What are the best muscle foods for men?
Building abs and sculpting muscles starts in the kitchen before you ever hit the gym. Achieving muscle growth is a formula based on adequate calories, fluids, protein, and muscle-fatiguing strength training.
Drinking plenty of fluids, eating the right energy-rich foods along with weight lifting -- all timed to fuel workouts and repair muscle tissue -- will help you sculpt your muscles.
Muscle & Food
Fueling your workouts takes a combination of healthy carbs and protein.
Protein is important to build and repair muscles. Carbs provide the energy to fuel fitness. You can’t eat protein and expect it turn to muscle. Pull protein into muscles with exercise.
Experts recommend these muscle-friendly foods:
1. Fruit and vegetables are the foundation of all healthy diets, providing fiber, vitamins, minerals, and fluids. Vegetables contain small amounts of protein.
2. Low-fat dairy provides high-quality protein, carbs, and essential vitamins such as vitamin D, potassium, and calcium. Chocolate milk is recommended as a good workout recovery beverage. If you are lactose intolerant, you may tolerate yogurt with active cultures.
3. Lean meat is a great source of protein, iron for oxygen transport to muscles, and amino acids including leucine, is thought to be a trigger for muscle growth.
4. Dark-meat chicken,particularly boneless skinless chicken is good, but go dark and increase iron by 25% and three times the zinc for a healthy immune system.
5. Eggs, according to dietary guidelines, eggs are good for you, especially when you don’t throw out the yolk. Eggs contain all of the essential amino acids and half the protein is in the yolk with other import nutrients like lutein for eye health.
6. Nuts, unsalted, raw or roasted are a good source of protein that also contain vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, and healthy fats.