What do you think, which food is the best to get ripped fast, nuts or fish? Most of the people know that protein intake is important because it helps building muscles.
But muscle growth is a process requiring nutrients other than proteins. Lifting weights and spending energy stored in the form of muscle glycogen, should be offset by a healthy portion of carbohydrates, which replenishes muscle glycogen reserves and increases insulin – a hormone important for delivering amino acids to muscles.
Therefore, we listed a few products rich in nutrients useful for muscle growth.
Quinoa
Many people do not eat meat, but how can you bring the desired protein amount in your body if you do not eat meat? The answer to this question is quinoa. It is a healthy grain that grows in South America and is considered to be rich in proteins, because it contains each of the nine essential amino acids. Quinoa also does not contain gluten, can be easily digested and contains fiber, magnesium and iron.
Having in mind all these nutrients, is not surprising that Incas called quinoa mother of all grains.
Almonds
Almonds are another product rich in proteins as well. Just ¼ cup of almonds contains nearly 8 grams of protein, which is nearly 2 grams more than the value in one egg. Almonds are also an excellent source of unsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy.
Almonds also contain magnesium, a mineral, used in more than 300 biochemical body reactions and is also known as a helping hand in protein synthesis.
Low fat Mozzarella and Cottage cheese
Probably there is no bodybuilder who avoids including mozzarella or cottage cheese in his diet. Read the product label and you’ll know the reason. Just ½ cup of cheese contains 14 grams of protein, less than 80 calories and less than 2 grams of fat. Combine mozzarella or cottage cheese with every meal and consume a meal rich of protein.
Fish
When it comes to building muscles, fish is the biggest rival of chicken. If you take salmon for example, 100 grams of fish contain 25 grams of proteins.
Fish also contains other health-friendly nutrients. Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids. It is also an excellent source of vitamin D. So, fish like tuna or salmon are simply the best choice of protein food for muscle growth.
Chicken
What should we say about chicken meat and its benefits for muscle growth? Chicken is proved and real muscle builder! Chicken is the most important food product for muscle growth. 100 grams of white chicken breast contain about 33 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat.
Eggs
Quick and easy to prepare, delicious in taste, eggs are a key food component for people willing to build muscle. Each egg has 5 to 7 grams of protein and only 60 calories. But, eggs are not specific just because of the proteins.
Egg proteins are considered to be the easiest usable proteins with the highest biological value of any other food. This means that these proteins are the greatest contributors for muscle growth.
Lean beef
Red meat such as beef is an excellent source of protein, so avoiding this meet would be a big mistake. 100 grams of beef contains more than 25 grams of protein and also contain additional vitamins and minerals. Beef from grass-fed cattle has much higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which helps you build lean muscles.
Beef is rich in vitamins B12, zinc and iron, nutrients important for muscle growth and development.
Soybean
The advantage of soy is that it can not be compared with other food products if we are talking about building muscles. A small cup of soybeans contains about 20 grams of amino acids. It is also rich in all essential vitamins and minerals which make soy the best alternative meat.
Chocolate milk
While you were a child, your parents probably used to say that if want to grow up, you need to drink milk. But even now when you are an adult, milk is still important. Milk is a food product which provides all essential amino acids and also offers low-fat nutrients. Drinking chocolate milk can actually stimulate the process of muscle growth.
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