Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The 10 Best Foods for Building Muscle

Building muscle should be the goal of every dieter. Muscle, even when resting, burns more calories than fat, so having plenty of muscle increases the amount of calories you can consume without gaining weight.Strength training is critical to gaining muscle, but there are certain muscle building foods and supplements that can help you build muscle faster and easier. Proteins are the building blocks of muscles, so you'll need to get plenty of the right proteins. Check out these muscle building foods.The 10 Best Muscle Building Foods and Supplements

1. Chicken – Lean, white meat chicken breasts are great muscle building foods. They are low in fat and calories, yet high in protein, muscle's basic building blocks.

2. Broccoli – Broccoli contains a compound that works against estrogen in the body. This is important because estrogen makes the body more efficient at storing fat. So, more broccoli means less fat and more muscle.

3. Turkey - To build muscle, you need foods high in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates. No food is a better muscle building food than white meat turkey.

4. Lean red meat - Red meat is higher in fat, so it shouldn't be an everyday muscle building food. However, it is a great protein source, and offers the added benefit of having a large amount of iron. Eat it two to three times a week as a muscle building food.

5. Tuna – Tuna is another low calorie, low carbohydrate, high protein food that's great for losing weight and building muscle. In addition, it has Omega 3 fatty acids, which help your body use calories more efficiently, keeps metabolism stoked. It also contains a compound that prevents muscle loss. It's great for your heart, too.

6. Fast acting Whey Protein Shakes – Whey protein shakes are great muscle building foods because whey protein is absorbed quickly by your body. Having it within 2 hours of a workout helps your body recover quickly, which builds muscle more quickly.

7. Slow acting casein and egg protein shakes - These are usually called night-time proteins because they are digested slowly and the slow digestion allows your muscles to get a steady supply of protein while you're sleeping.

8. Complex Carbohydrates – Though protein is essential for building muscle, and it's wise to increase your protein, you can't build muscle without carbohydrates. Choose whole grains and vegetables for your daily carbohydrates.

9. Fat free cottage cheese – Before protein shakes were invented, body builders ate fat free cottage cheese. It is one of the favorite muscle building foods because it incorporates the compound casein, a favorite for body builders into a great protein.

10. Healthy fats – Our bodies, likewise, require fats. In fact, your body can't produce testosterone, which is a major muscle building hormone, without enough fat. Choose those that are natural and healthy, like olive oil for cooking, along with nuts and avocadoes.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/bodybuilding-articles/the-10-best-foods-for-building-lean-muscle-2827681.html