Top 5 Foods For Gaining Muscle Mass

If you are looking to build muscle mass, chances are you have looked into just about every possible muscle-building plan out there. One thing you have seen in common with all of them is the benefits of a high protein meal plan. However, many do not tell you what specific foods you should eat in order to gain that mass.

There are many foods out there that help you gain muscle mass, but there are a few that should be part of your custom weekly meal plan. It is also better to eat these foods in many smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to amassing them into three daily meals. Eating smaller meals throughout the day will allow your body to maximize the amount of protein it uses from these foods so that you are getting the most out of these muscle-building foods.

• Eggs – Eggs are a valuable source of protein. They are considered to have the highest value of protein for your body. Your body uses more of the protein from eggs than it does from other protein sources so you need to consume less protein from eggs than you do from other foods.

• Fish – As you workout, your body uses the protein that is already in your body. When you finish with your workout, your body will use the protein that is already in your muscles which can be counterproductive. Omega3 helps to keep this from happening. More specifically salmon (although there are much other fish with muscle mass building benefits), there is a high amount of Omega3 which helps keep your body from breaking down protein during workouts.

• Brown Rice – Many people do not think that carbohydrates build muscle mass, but they are wrong. Experts will agree that if you do not have the energy to work out, your body will utilize energy from the protein in your body. You will not reach your goal of building muscle mass and will instead to the opposite. You need complex carbs in order to give your body the energy it needs to get through those intense workouts without sacrificing the muscle mass you have already gained.

• Nuts – Nuts are beneficial for a number of different reasons, including the protein factor. The main reason to use them as part of your muscle-building program is that they are a good snack that can curb your appetite between eating sessions. They are also a  great source of vitamins to help your body maintain the muscle mass you already have. Be careful to choose nuts that are lower in fat as some contain enough calories to be counterproductive to your meal plan.

• Water – While not technically a “food,” we cannot hammer this point enough. Consume water regularly! As your body is made up mostly of water, it is needed to function normally. If you are trying to build muscle mass, you are putting your body into a more stressful situation and making it work harder. It would be similar to making a marathon runner run twice as far with only half the amount of water. Not only can this be dangerous, but if you do not give your body the water it needs, it will not be able to properly process the protein that you consume.

There are more foods out there that can help you build muscle mass and should be added to your custom weekly meal plan. Remember that it is better to consume these foods in smaller amounts throughout the day as part of your high protein meal plan as opposed to eating them in larger amounts as one of the main daily meals. Eating these foods in conjunction with a muscle mass building program will maximize your body’s potential to gain lean muscle mass.