When it comes to making “top ten” lists regarding muscle-building foods, I’m not exactly the biggest advocate. I will say, though, that there ARE certain foods you should be eating, and certain TIMES you should do so. It’s more than what you eat. It’s the timing of what you eat as well. Food does in fact impact your ability to build muscle and add muscle. Contrary to what some believe, it’s not all about JUST cutting carbohydrates, or JUST cutting fat. It’s not even about how much protein you can stuff yourself with in a day - it ALL plays a part.

So Lets Cover Some Muscle Building Foods You Should Have in Your Kitchen

First, there’s yogurt. This easily digestible dairy source is full of protein. Not only is it a great protein source, it has healthy bacteria which aids in digestion when eating other foods. This is a must have in my opinion when it comes to muscle building foods. I like to eat it with fruit in the morning or before bed if I am having strong food cravings. Love ice cream? Yogurt has that same cool temperature and smooth texture.

Eggs: Eggs have the highest protein digestion rating of any natural protein source. Another one of the must have muscle building foods. Scramble them up for a very quick, easy breakfast PACKED with protein. Four to six eggs will do. Toss in some vegetables–try some onion, pepper, mushroom–and cook it up. You can even top with some salsa if you’d like. It’s rather amazing that, for the amount of protein you get, the fat content is right about where it should be. The body needs some fat to make foods absorb more gradually, thereby eliminating drastic blood glucose elevations.

Chicken Breasts: Yes, we all know animal flesh has a lot of protein in it, but chicken has it all beat hands down. Chicken is the top muscle building foods in the animal product department. Chicken breasts are so versatile. You can make an amazing assortment of foods with chicken breasts. They are a terrific thing to keep on hand. Chicken fajitas and enchiladas are two of my very favorites. For all-around muscle building foods, this Mexican favorite has EVERYTHING you need.

Rich carbs from such sources as yams, rice, oatmeal, and potatoes are also included. The thing about carbs is that they possess what we call a protein sparring effect. Your body will burn protein for energy instead of building muscle if you don’t eat carbs. This means you’re spending WAY more money on protein just for daily energy, when that’s the carb’s job! Carbs are especially crucial for naturally skinny hard gainers. I regularly remind the skinny guys to UP THE CARBS significantly if they truly wish to put on some solid, lean muscle mass.

Here’s a GREAT rule to follow. Consume NO fat immediately following your workout, but DO eat simple carbohydrates.

Basically, post-workout is the time for carbs that break down quickly. Avoid anything containing fat in the food or drink you ingest right after training. You want the muscle to quickly absorb the nutrients during this period of time and fat will slow down this process.

You still need fat, but you’ll get it at OTHER times of the day.

Post-training, you don’t want your body’s ability to soak up nutrients to be compromised. But the rest of the day, you actually do. If you don’t eat fat, then your body will soak up what you eat very quickly. As a matter of fact, your body’s pace will beat the rate that you can actually use them. So then your blood sugar rises and drops. This isn’t good for your dieting efforts overall. But if you throw in a bit of fat with your meal, your body will stay steady. You will also get more out of the food you eat since it will absorb at a slow and steady rate.

Summary: Obviously there are a lot more muscle building foods than what I mentioned here, but this is a great start.

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