When trying to add muscle to your frame you need to understand that you have to consume more calories than your body requires to maintain your current body weight. This means you have to eat more of everything; especially protein rich foods.
Protein is important in both maintaining and building muscle. Many bodybuilders eat huge amounts of protein; some eat as much as 2g per lb of bodyweight. Others such as myself consume around 1g per lb of bodyweight.
I recommend you do whatever gets you the results and you will only know for certain what works best for you is thru trial and error. If you find eating more protein on a daily basis equals more lean muscle mass, you’d be crazy not to take full advantage that right.
I recommended that you eat every 3 hours when trying to build muscle, and you should always include a good source of protein in each of these meals. Most people spend the majority of their time at work, and it’s not always possible to have a true meal. However, a resourceful bodybuilder will be able to get his or her protein and carbs in wherever and whenever it’s needed.
Below are the bodybuilding foods I like to snack on in between meals
- Peanut butter with whole wheat or whole grain bread
- all nuts- cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts
- canned tuna
- plain yogurt (no added sugar)
- hard boiled eggs
- cold cuts with whole wheat or whole grain bread
- chicken breasts/wings
- cottage cheese with fruit
- all kinds of fruit (low in protein)
- whey protein shake with skim milk
Handful of almonds and an apple
When ever I eat fruit of any kind I like to include it with some nuts. It doesn’t get much easier than this. A handful of almonds (2 oz) can provide you with heart healthy monosaturated fats, as well as 12 grams of muscle-building protein to get you through the day.
Add in an apple and you have yourself a low-glycemic fruit that’s filled with fiber to help speed up your metabolism and provide you with energy. These two foods together, make up a complete meal with a solid ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates.
Yogurt (plain) with blueberries
is a low-carbohydrate/low sodium snack that is packed with 15 grams of quality protein. Add in a handful of blueberries and not only do you have a muscle-building snack, but one that is loaded with powerful antioxidants that help in preventing damage to your cells.
Not to mention, blueberries are a low sugar/ high fiber fruit that can stifle your sweet tooth. A lot of foods contain protein, but, the snacks I have mentioned above are certainly the best because they are unprocessed or processed in a way in which the nutritional values are preserved or enhanced.
Stay away from junk food and you’ll keep lean and you will find it easier to add pounds of muscle to your body.