If you’re on a quest to build muscle mass, what you put into your mouth on a daily basis could really make or break your results.
If you aren’t being mindful of how many calories you’re taking in each and every day, the chances that you actually are successful with adding lean muscle tissue to your frame will be slim to none.
Fortunately, if you know which foods to focus on that will provide the most calories per gram of food eaten, you should have no problem getting in the necessary calories you need to see results.
Let’s have a look at the top muscle building foods to consider.
Peanut Butter
If there’s one food that can’t be beat for muscle building purposes, peanut butter is it.
Peanut butter is not only going to help you get your calories up higher since at over 90 calories per tablespoon, it will add up quickly, but it’s also going to supply your body with a nice dose of healthy fats and protein at the same time.
Peanut butter is incredibly versatile as well since you can easily smear it over bagels, bananas, or add it into your protein shakes.
Salmon
Second on our list of muscle building foods is salmon. Salmon is great since it’s going to supply you with a quality source of protein and is also rich in omega fatty acids as well. These are going to be absolutely essential for overall good health so something that you won’t want to leave out of the picture.
Aim to eat salmon at least twice per week on your muscle building diet plan.
Raw Oats
Third, the next food that should be included in your menu are raw oats.
Many people are well aware that oatmeal is one of the top notch carbohydrate sources to have, but what most don’t realize is just how filling they are for the amount of calories that you take in.
Instead, try having your oats raw.
This will allow you to get that much more into your body without suffering from that bloated, heavy feeling you would if they had been cooked.
Raw oats will also provide a nice steady release of energy in the system so you won’t have to worry about a blood sugar spike followed by crash either.
Dried Fruit
Fourth on our list of foods to have in your muscle building diet is dried fruit. Dried fruit is an excellent choice since it’s not only going to provide all the main nutrients that regular fruit would but since it’s been dried out the calorie value of it is that much higher.
It’s not abnormal to see calorie values for dried fruit reaching 200-300 per handful of dried fruit, so you can easily see why this will help you reach your muscle building goals.
So there are some simple muscle building foods to get you started with building your diet plan. Taking some time now to prepare what you’re going to eat will ensure you’re not second guessing yourself and settling for less than optimal meals.
Cabel McElderry is a local personal trainer and nutrition coach. For more information on fitness and nutrition, visit the Fitness F/X website at www.fitnessfx.com.