Thinking of what to eat before and after your workouts? #Shredded has a solid list of the right foods to help you build your muscles.
If you want to build your muscles, you need a combination of the right meals and exercise. Forgoing one for the other would only hamper your progress in the long run. You can spend all your time in the gym, but it won’t amount to much if you don’t eat muscle-building food, you won’t get your desired size gains.
The two components of muscle building are; wearing the muscle via training and building the muscles back with the right nutrition. When it comes to nutrition, your diet should mainly consist of protein.
We’ve prepared a list of protein-packed meals you can take to help facilitate your muscle growth. But before you start eating, take a couple of seconds to know how much your body needs.
Consume More Calories Than You Burn
When you want to lose weight, you are advised to burn more calories than you consume. But the reverse is the case when you want to build your muscles. You need to eat more calories than you burn. If you want to know your calorie requirements, you can employ an easy to use an online calorie calculator.
Depending on your current state, you will need to add around 200-300 calories more to your current daily caloric maintenance intake (this means the required calories to keep your current weight).
One of the best ways to build your calorie intake is to consume more proteins. Good sources of protein include whole foods and supplements.
Best Foods To Help You Build Muscles
The following are effective foods that will help you boost your muscle growth. We’ve prepared a list of useful plant-based and animal-based foods that you can eat after your workouts to help you increase your muscles. We earlier mentioned that protein-based foods are the foundation for muscle growth. The reason for this is that protein-based foods are rich in amino acids, which are the major catalyst for muscle growth. In addition to amino acids, these foods contain healthy fatty acids, magnesium, zinc, and so on.
Eggs
A single egg has healthy fats, zinc, and, most importantly, 6 grams of protein. Therefore, the more egg you eat, the more your protein count builds up. Mind you, experts recommend that you go for brown eggs rather than white.
100grams serving gives you 13 grams of protein
Wild Salmon
Wild Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein. If you can’t get access to wild salmon, you can make do with farmed salmon. But remember to limit the amount of farmed salmon you consume.
100grams serving gives you 25 grams of protein
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein. In addition, they are rich in fatty acids, thus making them an excellent all-day snack.
100grams serving gives you 25 grams of protein
Chicken Breast
One of the best food for muscle growth and development is chicken breast. It is readily available, easy to make, and packed with lots of protein. Chicken breasts are useful for bodybuilding and muscle growth. Go for a large pack, and prepare them in bulk. You can ration them into your lunch and dinner for the week.
100grams serving gives you 32 grams of protein
Additional muscle-building foods: chickpeas, tuna, bison meat, quinoa, and peanuts.
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