List of foods to help build muscle & bull; hello healthy

Muscle is one of the things that men pay attention to in general. They want to look dashing so they do lots of muscle building exercises. However, what is also very important to note in supporting muscle building is the intake of nutrients as nourishment for muscle cells.

Muscle cells need nutrients as energy to carry out activities. Not only protein that is needed by muscles, carbohydrates and fat are also needed to support muscle building. These three macro nutrients are needed by muscles for their growth.

Building muscle does need protein, but…

When you want to build muscle, you will eat more foods that are high in protein. However, the protein that the body needs is as much as 10-35% of total calories. Muscle building does not require additional protein intake. Research shows that consuming large amounts of protein, more than what the body needs, is useless and can actually harm the body. Some protein foods that can help build muscle are:

1. Egg. Eggs are a good source of protein for the body. This protein is very useful for muscle growth. However, eggs also contain cholesterol in the yolks. 0.5 grams of the amino acid leucine in eggs is a good source of energy for muscles. Leucine is the most important amino acid in building muscle.
2. Beef. Beef is the best food for muscle building. Meat contains essential amino acids, B vitamins, and creatine which can increase muscle mass. However, choose beef that does not contain a lot of fat.
3. Nuts. Nuts contain protein, fat and fiber. Nuts can be a good snack for those of you who want to increase your calorie intake.
4. Chicken meat also contains protein which is good for muscle growth. Chicken contains less fat than beef. However, you should still choose chicken that contains less fat. Better yet, if you serve it by boiling it, not frying it, because the oil in fried chicken increases your intake of fat which is not good for the body.
5. Yogurt contains protein and probiotics. Probiotics can increase the number of good bacteria in the intestine so that it is good for the health of the digestive system. These probiotics help the digestive system to break down and absorb nutrients from the food you eat.
6. Tempe. This typical Indonesian food has a rich nutritional content. Tempe provides 41% of your daily protein needs. In contrast to other protein food sources which are also high in fat, tempeh only contains very little fat.
7. Soybeans. Soybeans are a source of vegetable protein which has a high leucine content. Leucine is an amino acid that is needed in building muscle.

Are carbohydrates needed to build muscle?

Carbohydrates are also important nutrients that provide energy for muscles. Carbohydrates will be converted into glycogen which is stored in the muscles, and will be used as energy for the muscles to move during the activity. Although carbohydrates are important for muscle, you should still choose carbohydrates that are low in fat, such as whole grain breads and whole grain cereals. Low-fat milk, yogurt, fruits, and vegetables are also good sources of carbohydrates for muscle building.

It is better to avoid carbohydrates that contain high fiber before and during exercise because fiber is difficult for the body to digest so it cannot immediately provide energy for the body to do exercise.

Don't avoid fat

Although you may limit your fat intake when you want to build muscle, the body still needs fat. Fat intake to the body must meet 20-35% of the total calories consumed per day. Choose healthy types of fat, such as avocado, almonds, walnuts, fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines, canola oil, olive oil, and others. Remember that fat contains 2 times the calories than carbohydrates and protein (fat: 9 calories, carbohydrates: 4 calories, protein: 4 calories), so you must pay attention to the portions. Here are some examples of fat sources that can help build muscle:

1. Almond butter. Almond butter has a good taste and also contains vitamin B2 and vitamin E which are good for the immune system. Almond butter has a better ratio of fat to protein than peanut butter.
2. Salmon have protein and fat that are good for the body. Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce muscle breakdown when the amino acid breakdown capacity is increased. This is beneficial because muscles can store more protein for muscle building. If you don't like fish, you can take fish oil supplements to get the benefits of fish.

Doing sports supported by a good diet can accelerate muscle building. A diet consisting of 5 to 6 meals per day in small portions and on a balanced diet can provide energy for growth and muscle building.

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