For many people, gaining weight or gaining muscle mass can be as difficult as losing it for others. They train hard, but don’t care about nutrition. Suddenly, the time and the titanic efforts given to the gym have only a very low return. Many of these people think that nutrition is a complicated subject and therefore prefer to avoid it. And yet, all you have to do is add certain foods to these meals to see significant changes in the process of building muscle mass.
Monitor your general health
Before getting to the heart of the matter, it should be remembered even when doing a lot of sport, certain values must be constantly monitored in order to ensure good general health. One of these values, certainly the most famous being the BMI (Body Mass Index). Another, much less known but no less important is the IMG (Fat Mass Index). This is an indicator of whether you are in the right range for the amount of fat in your body. the calculating your fat mass rate according to the case will thus make it possible to orientate the diet and the type of training.
Red meats
Red meats are probably one of the best foods available for building muscle mass. For example, the steak contains about 3 grams of leucine for 170 grams. Leucine is the main amino acid that your body needs to stimulate muscle protein synthesis to create new muscle tissue.
Moreover, red meats are one of the best natural sources of food creatine. It is what many consider to be the best muscle building supplement in the world. Fat cuts provide more calories than leaner meats, which will help you absorb more to gain weight.
In a study of 100 adult women, 170 grams of red meat was added to their diet. They then did endurance training six days a week for six weeks. At the end of the tests, the women gained mass, exhibited an 18% increase in their strength and an increase in the important muscle building hormone, IGF-1.
Lean and fatty meats are a great source of protein, although fatty meats provide more calories. So, if you want to gain ‘clean’ muscle mass, that is to say to increase your musculature while minimizing fat gain, then it will be better to opt for a high protein menu to lose weight, favoring ‘lean’ or white meats and poultry!
Either way, including the right balance of these meats will give you a serious option in your quest to gain muscle mass.
Milk
For several decades now, milk has been one of the foods the most used for weight gain and muscle mass.
It provides a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat and is a good source of calcium, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
For those trying to gain muscle mass, milk is an excellent source of protein providing both casein and whey. Research has even shown its direct involvement in the muscle gain process when combined with exercise at the gym.
Also, other studies have shown that milk, or whey and casein combined, can cause mass gain. more important than other sources of protein.
So try to drink about one or two glasses of it as a snack, with a meal or before and after a workout if you are working out.
Salmon and fatty fish
Like red meat, salmon and oily fish are an excellent source of protein and important healthy fats. Among the nutrients provided by salmon and fatty fish, omega-3 fatty acids are among the most important and well-known. They have many health benefits and participate in the fights against many diseases.
A 6 ounce (170 gram) salmon fillet provides about 350 calories and 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. The same serving contains 34 grams of high-quality protein that will help you build muscle or gain weight.
Avocado
Avocado has many benefits. With 1.9 mg of highly antioxidant vitamins E, it is one of the best endowed plants. And its 9% of monosaturated fatty acids are valuable protectors of the cardiovascular system and therefore ideal during intensive training in order to increase your muscle mass. Moreover, even in dry season, although it is a little caloric, it deserves to be on the menu more often.
The advantage of avocado is that it is easy to incorporate into a menu: in a salad, sliced in a sandwich or on a toast, in soup or in the form of guacamole, these are not the recipes. lacking.
Homemade protein smoothies
Drink protein smoothies homemade can be a very nutritious and quick way to build muscle. Making your own smoothies is the best solution, as the commercial versions are often full of sugar and lacking in nutrients. This also gives you full control over flavor and nutrient content.
Here are some tasty variations you can try. You can combine each with 2 cups (470 mL) of milk or a substitute like almond milk.
- Chocolate nuts and bananas : Combine 1 banana, 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of peanut or nut butter.
- Berry and vanilla : Combine 1 cup (237 mL) of fresh or frozen mixed berries, ice cream, 1 cup (237 mL) of natural high protein yogurt and 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein.
- Hazelnut chocolate : Combine 15 ounces (444 mL) of chocolate milk with 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein, 1 tbsp (15 mL) of hazelnut butter and 1 avocado.
- Pomme and caramel : Combine 1 apple slice, 1 cup (237 mL) natural yogurt, 1 scoop of caramel or vanilla flavored whey protein and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of caramel or sugar-free flavoring sauce .
All of these smoothies provide around 400-600 calories, along with a large amount of protein and other important vitamins and minerals.
