Friday, October 25, 2013

Foods to Build Muscle


Guest post by Lauren Chung
You could spend minutes, hours, even months’ strength training in the gym and see little to no results if you aren’t eating right. In order to build muscle, your body requires plenty of protein. Switch up your meal plan and include all of these essential muscle building protein foods. Not only are they great for your body, but taste delicious too. (Who said losing weight and gaining muscle had to taste bad?).


“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”


― Orson Welles
          


Eggs

Eggs make for the perfect breakfast, sporting 7 grams of protein and other essential nutrients. While these cheap, delicious protein packers may have gotten a bad reputation due to their high levels of cholesterol, the fact of the matter is the yolk shouldn’t be left out. Instead, reduce cholesterol in other safe and healthy ways as the yolk of an egg is jam-packed with vitamins and minerals that are very beneficial. 

Red Meat

Red meat is one of the most loved ways to indulge in high amounts of protein. If you’re worried about getting enough food with protein, simply up your intake of grass fed animals and enjoy hamburgers and steaks on a regular basis. Red meat is not only very high in protein but includes other beneficial nutrients such as vitamin B-12 and Omega 3’s.

Turkey

Turkey is another delicious meat (white, not red) that is packed full of protein. White turkey is also low in saturated fat, with close to 0 grams per serving (contrary to other meats with around 4.5 grams per 100 grams). Meat lovers should try and switch up their protein filled diet plans, having a burger at one sitting and a turkey meal the next.

Salmon

Sporting 20 grams of protein per serving, salmon is the best option when it comes to protein-packed fish. But don’t just settle for farm-raised salmon. Try and order wild salmon at all occasions. Wild salmon is supreme, with plenty of protein and tons of Omega 3’s.

Greek Yogurt

Feeling hungry? Need the perfect side dish at mealtime? No worries, greek yogurt has you covered. With lots of protein packed into small servings, greek yogurt is the ideal in-between snack. If greek yogurt is a bit too bland for your taste buds, try mixing the yogurt with your favorite fruits. Some common combinations include strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, which makes a delicious treat with an added boost of nutrients. Can also be used as a protein-rich dessert!
Nuts

Another great snack idea with plenty of protein is nuts- and any nut will do. Whether you’re into cashews, hazelnuts, almonds or the likes, you can grab a handful and be pleasantly surprised with the amount of protein you’re ingesting. Not to mention there are lots of other benefits such as good fats, fiber, zinc, and magnesium.


Good news is you can find many of the above food at Amazon. So why not take the advantage of an Amazon discount code to save on your diet now?