Eggs, bananas, soybeans, salmon, and beans have high protein content, helping muscles develop and recover during and after physical activity.
In addition to exercise regimen, food can impact your ability to maintain or build muscle. In particular, adding enough protein in the diet plays an important role. To gain muscle, protein intake needs to be maintained at about 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day. For example, a person weighing 68 kg needs about 109 g of protein per day.
Below are foods that provide the right amount of nutrients to build healthy muscles.
Kinds of bean
Beans are a healthy source of protein, which helps increase muscle strength. One cup of cooked beans contains 15 grams of protein. This food is rich in fiber and other essential minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, iron and B vitamins.
Soy bean
100 g of soybeans can contain about 52 g of protein. Soybeans also contain unsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals, making them a healthy alternative to meat.
Adding soybeans to your daily diet also provides iron, phosphorus, and vitamin K for the body. The iron in soybeans is very good for anemic people.
Egg
Eggs are rich in protein, healthy fats and essential nutrients like B vitamins and choline. Eggs have amino acids, especially high-quality leucine, which helps boost energy and muscle strength.
Salmon
An 85g serving of salmon contains about 17g of protein, 1.5g of omega-3 fatty acids and several important B vitamins. Protein and omega-3 fatty acids play important roles in muscle health. Eating salmon is also good for heart health, bones and skin.
Banana
Bananas are suitable to eat after exercise. Potassium helps balance electrolytes between muscle cells, improves muscle performance, and reduces the risk of muscle cramps. Eating bananas also helps reduce inflammation and replenish muscle glycogen, supporting recovery after exercise.
Chicken breast is often used to gain muscle thanks to its high protein content. An 85g serving of chicken breast has about 26.7g of high-quality protein.
Chicken breast also contains large amounts of vitamins B3 and B6. These vitamins can help the body function properly during exercise to achieve optimal muscle gain. Eating protein-rich foods like chicken after exercise can promote fat loss, which is beneficial for people who have lost weight and want to gain muscle.
Lean beef
Beef has high-quality protein, B vitamins, minerals and creatine, which support muscle gain without providing too many extra calories. 85 grams of 70% lean ground beef contains 235 calories and 16 grams of fat. This same serving size, 95% lean ground beef contains more protein but only 148 calories and 6 g of fat.
Shrimp
The body gets 19 g of protein, 1.44 g of fat and 1 g of carbs in an 85 g serving of shrimp. Like many other animal proteins, shrimp contains large amounts of the amino acid leucine, which is essential for muscle growth.