If You Want To Build Your Muscles, Eat These 8 Essential Foods

Even if you go to the gym every day, you will not automatically gain healthy muscles. In addition to a balanced schedule of exercise and strength training, you need the right diet to help build and maintain a strong body.

The component to support muscle growth is protein. This group of amino acids makes up the majority of our muscle tissue and organs. Although supplements like moving proteins they are one way to fill your daily protein allowance, they are not ideal. The best way to make sure you get enough protein is to eat whole foods.

Perfecting your diet requires a little effort in the planning stages. Here’s how different foods help you build muscle — and the best things to eat when you’re trying to boost your strength.

How diet helps build muscle

Although protein is important building muscleit is not the only part of the diet that is important in this process. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a good muscle-building diet should include plenty of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. A balanced diet that includes all of these will provide the necessary nutrients to help your muscles repair and rebuild after exercise.

Overall, the NASM recommends that most people consume at least 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein and 1.8 to 3.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight each day. Total calorie intake also plays a role in building muscle, as it is difficult to build muscle if you burn more calories than you consume.

Diet alone is not enough to stimulate muscle growth. Exercise — primarily resistance training, such as lifting weights — is necessary to start the process. When you tear the fibers in your muscles, that promotes cell growth and repair. This is when your body can use the food you have eaten to rebuild and strengthen muscle tissue. Other factors also affect how well this process works, from when you eat and how much rest you give your muscles between workouts to your hormones and genetic makeup.

8 foods to maximize your benefits

While there are many factors that play into building muscle, there is no doubt that diet plays a key role. Here are eight muscle-building foods you can eat to boost your workouts and increase your muscle mass.

1. Eggs

Eggs have long been considered a superfood, and for good reason. They are incredibly rich in nutrients from fat and protein and include a powerful mix of vitamins such as B12, B6 and thiamin. Their nutrient dense profile makes them very powerful, but most importantly they contain a large amount of leucine. This amino acid is known for its ability to build muscle.

2. Fish

If you already have enough fat in your diet but need to increase your protein intake, look no further than fish. It’s one of the best sources of protein you can eat, and it’s full of other vitamins and minerals. The bonus? Fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids. Although known for their many health benefits, omega-3s may also improve muscle function and help prevent muscle loss. Salmon and tuna are excellent muscle-building food choices.

3. Nuts

When eaten in moderation, nuts are an excellent choice for building muscle. These tasty meals provide the perfect combination of protein, fat and fiber, making them one of the most balanced ways to increase your performance. You have to be careful, since most nuts (including peanuts, which are actually vegetables), are high in calories. For more nutritious options, try almonds or walnuts.

4. Soybeans

If you’re trying to build muscle on a meat-free diet, soybeans should be one of your best friends. These are some of the most nutrient dense plants you can eat, and they pack a powerful protein punch to help build muscle. Soy contains all nine essential amino acids, making it one of the best sources of plant-based protein available.

5. Greek yogurt

Dairy is a unique source of protein because it provides a combination of the fast-digesting whey protein and the slow-digesting casein protein. When used together, these two types of protein may improve and increase the protein synthesis process your muscles go through when rebuilding, helping you build your lean mass. Greek yogurt is a great dairy choice because it contains twice the protein of regular yogurt and has additional probiotic health benefits that you don’t find in milk or cheese.

6. Cottage cheese

It doesn’t offer the same probiotic benefits as yogurt, but cottage cheese is a good second choice for dairy-based protein. Cottage cheese packs more protein than Greek yogurt while boasting the same combination of slow and fast digestion. It’s an excellent source of casein, and provides an important calorie boost if you need to make sure you’re getting enough.

7. Olive oil

It may not sound like your typical bodybuilding food, but extra virgin olive oil has become popular for its muscle benefits in recent years. Widely known as a source of healthy monounsaturated fats, olive oil also helps reduce inflammation and reduce muscle breakdown. Both of these factors can help with any type of muscle building regimen.

8. Quinoa

They don’t call quinoa a superfood for nothing. This versatile grain (it’s a seed but classified as a whole grain) packs a little bit of everything, including plenty of protein, fiber and carbohydrates, as well as a high dose of vitamins and minerals. The perfect food for building muscle and maximizing the benefits of your workouts.

A recipe for strong muscles

Adding these muscle building foods to your diet will definitely help you grow muscles and increase your strength. Remember that building muscle takes time and that diet is only one piece of the puzzle. Combining a balanced diet of high-protein foods with healthy exercise and rest will accelerate your journey and improve your overall health along the way.