Proteins are an essential nutrient when accompanying physical work and seeking muscle gain, since they are part of structures in the body and are required to achieve hypertrophy. We show you the 11 best protein-rich foods to add to your diet if you want to gain muscle.
Foods of animal origin
The animal protein They offer all the essential amino acids, therefore, they are of high biological value and are a good way to add the necessary substrate to create muscle fibers.
Some recommended foods are:
Fish, especially blue fish
The fish it is an excellent source of protein that can be accompanied by a significant amount of polyunsaturated fats Omega 3, which also promotes hypertrophy and has a beneficial anti-inflammatory effect for the body.
In addition, the blue Fish which is the one that offers the highest percentage of fat, usually has a higher amount of protein at the same time than white or lean fish.
Chicken or turkey breast, lean protein sources
If we refer to meats, the chicken or turkey breast They are good sources of protein with a low proportion of saturated fat, and therefore, recommended to obtain the first nutrient in a healthy way.
We always recommend avoid fried foods for cooking and on the contrary, choose baked, grilled, microwave or boiled preparations that allow us to preserve the proteins without many many fats that these foods offer.
Fresh or tender cheeses, with valuable minerals for our muscles
Among the different cheeses that we can incorporate into our diet, fresh and tender cheeses they are the ones with the lowest proportion of saturated fat and sodium being also an excellent source of protein.
The cheeses In addition, they are a good option to add minerals such as potassium or the calcium that have a relevant role in the functioning of the neuromuscular system and therefore, they are recommended if we seek to gain muscle.
Egg, to add to a variety of dishes
Eggs are a very versatile food that we can easily include in a variety of dishes and that offers proteins of high biological value, easily digestible.
We can use only the egg white to obtain lean proteins, B vitamins or iron that are also important micronutrients for our neuromuscular system or, we can go to the whole egg that in addition to the aforementioned nutrients, provides fats vitamin D, vitamin A and carotenes.
Milk or yogurt with high hydrating power
The milk or the yogurt are food sources of quality proteins for the body that concentrate a high percentage of water and therefore, they favor the hydration of the organism.
They are ideal foods to consume after training as long as let’s choose alternatives without added sugar, Well, in addition to helping us to replace water and electrolytes, they provide proteins along with a minimum of natural sugars that favor the release of anabolic hormones.
Vegetarian food
The vegetarian food It can provide protein along with another fat profile or a lower amount of the latter nutrient, being an equally useful source of protein for hypertrophy.
Some foods we recommend are:
Soy and derivatives, with quality fats
Soy is a legume with protein in appreciable amounts and with a good amino acid profile, making it the perfect replacement for foods of animal origin if we are looking for high-quality proteins.
In addition to soybeans as such, we can turn to derivatives of this oily legume that offers polyunsaturated fats for the body such as: soy flour, textured soy, tofu or other foods rich in protein of plant origin.
Peanut and peanut butter, low in carbohydrates
The peanut as well as the peanut butter that we can make at home from this oily legume, they can be incorporated into the diet as nuts and constitute a source of vegetable proteins that are accompanied by beneficial unsaturated fats for the body.
They are alternatives with very low proportion of hydrates of carbon, therefore, they are useful if we want to gain muscle mass and burn fat at the same time.
Lentils: high fiber sources of protein
The lentils are one of the legumes with the highest protein concentration and at the same time, they are a source of carbohydrates that are also needed at the time to hypertrophy.
Other quality nutrients that lentils can offer are iron, the potassium, as well as a high proportion of B vitamins and fiber.
Beans or black beans, very low in fat
The beans or black beans They are other non-oily legumes rich in proteins, which provide complex carbohydrates at the same time. These, together with the former, are essential nutrients when it comes to gaining muscle.
They represent an alternative with very low fat and if we seek to obtain all the essential amino acids we can supplement them with cereals such as rice, corn, pasta or other ingredients.
Quinoa: a protein-packed pseudocereal
The quinoa It is a pseudocereal, that is to say that it has many similarities to cereals but at the same time it offers as much protein as a legume can provide, being at the same time very versatile to add to the diet.
As if that were not enough, it offers a minimum of unsaturated fats, lots of fiber and complex carbohydrates that will also be welcome to the hypertrophy moment as well as valuable micronutrients for the neuromuscular system such as potassium and vitamins of group B.
We can use quinoa as if it were rice to prepare various dishes with high protein content and others quality nutrients.
Seitan, derived from wheat
The seitan It is a product derived from wheat that offers a high concentration of proteins and we can incorporate the diet in replacement of meats.
Since it does not provide all the essential amino acids, we recommend accompanying your intake with legumes in order to complete the protein that this food offers and thus obtain the perfect substrate for the body to create new muscle fibers.
These are 11 foods rich in protein ideal to add to your diet if you want to gain muscle.
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