Exercise is not the only important part of building muscles. Perhaps equally important is exercising good diet and good food habits. When you put food into your body, you are giving it building blocks and materials with which to construct and repair itself. This includes building muscles. As you might expect, there are foods that help more, and foods that help less. This article will focus on foods that help more, here are the top five foods that help build muscle.
1. Eggs
Protein is vital for building muscles. Simply put, without protein, your muscles will not grow. Also, besides water, protein is the most abundant element in your body. Someone who wishes to gain more muscle needs a higher protein intake than other people. The point of weight lifting is to damage muscle fibers, so they grow back stronger. Protein is an important component of muscles, and an egg contains six grams of protein.
2. Yogurt
Yogurt is another source of protein, the importance of which has already been discussed. Regular yogurt (the kind with fruit on the bottom – not sugar free) is extra beneficial, since the fruit it contains provides carbohydrates, which boost the amount of insulin in your blood. Insulin reduces protein breakdown after exercise.
3. Mixed nuts
Nuts provide a whole powerhouse of goodies, including mono- & polyunsaturated fats, protein, fiber vitamin-e, zinc, and more. Mixed nuts provide the whole shebang, plus, they are dense in calories, which can help you gain weight. But, for the latter reason, it is also suggested that you don’t make a diet out of them.
4. Beef (especially silverside)
100 grams of beef contains about 30 grams of protein. Silverside is the beef with the highest level of protein. Not only does it contain a large amount of protein, it also contains only five grams of fat, making it an ideal food choice anyways.
5. Spinach
Ever wonder if there really was anything to Popeye’s secret food? Well, turns out there is. Of course, don’t expect the results to be quite as dramatic as in the classic TV show, but there certainly is value to spinach. Spinach contains a high level of calcium, which helps relax muscles, so as to reduce the chance of cramps. It also increases the efficiency of exercise, by causing better muscle contractions. In addition to this, since spinach is alkaline, it can speed up muscle recovery and reduce the chance of lactic acid buildup.