Most people understand the importance of building muscle through consuming protein. When exercising, the amount of weight lifting you do can cause damage to your muscle fibers. This damage can be rectified through the consumption of the right foods. According to Trillium Fitness, personal trainers in Edinburgh, Scotland, here are some of the best foods to eat for muscle growth.
Muscle growth requires more than just protein. While weight lifting helps burn energy, your diet also needs to consist of healthy portions of carbohydrates in order to boost insulin and glycogen. You must pay attention to healthier foods rather than junk foods that can only damage your metabolic system.
If you wish to gain weight, you need to combine your meals with the same intensity as weight training. When it comes to bodybuilding nutrition, there is no specific rule to follow. It depends on your own situation and lifestyle. Here are some of the top foods you should eat in order to gain bigger muscle.
Beef Up
Lean beef is a staple diet for anyone who wants to gain muscle mass. On average, you should be consuming 3 ounces of lean beef, which is only around 200 calories. Beef contains ten essential nutrients including zinc, B vitamins, and iron. More importantly, lean beef provides your body with high quality protein and amino acids that promote muscle growth.
If you are trying to lose weight, you should not avoid eating meat. According to research, a 3 ounce of lean beef serving provides the same amount of protein as 2 cups of beans, but with half as much as calories. In fact, lean meat should be part of your weekly protein consumption.
Just like beef, skinless chicken is another excellent source of protein which is important for repair and maintenance of muscles. For bone health and weight management, you should consume skinless chicken at least twice a week. There are many different ways of cooking and preparing chicken. This includes grilling, boiling, and frying. You can easily find cut-up chicken pieces that can be cooked quickly.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese contains casein protein that helps your digestion system. This type of cheese is perfect for maintenance of muscles and useful for people who go for long periods of time without any food. Cottage cheese is a great source of vitamin B12 and other nutrients as well as calcium.
Scientists have carried out further research about the role of dietary cholesterol and realized that there is no link between heart disease and eggs. This muscle building food not only gives you energy but it is also a healthier substitute to steroids. So next time you want to eat eggs but worry about its side effect, remember the health benefits of it.
Yogurt
Just like plain yogurt, Greek yogurt is another great source of protein that contains more fat and carbohydrates. You can consume this type of yogurt as a side dish as 16 grams of protein is equivalent to 1 cup. Why not eat it as a dip with your whole grain bread. Whole grain bread contains healthy grains and legumes that consist of nine amino acids. Your body cannot produce this type of protein by itself, hence the reason whole grains are good for you.
Wheat germ has a good amount of amino acids, glutamine, potassium, selenium, iron, and zinc. In fact, wheat germ is an excellent source of slow digesting carbs that contains the protein your body needs. This type of food is perfect for workouts. As long as you control your portion sizes at meal times, you will be able to gain the right amount of muscle.
As a rule of thumb, 40 grams of protein consumption means you will have bigger abs. You should incorporate your weight training together with a meal plan. A nutritionist will be able to guide you on this with regards to particular food portions that you should be consuming. Dietary foods should always combine healthy fats such as oily fish, olive oil, and nuts. Eating two portions of tuna or salmon per week along with seeds and nuts ensures that you get adequate amount of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.