There are many myths surrounding the vegetarian or vegan diet, some of them being the one that It is not natural for human beings to be vegan.What is it unhealthy and, of course, that you cannot gain muscle mass if you eat plant-based foods.
This is not really the case since muscle mass gain is not based only on whether you eat foods of animal origin or not, but depends on many variables, such as training, rest, adequate protein intake, etc.
Therefore, we will highlight 10 plant-based foods that can help us gain muscle mass.
Garbanzo beans
Chickpeas are legumes that have a large amount of protein, reaching 21 grams of protein per 100 grams of product (the same as meat or fish). In addition, it is not only that they help to gain muscle mass thanks to the proteins it has, but it also has high amount of carbohydrates per 100 gramsabout 55 grams.
Also, chickpeas can be cooked in many ways like in hummus, salads, etc. So if you want to gain muscle mass, don’t forget your portion.
Among its micronutrients, its content in vegetable calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and various B vitamins.
Textured soybeans
If you wanted a vegetable food rich in protein, here is what is probably the food with the highest amount of protein, reaching 50 grams per 100 grams of product.
Textured soybeans are obtained by a method that includes the application of heat and pressure in an extruder machine of soybeans previously defatted and without their skin.
As the textured soy also receives a dehydration treatment, it has a not very high water content and its nutrients are concentrated, obtaining from this product a considerable quantity of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, B vitamins and, above all, his contribution to iron close to 9 mg per 100 grams, an amount that far exceeds animal sources of iron.
Banana
Muscle does not live on protein alone. Carbohydrates are also very important for building muscle mass. We must not forget that for there to be muscle hypertrophy there must be a high intensity of training, and that can only be given by the consumption of carbohydrates.
Regarding its content in micronutrients, the banana is one of the foods with the most potassium at our disposal, as well as offering B-complex vitamins, magnesium, vitamin A and carotenoidsbeing therefore a very appropriate food for the functioning of the nervous and muscular system.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is probably the most widely used cereal in the fitness world as it allows make protein shakes if crushed, pancakes, etc.which makes it a very versatile and convenient food.
It has a large amount of protein, reaching the 13 grams of protein per 100 grams of product and reaching almost 60 grams of carbohydrates, making it very suitable if we want to train with intensity.
In nutritional terms, oatmeal stands out for being an option with great protein and fiber intake compared to other cereals. Also, it has unsaturated fats and it is a food rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium and B vitamins.
Gazpacho
There are times when we want to gain muscle mass it can cost us to eat a lotso introducing liquid foods such as gazpacho from time to time is a very good idea, especially since gazpacho also has many vitamins and minerals.
Mainly, gazpacho is made up of three types of vitamins, type C, type E and type A. The former are obtained from peppers and tomatoes, and increase the absorption of iron from food.
On the other hand, the vitamin E of the tomato and olive oil, endow the gazpacho with antioxidant powers. And finally, vitamin A helps regulate and protect the immune system.
Natural orange juice
On some occasion you have seen us comment that instead of drinking juice, it is much better to take the whole piece. The problem with juices is that a large part of the fiber is lost, especially if they are processed (which is why we comment that it is much better to make them natural).
Juices, what they have is that being liquid, people who find it difficult to eat and ingest enough calories, allows for higher carbohydrate intake and since the pace is very fast, it is good to take it as a pre-workout.
Integral rice
Brown rice is another of the most consumed cereals because it can be used to cook many dishes and, in addition, it’s very cheap. For every 100 grams it contains almost 80 grams of carbohydrates, which makes it a very good food to increase the intensity of our workouts or to recover and replenish glycogen stores.
Brown rice has a much higher contribution of minerals than in the case of white rice, especially selenium and magnesium, a fundamental mineral in the creation of fatty acids. In addition, it has a good supply of vitamin B that favors the processes of digestion.
Walnuts
the nuts they are one of the most well-known and appetizing dried fruits. They have a large number of calories, which is perfect for gaining muscle mass since, for this hypertrophy process to take place, there needs to be a caloric surplus.
For every 100 grams they have 20 grams of protein, 21 grams of carbohydrates and 54 grams of very good quality fats, especially because it contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
Among its micronutrients, minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and seleniumwhile also offering B vitamins and a minimum of vitamin A and E with antioxidant function.
flax seeds
High-quality fats are very important for gaining muscle mass as they maintain an optimal hormonal environment for it. Flax seeds are also characterized by their high protein content, containing up to 18 grams of protein per 100 grams of product.
Flax seeds are the food that contains the most omega-3 fatty acids, reaching 24 grams per 100 grams of product. Offers B vitamins, potassium and vitamin E.
lupins
The lupins or lupins are a legume that concentrates a lot of protein, reaching 36g grams of protein per 100 grams of product and therefore, they are one of the options with the highest proportion of this nutrient.
In addition, they are high in protein and fiber, in addition to having iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and other important micronutrients for the body.
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