The 9 Best Muscle Building Foods for Size and Strength

People who are training for gaining size and strength can sometimes overlook the importance of the right diet in their transformation. Eating the right food can put you on the fast-track to muscle gain.

 
Contrary to the popular belief, you don’t have to rely on supplements for your transformations. You can achieve your dream physique by eating real food. In this article, we’ll take you over the nine food items you should have on your grocery list.

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Red Meat 

Red meat is a great source of protein.  It promotes muscle growth, thanks to its levels of zinc, iron and vitamins. Choose lean cuts though to avoid saturated fats.

Chicken/Turkey Breast 

Chicken and Turkey breast is probably the most consumed muscle buildings food due to their high protein yet low fat content.

Fish 

Most sources of fish are full of protein .Fishes rich in Omega-3 such as salmon and trout are excellent for muscle building and should be a part of your regular diet.

Eggs Eggs 

(the white in particular) are very high in protein and the white has no fat.  Many body builders eat a large number of egg whites as part of their daily diet to enhance muscle growth.

Dairy Products -

Milk and Cottage cheese are great sources of protein and calcium. Cottage Cheese is a casein type of protein meaning it is slow releasing therefore is excellent to eat before bed to help muscle repair during the night.

Nuts 

Nuts also contain protein and also contain healthy unsaturated fats.  Because of their high fat content, you should restrict the amount you consume.

Oatmeal – 

Whole grain oats contain seven B vitamins, vitamin E, and nine minerals, including iron and calcium and they are high in protein – in fact, did you know that one ounce of oats has twice the protein of wheat or corn flakes??

Vegetables/Fruits

 Vegetables, and Fruits of all varieties are an important part of your muscle building diet. This is because they contain lots of minerals and vitamins and have high antioxidant profile that will help reduce the amount of free radicals from heavy training and accelerate recovery by healing damaged muscle cells.

High Complex Carbs 

 Foods such as bran, barley, buckwheat, beans, brown rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and whole grains are essential for muscle building. The slow releasing energy they provide helps you train harder and stops your body breaking muscle down to use as an energy source.

Your muscle building foods should come from a variety of Protein carbohydrate and fats. A well-balanced diet that includes sufficient levels of three of these nutrients , will insure you maintain build muscle , have energy, recover well and keep your immune system strong.

However  it is important to remember that for gaining muscle size you must consume enough calories and spread this out over 5-6 meals every day to optimise nutrient absorbtion and keep body fat levels under control.

By combining a well-balanced diet which includes all types of muscle building foods, with plenty of hard training you will soon begin to see your muscles increase in size.