It’s not surprising that when the majority of people think about muscle building foods, they immediately think “protein!” The market is flooded with protein supplement drinks and protein bars that are heavily targeted toward weight-lifting and body building enthusiasts. But is protein really the be-all and end-all element of muscle building foods?
The fact is, to build muscle, you need a wide variety of foods that provide the body with an array of nutrient and energy source needs – yes including protein – but you also must have carbohydrates, vitamins, fiber, minerals, glucose, essential fats and acids, starches and more. In essence, all foods play some role in building muscle. They key is to have a well-balanced diet. Contrary to popular belief, a super-high protein dominated diet may not be the best strategy for building muscle mass.
Christine Rosenbloom, Ph.D., editor of the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) “Sports Nutrition Manual,” says you “can’t just eat protein and expect it to turn into muscle.” It’s vigorous exercise, such as weight lifting, that “pulls protein into muscle, to build muscle.”
So the best diet for building muscle is one based on a foundation that is heavy in fruits and vegetables. These provide the essential vitamins, fiber, minerals and fluids the body must have, while not loading the body with a lot of fat – fat that can detract from attractive muscle definition.
The ADA also recommends a lot of low-fat dairy, especially yogurt, because this provides an excellent kind of high quality protein that muscles can easily assimilate. Dairy products also have calcium, Vitamin D and potassium. If you’re lactose intolerant, sticking with yogurt only is a good idea. In fact, some argue that most dairy products aren’t all that great for muscle building programs in general – with the strong exception of yogurt. The bottom line is, including yogurt in your muscle-building regime is simply a superb idea.
So what about the major sources of protein, such as meat? It’s absolutely great for building muscle, but the key is to stick with very lean meats. When you do that, you get the best of all worlds – rich sources of protein with as little fat as possible. Lean meats means boneless, skinless chicken, any kind of fish, or small amounts of very lean cuts of red meats.
What about eggs? Yes, they are well-known to really pack protein, but there are some factors to consider. If you choose egg whites only in an attempt to avoid cholesterol, you are throwing out half the protein. An excellent solution is to buy only farm fresh, free-range chicken eggs. Chickens raised in crowded factories produce eggs high in cholesterol and low in vitamins. Happy free-range chicken produce just the opposite – high protein eggs loaded with vitamins and low in cholesterol. That’s great for building muscle.
Finally, don’t forget nuts, beans and whole grains. Nuts are protein rich and contain essential nutrients, the “good” fats, fiber and antioxidants. The same with beans and whole grains. They have smaller amounts of protein, but are rich in basic vitamins, fiber and are excellent sources of muscle repair nutrients.
When it comes to muscle building foods, it’s all about balance.