8 Foods That Help Build Muscle

 Muscles don’t just grow in the gym—find out how to pump up your plate (and your body) with these strength-enhancing eats

 

Pump Up Your Plate!

Image: Mitch Mandel You can’t build muscle without hitting the gym, but you can grow your guns (or your gams or your six-pack) more efficiently by properly fueling your body. There’s no single food that holds the secret to bigger, stronger muscles, but protein is one nutrient that plays a major role in muscle development.

Protein is composed of 22 amino acids (what are these?), 9 of which our body can’t produce naturally, so it’s necessary to get them from foods like meat and dairy products. There’s one particularly promising amino acid called leucine that works “like a light switch,” according to Roberta Anding, RD, dietitian for the Houston Texans, to signal muscle protein synthesis, crucial to muscle growth and repair. Though protein requirements vary based on your size and activity level, a general rule is to consume about 20 g of protein per serving about three times a day. You should aim to get 2.5 to 3 g of leucine in each serving to maximize your time in the gym. You won’t want to exceed around 28 g of protein in a single sitting, because there’s a limit to how much your body can use at one time.

Avoid Common Strength Training Mistakes

In addition to filling your plate with protein-rich foods, it’s important to eat an array of foods in general, with a balance of carbohydrates and healthy fats, as well as fruits and veggies. Carbs supply your body with the energy it needs to build muscle, while fats help keep your brain and central nervous system—which control your muscles—performing smoothly. Meanwhile, fruits and vegetables pack antioxidants. These have anti-inflammatory properties and may help protect against muscle soreness.

To help you gain an edge in the weight room, we’ve identified a few mighty morsels that contain an optimal balance of nutrients for muscle growth. Read on and load up your plate today.

 

1. Coffee

Image: Mitch Mandel If you feel like a jolt of java puts a spring in your step, you’re not entirely mistaken. “Most people find they can workout harder longer if they have caffeine before exercise,” Kleiner says. A UK study found that the combination of caffeine and a carbohydrate, such as cereal, allowed soccer players to sustain higher work intensity. Similarly, research from the University of Illinois found that coffee may reduce pain during exercise. Research has also indicated that there may be a plus side to a postexercise cup of joe. An Australian study found that glycogen—your muscles’ fuel during exercise—is more rapidly replenished when athletes consume caffeine with their carbohydrates.

2. Edamame

Image: Mitch Mandel One cup of these green guys (without shells) will jump-start muscle protein synthesis with 17 g of protein and a little more than 1 g of leucine. They’re also packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which support your brain and central nervous system. “To function at peak capacity in the gym, your brain must have enough healthy fats,” Kleiner says. A cup of edamame also serves up a healthy dose of inflammation-reducing antioxidants.

3. Quinoa

Image: Mitch Mandel Quinoa This mighty grain packs 8 g of protein per cup, including a complete set of branched chain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—that play a crucial role in helping muscles grow. With each cup you’ll also get 39 g of carbohydrates—not always a bad thing. The body’s number one need is energy, which carbs supply, says Kleiner. “You must meet your energy need before you go out and build muscle. If you’re cutting carbs to lose body fat, you’re missing something important,” she says. “I see a lot of people who underfuel this way.”

4. Chicken

Image: Thinkstock When you think of building a beefy body, you may think of, well, beef. However, chicken’s one of the best sources of leucine around. A mere 3 ounces of chicken breast will set you up with more than 3 g of leucine and nearly 20 g of protein, at less than 100 calories. Because it’s a lean meat, chicken can help you maintain a healthy muscle-to-fat ratio. “[To build muscle] you want to gain the most muscle and the least amount of fat,” Kleiner says.

5. Tuna

Image: Mitch Mandel In addition to setting you up with more than 3 g of leucine, a can of tuna contains a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which produce multiple muscular benefits. Research published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine has indicated that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may contribute to signaling muscle protein synthesis in older adults. A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine indicates that fish oil may also reduce inflammation and decrease muscle soreness, which may allow exercisers to train longer and harder. Finally, you can’t ignore the fat-burning properties of fish. “Fish proteins enhance loss of abdominal fat. As you build muscle you want to burn fat, and fish is a key factor in keeping that down,” Kleiner says.

6. Eggs

Image: Mitch Mandel There’s a reason eggs seem to top most healthy foods lists these days. Not only are they a lean snack at around 70 calories a pop, but also full of big-time benefits for your muscles. You’ll eat up 6 g of protein and 330 mg of leucine per egg, plus yokes contain the ultra-valuable nutrient choline, which supports acetycholine, the most abundant neurotransmitter in your body. “You can’t expect to train hard without choline,” Kleiner says, “Brain cells can’t be well fed without phospholipids from egg yolks.” She suggests making a protein-packed meal of one whole egg with four egg whites. “You’ll get all of the leucine you need in a serving, as well as the important components of the egg yolk. If you can throw in vegetables, you’ll have a wholesome beginning to your day.”

7. Smoothie with Whey Powder

Image: Mitch Mandel While there are a number of ways to get whey through food, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, whey protein powder is another option for meeting your daily protein and leucine needs. A 25 g scoop of the magic dust packs 2.5 g of leucine. “When I work with clients, I teach them to make smoothies,” says Susan Kleiner, RD, PhD, owner of High Performance Nutrition near Seattle, WA. Mix frozen fruit—it’s full of important antioxidants—with milk, 100% fruit juice, or yogurt, and add about 21 g of whey supplement, she suggests. Throw in a touch of flaxseed or extra-virgin olive oil to inject some healthy fats into the concoction.

8. Cottage Cheese

Image: Getty Images Little Miss Muffet must have been able to pump major iron thanks to all those curds and whey—a dish more commonly known as cottage cheese. The white stuff is an excellent source of whey protein, one of the best muscle builders out there. Whey has the highest concentration of leucine, so each cup of cottage cheese delivers about 2.8 g of leucine and 28 g of protein.