Top 10 Muscle-Building Foods

By Drew Stegman

If you're trying to gain muscle then obviously your main goal will be to get bigger. Although your main goal should be to get bigger, your goal should NOT be to get fatter. Many bodybuilders take the traditional "bulking and cutting" technique to build muscle, but that approach is completely wrong.

Here are your top 10 muscle building foods...

1. Milk

If you're a fan of milk then go for it. I'm not a big fan of milk myself, but many bodybuilders swear by it and it's packed with 8 grams of protein per glass.

One of my clients drank an entire gallon of milk each day over the course of 3 months and built 7lbs of lean mass!

2. Meat

Meat is the highest quality protein source known to man. My personal favorites are steak, chicken, lean beef and pork. I'm not a big fan of WalMart, but I personally buy my steaks from them for the simple reason that they're cheap….very cheap. The average steak at WalMart will cost you about $4-5.

Although the steaks aren't your top of the line sirloin, they still taste great and you can't go wrong with the price!

3. Whole Wheat Pasta

Pasta makes for a high calorie meal and it is also high in carbs, so it makes for a very good muscle building meal. If you're concerned about your health, stick with whole wheat pasta.

Mix your pasta with some cream sauce, drizzle it in some olive oil and top it off with some Parmesan cheese and you've got a meal that easily hits the 1000+ calorie mark.

4. Natural Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a great way to get some high quality calories fast, since a couple of tablespoons easily reach beyond the 200 calorie mark. Many skinny guys have trouble getting enough calories each day, so including some peanut butter in your diet will help you reach that number.

I personally love a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread. I also love mixing peanut butter in with my protein shakes.

It's always better to go with the natural version of peanut butter, to prevent unwanted preservatives and trans fats.

5. Nuts

How could you not love nuts? Especially almonds and walnuts. Packed with healthy fats and protein, these make for a great high calorie meal when you're in a rush. A single serving of nuts contains anywhere from 150-200 calories. By simply eating a few servings per day you can easily add over 800 calories to your total calorie intake.

6. Olive Oil

Olive oil is also high in healthy fats and is high in calories as well - a single tablespoon contains 120 calories. You can cook olive oil with just about anything and if you really want to get extreme, you can simply pour some by itself straight out of the bottle. You can also add a couple tablespoons to your protein shake.

7. Eggs

Eggs and bacon are my favorite breakfast in the world! They're incredibly easy to make and with 6 grams of protein per egg, you can't go wrong. Eggs are also packed with healthy fats and if you haven't figured out by now, fat is necessary for testosterone production. Eat more fat and your testosterone levels are sure to go through the roof!

Eggs are also incredibly nutritious and are very cheap -averaging just $2 a dozen.

8. Fish

Fish is a great muscle building and fat loss food. It's all about how much you eat. If you're trying to gain muscle, you're obviously gonna go with the 10oz version. On the contrary, if you're trying to lose fat, go with the 4oz version. Fish is packed with a ton of Omega-3's and is extremely high in protein.

Unfortunately, fish is on the pricey side and some people just plain hate the stuff!

9. Brown Rice

I love brown rice post workout and you should too. Brown rice can be eaten as a teriyaki dish, with steamed vegetables or even by itself. One cup of brown rice is about 300 calories.

10. Potatoes

Whether it be baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or hashbrowns, the potato is a very versatile muscle building food.

Conclusion

All of the foods above are NATURAL foods. You won't find anything processed above.

Many bodybuilders might try telling you that it's important to eat "6 small, well-balanced meals per day", but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you will gain just as much muscle eating 1-2 large meals per day instead.

Remember, you don't have to get fat to gain muscle. You don't need a ridiculous amount of calories, you just need a sufficient amount - there's a huge difference. Don't even try eating 4,000-6,000 calories per day like some guys recommend, or you'll simply end up getting fat! Sure it's true that you need calories to gain muscle, but what goes around comes around.

So if you constantly overload your body with calories it doesn't need, you're going to wake up one day and find out you're 10lbs heavier, just one problem - it will all be pure belly fat!

Can you gain muscle on 3 meals a day?

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