Best Foods To Eat To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time
If you’re wondering what are the best foods to eat to gain muscle mass and, at the same time, lose fat mass, we’ve got you covered. These six foods are the best when it comes to shaping a jaw-dropping body.
Building muscle through exercise while on a high-protein low-calorie diet makes you lose body fat faster, states a study from McMaster University. (1)
What’s important here is that this particular combination of weight loss factors also helps increasing your lean muscle mass.
Doing the same thing with a different kind of diet won’t lead to that result, though you’ll still burn some fat.
That’s why it’s essential to make sure your muscle-building diet is filled with the right foods.
Best Foods To Eat To Gain Muscle And Lose Weight
Here are 6 of the best foods to eat to gain muscle mass and also burn all the unwanted fat:
1. Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein that your body digests slowly so you fill full longer.
Unlike the majority of dairy products, this one is easier on your stomach and it’s practically pure protein.
Cottage cheese has low levels of carbs and fats by default but it’s still very satiating.
Most importantly, it’s a good source of calcium, which boosts weight loss and strengthens your bones. This is essential for resistance training.
2. Salmon And Tuna
You need a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids and other healthy fats in your lean muscle-building diet. And salmon and tuna are some of the best.
These types of fish do not only provide you with the essential good fats. They are also rich in protein and multiple B vitamins (including B12).
Eat at least one serving of salmon and tuna two times a week in order to give your body the Omega 3 it needs.
These fatty acids will help reduce inflammation and speed up your post-workout recovery.
3. Eggs
You already know that eggs are one of the best foods to eat to gain muscle. What’s more, eggs are also a “must-have” on every list of what to eat to lose weight.
A lean muscle-building diet cannot go without them because they are the best source of protein you can find, alongside B vitamins and choline.
Eating eggs for breakfast has been shown to provide significant weight loss benefits because this food helps suppress appetite.
Eggs contain a variety of proteins, but they have a particularly high level of leucine, one of the most important ingredients for growing lean muscle mass that will replace your body fat.
4. Legumes
All legumes are good for you, especially for heart and metabolic health, as prove multiple studies you can read about in a meta-analysis published in Clinical Diabetes journal. (2)
Adding 1-2 servings of legumes will help keep your vessels healthy and your blood pressure normal.
It’s very important for any person doing resistance training, as lifting weights makes your blood pressure rise and taxes your heart.
Legumes are also an excellent source of plant-based proteins that are easier for the body to process.
They have dietary fiber to go with them, which helps you feel satiated.
Vegans and vegetarians can even use powdered legumes as an alternative to whey protein powders in their sports shakes.
5. Quinoa
While quinoa doesn’t have as much protein as the foods listed above, it still provides a good boost to your lean muscle-building diet.
It’s also a complex carb that will supply your body with energy for a long time. This is very beneficial for “fuelling” your weight-lifting workouts.
It’s also believed that quinoa can affect IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1). This factor plays a major role in muscle growth.
So quinoa is also one of the best foods to eat to gain muscle mass and shed some pounds at the same time.
6. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt has more protein than milk or regular yogurt.
It also contains large amounts of casein protein, same as cottage cheese. This particular protein takes a while to digest but serves as an excellent fuel for consistent muscle growth.
Greek yogurt also has some fast-digesting proteins and the mix makes it more efficient for increasing your lean muscle mass.
As your strength training will help burn fat, replacing it with lean muscle mass will see your body reshape itself beautifully.
Making these protein-rich foods the main components of your diet will help build up those muscles faster.
