Foods that Build Muscle
Foods that build muscle. Which are the foods that will help you to build muscle fast?
Proteins and Carbohydrates
First, you need to understand how your body draws nutrition from proteins and carbohydrates. Your body first draws on its store of carbohydrates for energy before tapping on its protein reserves – your muscles. While high protein intake helps stimulate muscle synthesis, you need to make sure you consume enough carbohydrates such that you never need to donate energy from your protein reserves. This point is especially true if you are lean.
On the other hand, if you are trying to lose weight, you probably have reserves of fat your body can use. You can afford to lower your carbohydrate intake (while still maintaining your fiber intake – important for your body in general). Your body will instead draw its energy from its fat stores. Eating fats signals your body to use its fats for energy.
Fats
Remember unsaturated fats are the healthy fats you want to consume more of, not the saturated fats found in processed foods, butter, cheese and dairy products. Do not cut out fats from your diet altogether.
Fats help produce anabolic hormones such as testosterone, so they also help you build muscle.
Muscle Building Foods
Here is a list of some of the best foods to build muscle:
Lean meats: turkey, chicken, ground beef, tuna; lean cuts: tenderloin, sirloin, flank
Egg whites. Try to avoid eating too much egg yolk, as it builds cholesterol.
Low fat milk. Avoid whole fat milk or other full-fat dairy products. 1 percent or even fat-free milk is best.
Nuts: Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds.
Whole grain and whole wheat products: pastas, breads, rice, tortilla, pitas. Avoid highly refined foods such as white bread. These are sapped of nutrients.
Fruits high in potassium to help heal muscle and speed up the muscle building process: strawberries, bananas.
