and reputation they deserved. They were thought to be artery-clogging foods, but not any longer, as the latest research shows there is no real connection between dietary cholesterol and heart disease. The truth is that the cholesterol in eggs supports the steroid hormones in the body, whereas the presence of leucine helps egg to provide you with the fuel for your workouts.
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Nuts:
Try nuts when you’re struggling to put on muscle because they provide you with high quality calories.
An ounce of almonds or cashews provides you with 150-170 calories.
At the same time, you will get a good dose of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. By opting for walnuts, brazil nuts, and almonds, you will also get much-needed antioxidants that eliminate free radicals from your body and promote better overall health.
Full Fat Cottage Cheese:
No one can argue about the muscle-building power of cottage cheese. That power mainly comes from casein, which is a form of slow-digesting protein. It releases amino acids into your bloodstream but does it at a slow rate, which helps you power up your workouts. You also get good bacteria from cottage cheese that support your digestive system and promote uptake of nutrients.
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Chickpeas:
You cannot big muscles unless you get the right amount of carbs, and that is when you can choose chickpeas. You get about 45g of carbs from a cup of chickpeas – you also get 12g of fiber. You may benefit a lot by replacing some of the grain and rice in your diet with carb-loaded chickpeas. They help you get big while.
Lean Beef:
Zinc and iron are two important muscle-building nutrients, and lean beef contains both of them. Do not forget it is a great source of protein. To keep your energy up, you need creatine, and lean beef will also help you in that regard with a 16oz serving offering 2g of creatine. It also contains selenium, an important mineral without which you’ll be at an increased risk of prostate cancer. To get better results, opt for “loins” or “rounds’.
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Lentils:
A cup of cooked lentils provides you with 18g of protein as well as 40g of slow-digesting quality carbs. The good thing with lentils is that they do not disturb your budget and come with an impressively long shelf life. You can cook them in about 10 minutes and add them to brown rice for added benefits.
Whole Milk:
You can get a good dose of nutritious calories from a glass of whole milk and get the electrolyte minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium. The presence of vitamins also makes it a well-rounded mass gain food. It provides you with the right dose of healthy fat that gives you a testosterone boost, which is important for muscle building.
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Coffee:
Studies have confirmed that coffee may help you get more out of a workout by adding more repetitions, all thanks to its caffeine content. It leads to an improvement in strength and stamina, which in turn helps you pump out some extra reps that make a difference to your overall gains.
Quinoa:
Each 100g serving of quinoa contains 14g of complete protein along with complex carbs and dietary fiber. This gluten-free food offers magnesium, vitamin B6, and iron to support cell growth. Keep in mind that since your body cannot absorb quinoa quickly, it does not serve as a great post-workout food.
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Salmon:
With its performance enhancing and growth regulating omega-3 fatty acids, salmon has to be on your list of top muscle-building foods. It helps to slow down muscle-protein breakdown, which in turn helps improve recovery and prevents muscle soreness after your workouts.
Apples:
You already know that apples are good for your overall health, but they can also be tagged as a superfood for muscle building because of those polyphenols. By eating apples, you will be able to improve muscle strength and prevent muscle fatigue at the same time. Those polyphenols have fat burning properties, so you can hope to put on some lean muscle quickly.
Greek Yogurt:
Ask anyone in the gym and they will share a good recipe containing Greek yogurt. The reason why it is regarded so highly among gym goers is its high protein content. Each cup contains a whopping 20g of protein along with 9g of carbs. It also provides you with a good dose of casein protein.
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Water:
Keep in mind that muscle is 80% water, and a change of as little as 1% in body water can directly affect your exercise performance. It keeps you hydrated and flushes toxins out of your system. You should drink enough water to promote protein synthesis, which helps you put on muscle quickly.
Conclusion:
The fact of the matter is that you can include a variety of foods in your diet when trying to gain big muscles, but you should always pay attention to how many calories you get on a daily basis. At the same time, you should avoid poorly assimilated junk foods because they contain a trans-fat and excessive dose of sugars. Be sure to eat clean and work hard in the gym to get the physique you want.
