Top 15 Foods That Will Help You Gain Muscle
Have you heard of the saying, “you are what you eat?” Well, this statement is very true, as the shape and strength of your body will always be defined of the food you choose to eat. This is why you need to be careful of the kind of foods you eat whether it would be organic, non-organic or foods that would not give you nutrients like junk foods.
You probably do not know which foods would help you get a healthy body and help you build muscles. However, you need to motivate yourself first and commit that you will start eating healthier foods from now on and diss the unhealthy, processed foods.
Here are the top 15 food that will help you gain muscles and keep you fit all the time if you just commit to eating them on a healthy habit.
1. Indulge on Eggs
Eggs are actually one of the best foods that would help you build muscles. Eggs contain nutrients and it has the highest value of healthy and easily-acquired proteins. You can gain lots of chance in getting muscles with the help of an egg compared to eating lots of foods with calories.
Of course, you need to eat the whole yolk, as it also contains vitamin B12, which is very helpful in breaking down the fats and contraction of muscles. It also contains folate, riboflavin, vitamins B6, D and E, zinc, phosphorus and iron. Eating eggs a day would not increase your risk for heart disease and attacks.
Eggs are also rich in natural amino-acids and choline which helps enhance a person’s memory. It is the best source of the right nutrients for the growth of muscles.
2. Chew on Almonds
Almonds can also help you gain muscles by eating it from time to time. Almonds are actually one of the greatest sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, which is the best form of vitamins your body needs. This is important because vitamin E is essential for preventing the free-radical damage which could happen everytime you workout. The fewer damage happens, then the faster your muscles will strengthen and build up.
You must eat two handfuls of almonds daily, as research found out that men can eat this to help muscle grow without gaining weight.
Almonds are also helpful for your brain and memory. Research also claimed that men who consumed the most vitamin E from organic foods lowers their risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease than those who took vitamin E from supplements and who do not eat food with Vitamins.
3. Have some Salmon
Another food that could help you build muscle is Salmon, as it is rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be helpful in decreasing the breakdown of muscle-protein after working out and it also helps improve recovery of the body.
It is necessary for body builders and people who want to gain muscle to eat salmon as it is helpful in storing protein quickly. Salmon also helps reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
4. Dig on that Yogurt
Yogurt is a combination of carbohydrates and protein and it is necessary for exercise recovery and growth of muscles. If you want to become more healthy, then you need to eat yogurt with fruits in it. The carbohydrates from the fruits will help in boosting your blood levels of insulin and it is also a way to prevent postexcercise breakdown of protein.
Yogurt is also helpful in reducing body fat as it contains a special type of fat and it contains conjugated linoleic acid.
5. Eat some Beef
Who would not want to eat some beef? It taste good and it also contains lots of nutrients and protein which helps you build muscles and strengthen your body. Beef is also a good source of zinc and iron, which are crucial in muscle-building.
You need to eat 2 grams for every 16 ounces of beef, as it helps your body’s energy pumping. For best results, eat beef with the loins, top or rounds, because they are extra lean. You can also try the flat iron cut of the beef from the butcher, as this is the second most tender cut of the beef.
Beef can keep you healthy for it is a storehouse of selenium. Researchers claimed that men with low blood levels are most likely to develop prostate cancer than those with normal levels. Beef can help you become safe from acquiring prostate cancer.
Beef contains zinc, iron, niacin, phosphorus, selenium, riboflavin, protein, vitamins B6 and B12.
Eat 163 calories of beef and try to eat it three to four times a week.
6. Use Olive Oil Instead
Olive oil is better than any other oil, which is why you must trade your usual cooking oil with it. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat which prevents the breakdown of your muscles as it lowers the levels of tumor necrosis factor-a, which causes muscle weakness and wasting.
It is best if you would use the extra virgin olive oil, as it has the highest level of free-radical-fighting vitamin E than any other oil. It also helps you decrease your chances of suffering from diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.
7. Drink Your Glass Of Water
Drinking enough amount of water is the most affordable and easiest way in getting that muscles you have been dreaming of. Muscles is believably contained by 80% water, whether it is your shoulders or your shins.
Reports claimed that a change of as little as 1% of water in the body can cause an impairment after performing exercise and can affect your body’s recovery. This is why drinking water regularly is very important.
If your body is not hydrated enough, then your body will also become slow in building muscles. Drink five or more glasses of an 8-ounce water daily to avoid heart attack too.
8. Indulge In Your Coffee
Who does not love coffee, right? Don’t you know that drinking coffee before working out can help you lift weights longer than you think?
Reports claimed that men who actually drank almost 3 cups of coffee a few hours before their workout routine were able to sprint 9% more than their usual routine. It is also believed that caffeine of any kinds can stimulate the muscles of a person.
However, you need to skip coffee if you have a history of high blood pressure. Yet, it also prevents the risk of Parkinson’s disease in every coffee drinkers.
9. The Turkey Breast
Eating the turkey without the skin is essential though and you will acquire vitamin B and zinc from its tasty meat. Turkey contains 7 grams of muscle-building proteins per ounce.
Eat turkey meals three times a week with 72 calories.
10. Trade Rice to Quinoa
Quinoa has a light and mild flavor, which makes it better for body builders to eat quinoa than whole grains. It is also high in protein than any other whole grain food in the world. It is also high in fiber and vitamin B.
Eat this food two to three times per week with 318 calories.
11. Drink Green Tea Now and Then
Green tea is helpful in fighting free-radicals, which is why it is also good to drink just like coffee. If you are a non-coffee drinker, then you may try indulging into a cup of green tea, two to three times daily before and after working out. It only contains 2 calories per cup and would not make you gain weight.
12. Get Some Milk
As we all learned from the old ones, milk always does someone’s body good. It is important to take in some dairy every day, so you would not make your body feel weak. When you are not getting enough dairy like milk, your body releases hormones that causes your cells to retail fat and calcium.
There are nutrients in dairy foods which help turn your body’s fat-burning system on and slow down the storage of fat in your body.
It is necessary to drink milk through a glass and not by gulping on a gallon, as calories still count. Drink at least 118 calories per cup and get at least 3 kinds of dairy everyday. This could be from milk, cheese, butter or eggs. Of course, organic dairy always work out the best.
13. Eat Your Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato can hold more than a hundred percent of beta carotene, which the body requires. It also contains a dose of iron, vitamins C and E and these nutrients help each other in protecting your body against the cellular damage, especially on athletes who compete in several extreme environment including heat, altitude, pollution and cold.
Sweet potatoes are also great for the recovery of muscles after an extreme workout. It can be baked, boiled and even served as a dessert. You can also add it on your salad or grate them into your meatloaf and hamburgers.
14. Get Some Spinach
Leafy greens are also essential in acquiring muscles in the body. Spinach contains calcium, fiber and beta carotene which is essential for your health and immune system, good vision and wrist flexors. You would need to eat a good amount of spinach especially if you are doing extreme workout routines.
Eat foods with spinach two to three times a week.
15. Eat a Good Amount of Oatmeal
Of course, you cannot skip your breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it would be best for you to eat a good amount of oatmeal in the morning, so your energy levels will be fueled. Oatmeal is filled with stress-fighting nutrients and immunity-boosting zinc which are essential for you body.
Oatmeal also promotes weight loss and lower your risk of acquiring heart disease and attacks. It is a food filled with high levels of soluble fiber,which protects your arteries and hear by expelling and trapping the bad cholesterol out of your body. Stick with a tub of instant oatmeal and add your favorite organic food in it to avoid added sugar on it.
You can also use juices like beet, strawberries, blueberries, honey and milk to add flavor to your oatmeal.
Eat a bowl of oatmeal three to four times a week with 148 calories per serving.
For you to actually gain muscles and get the body you have been dreaming of, you must know that you need to make all foods count. Do not eat food mindlessly, as this will only hinder you in gaining muscles, fit and becoming stronger. Build your diet around the most nutrient-dense, muscle-growing foods and most potent meals all the time.
From time to time, check out which foods are doing the best to your advantage and also try to write down in a journal the changes you see in your body, whether it is weight loss or if you think you are becoming leaner.
Always remember that being healthy and having a great body, strong muscles will depend on you. So, be committed and motivated and you will surely get the body you have been aiming for.