When it comes to nutrition for packing on lean muscle mass, not all foods are created equal. Here is a list of five of the best foods that build muscle fast.
It’s no surprise that many men and women out there want to build muscle fast for a sleek, chiseled, and toned physique that begs for attention.
Be it for weight loss, improved strength, to boost confidence, or just to feel good in that snug-fitting fashion, there are countless routines to build the muscle that you desire.
But then there are also a number of great foods that can help you gain lean muscle mass while getting lean.
Instead of worrying about the extra pounds you have been gaining lately and how you can train harder or longer to magically make them go away, you can change your focus and make some changes to the foods that you are eating.
In this article, we are going to take a look at some powerful foods that will surely help you gain the lean mass that you are after!
1. Cottage Cheese
While Greek yogurt has been enjoying the limelight lately, you may have forgotten all about one of the best foods to build muscle, cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese is a cheap and easily accessible food that is a great source of protein you can eat at any time of the day, even later in the evening.
Cottage cheese contains around 14 grams of protein per four-ounce serving.
That’s even better than Greek yogurt’s claim to fame and it has high calcium content, doing pretty well with approx. 70 mg. per four oz serving.
The greatest thing about this super-building food is that there are many ways to enjoy a cup of cottage cheese, the options are literally endless.
One tasty muscle-building snack is to grab a handful of almonds along with some fresh chilled berries and then mix them both together with a cup of cottage cheese.
This is enough for a great post-workout meal and is even great before you go to bed due to the slow-releasing proteins that will keep your muscles fueled while you sleep.
2. Nuts
While you need enough energy-sustaining calories to fuel your high-intensity workouts, it is the best bet to get these quality calories from nuts.
Nuts like almonds contain loads of healthy fats, proteins, and high-quality fiber along with other essential nutrients needed in building lean muscles while helping you to get the energy that you need to get through your grueling workout. [1]
The good thing is that in addition to the fact that nuts have many health-related benefits, they are also a food that is super easy to pack so you can take them with you wherever you go.
Nuts are also a very versatile food because you can enjoy eating them alone or you may even combine them with other foods (like cottage cheese mentioned above) known to help in building and maintaining lean muscle mass.
3. Avocado
Over 80% of the calories you get from an avocado come from healthy monounsaturated fats.
These types of healthy fats are well known to help reduce cholesterol levels and help boost growth hormone production. [2]
Avocados are also a good source of crucial electrolytes, calcium, and magnesium, which are critical in maintaining proper muscle performance and fluid balance.
While there are many different ways that you can enjoy eating an avocado, make sure that you don’t overdo it with this calorie-dense Superfood. Only half of the fruit is enough for a day.
You can enjoy avocado as a dip for your veggies or add it to your roasted turkey or to your grilled chicken wrap.
4. Whole Eggs
It is a trend that most people find hard to break but the reality is that to build quality muscle you should start to eat whole eggs and not just egg whites.
Most of the highest quality protein and all the other great nutrients found in an egg are contained in the egg yolk.
Overall, eggs are one of the highest biologically active sources of protein that the body needs and is absolutely essential for muscle building and repair.
Another great benefit of eating the whole egg is that the protein content is easily absorbed by the body which leads to greater assimilation and getting the most out of this protein source.
5. Salmon
Health experts around the world always recommend salmon as one of the essential foods that you should include in your diet because of its numerous benefits.
For the fitness enthusiast, it is loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids which are believed to improve your heart’s health as well as packed with quality protein to help build muscle strength and prevent muscle breakdown. [3]
The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon also help in reducing inflammation, which aids in muscle recovery while also helping to improve muscle growth.
It does this by allowing your body to use most of your dietary protein intake to be used in muscle regeneration after a long workout (anti-catabolic).
There are limitless ways to enjoy salmon but if you are in a hurry or on the go, get half of an avocado (mentioned above) and add it to your salmon with some spicy Dijon mustard.
NOTE: Timing is Everything!
While both quality proteins and essential fatty acids are essential to muscle building and muscle strengthening, it is also important to note not just what you eat, but how much you eat and how often you eat.
When it comes to getting the most out of your muscle-building meals, it is best to divide your food intake into smaller portions throughout your day.
This will help with the proper digestion and assimilation of the macronutrients in each meal.
So instead of having three regular larger meals, it is best to have 5-6 smaller more frequent meals instead.
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