Here is some information about foods that build muscle. When you start an exercise program with the goal of building muscle, you must change your diet accordingly. If you start exercising and burning more calories, and do not increase your food intake, you will lose muscle mass.
Protein
If you start exercising regularly, you need to eat more protein. If you aren’t getting enough protein in your diet, then your body starts using its own sources of protein for energy. 60-70% of the body’s protein is found in muscle tissue, so your body will eat away at your muscles, which will slow your metabolic rate, reduce your strength and stop all muscle growth.
In order for muscle growth to occur, you must consume more protein than you utilize. The body can store carbohydrates and glycogen, however it cannot store proteins. To maintain the optimal environment for muscle growth, complete proteins must be eaten with every meal. This explains why nutritionists recommend that we eat up to six small meals a day, equally to about every three hours.
Best sources of lean protein for building muscles:
Chicken Breast
Turkey Breast
Fish
Shellfish
Egg Whites
Lean red meats
Nonfat or low fat dairy products
Protein Powders (eg. Whey protein)
Protein myth
Some people claim that the human body can only digest 3 grams of protein per sitting. This is not true, and no research has ever proved otherwise.
Recommended daily amount
1 gram per pound of bodyweight as a starting point for daily protein needs. Many body builders go higher than this, up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight. During pre-contest phases when carbohydrates are restricted, some body builders eat as much as 2.0 grams per pound.
Example 1:
You are female
Your total body weight = 130 lbs.
Your protein requirement = 130 grams per day
If you eat 5 – 6 meals a day (like you should) that’s 22 – 26 grams of protein per meal
Example 2:
You are male
Your total body weight = 190 lbs.
Your protein requirement = 190 grams per day
Spread over 5 – 6 meals per day, that’s 32 – 38 grams of protein per meal
Carbohydrates
A low carb/high protein diet is usually the best way for body builders to get that “ripped” look. Most bodybuilders go on some version of a low carb diet when getting ready for competition. However, this is done while working towards a specific goal and is not necessarily suitable for someone just wanting to build muscle. If you are a hard gainer wanting to put on more weight, a diet high in carbs would be the way to go.
Problems with a low carb diet
A problem caused by very low carb diets is loss of lean body mass. Many people don’t realize that if you lower your carbs, you are more likely to lose muscle along with fat. Another problem with very low carb diets is that once you add carbs back in, you are likely to gain the fat back very quickly.
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- Muscle Building Meal Plan for Hardgainers
- Eating For Performance
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I totally agree. Protein is necessary for building muscle mass. It is essential to include protein in our daily diets. Protein also provides heat and energy to our bodies, along with building, repairing and making new tissue. I have to admit, I do not always eat properly, but I try my best to stay on the course. Thanks for the info.
Protein is very important but if you want gain muscle mass quickly you have to eat lots of carbs and healthy fat.The best idea is to use carb rotation diet so you don not gain fat and only lean muscle mass.
I need the good food to build muscle and gain weight at the same time. Please email me some tips.
dude if u eat to much of that your body will store it so u gotta make sure u burn that fat your eating because if u work out it will feed on that fat and will store the rest and u will not gain muscle so limit your intake, find your personal intake
I am having a very difficult time gaining wt. I have recently been very ill with pancreatitis and lost over 32 lbs. Since my surgery, the MDs tell me to eat 5-8 meals daily. But it is difficult to find the caloric intake that i require, since they want me to eat about 2 to 3 thousand calories daily.
It would be very appreciated if anyone out there has any tips. I am desperate and need to get some weight on me, since I only weigh 93 lbs. Please if anyone has any ideas or sources, please let me know.
Thanks! Gina the desperate.