By Josephine Agbonkhese 

Ready to build some serious muscle for a stronger and healthier body? Then you better be ready to eat like it.

All the hours on the treadmill, push-ups, jumping jacks and squats in the universe won’t get you very far unless you’re consuming muscle-building foods rich in lean protein. 

As you aim for a toned body, prioritise these protein-rich foods to be sure your body gets everything it needs to capitalise on all your hard work in the gym.

Shrimps

Shrimps are almost pure protein, and also contain healthy fats and carbs. 

Adding some shrimps to your diet is therefore an easy way to get muscle building protein without too many additional calories.

Like many other animal proteins, shrimps contain a high amount of the amino acid leucine, which is necessary for optimal muscle growth.

Eggs

Eggs are highly recommended for staying healthy, especially for building serious muscle. The cholesterol found in egg yolks serves at the scaffolding for steroid hormones, and the half a gram of leucine in each egg is like throwing gasoline on your muscle-building fire.

Milk

Milk provides a mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

Similar to other dairy products, milk contains both fast- and slow-digesting proteins which are thought to be beneficial for muscle growth. 

Nuts

Nuts are a must for you if you must gain some extra muscle weight.  They are the perfect blend of protein, fats, and fiber, allowing you to get the extra calories you need without impacting negatively on your waistline.

Nuts such as cashew and almonds also contain high quality calories; that makes them a good snack option. Remember, they’re also portable to carry around.

Protein Shake

This should be your regular before any workout. This power nutrition combination, research says, puts the brakes on excess muscle breakdown, jacks up protein synthesis, rapidly refills stores of muscle energy, increases blood flow to your muscles, up-regulates creatine transport, and improves your body’s ability to process and use carbohydrates for hours following your workout.

Lean Beef

Still wondering why beef has, for decades, remained one of the most popular muscle-building foods?

It contains a muscle-building combination of protein like essential amino acids, B-vitamins, and creatine. Beef also contains a mixture of saturated fat, which can support healthy testosterone levels, and monounsaturated fat, for heart health. 

Tuna

In addition to containing the highest amount of protein of all fishes, tuna contains high amounts of vitamin A and several B vitamins, including B12, niacin, and B6. These nutrients are important for optimal health, energy, and exercise performance 

Chicken breast 

Chicken breast, as well as turkey breast, provide you loads of protein.

They also contain generous amounts of the B vitamins niacin and B6, which may be particularly important if you are active. 

Beans

Beans should be your secret mass-building weapon. Many different types of beans can be part of your diet. This is because most beans contain protein, as well as a good amount of slow-digesting quality carbohydrates. 

Plain Greek Yogurt

Like meat, Greek yogurt has all the essential amino acids. Its fluid properties cause your body to digest it faster, which supports muscle growth. It’s also a good source of calcium, which is needed for muscle contraction and signaling, and vitamin D, which supports those functions.