The foods to gain muscle mass are the rich in proteins like meats, eggs and legumes like beans and peanuts, for example. But in addition to protein, the body also needs plenty of energy and good fats, which are found in foods like salmon, tuna and avocado.
These foods help to give more energy to the training and to provide the proteins for the formation of the muscles, contributing to generate muscular hypertrophy.
10 Foods to Gain Muscle Mass
The best foods to gain muscle and that can not be lacking in a diet for hypertrophy are:
- Chicken: is rich in protein and easy to be used in both main meals and snacks;
- Meats: all meats are rich in protein and iron, nutrients that stimulate hypertrophy and increase the amount of oxygen in the muscles;
- Salmon: in addition to protein, it is rich in omega 3, a good fat with anti-inflammatory effect, which helps in muscle recovery;
- Egg: besides being a great source of proteins, it also contains iron and B vitamins, which improve the oxygenation of the muscles and favor their growth;
- Cheeses: especially cheeses rich in fat, such as mines and rennet, as they greatly increase the calories of the diet and are also rich in protein;
- Peanut: rich in proteins and B-complex vitamins, in addition to antioxidants that favor muscle recovery in the post-workout;
- Tuna: rich in omega-3 and easy to use, it is a source of good proteins and fats that can be used in snacks or in post-workout;
- Avocado: Excellent source of calories and good fats, increasing the amount of energy and antioxidants deita. It can be added in the lunch salad or in vitamins in the pre or post workout;
- Milk: rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, important minerals to stimulate muscle contraction and increase training yield;
- Beans: A great source of vegetable protein, it is even richer when consumed along with rice in the main meals as it provides a good combination of amino acids for the muscles.
The ideal in a diet to gain muscle mass is that all meals have good sources of protein, and it is necessary to include foods such as cheeses, eggs, yogurts and meats in snacks. This strategy provides a good amount of amino acids to the muscles throughout the day, favoring hypertrophy. See a complete list in: Foods rich in protein.
Watch the video and see how to gain muscle mass:
Nutritional information of foods for hypertrophy
The following table shows the amount of calories, proteins and fats for the 10 foods indicated for hypertrophy:
| Food | Calories | Proteins | Fat |
| Chicken breast | 163 kcal | 31.4 g | 3.1 g |
| Meat, duckling | 219 kcal | 35.9 g | 7.3 g |
| Grilled salmon | 242 kcal | 26.1 g | 14.5 g |
| Cooked egg (1 UND) | 73 kcal | 6.6 g | 4.7 g |
| Minas cheese | 240 kcal | 17.6 g | 14.1 g |
| Peanut | 567 kcal | 25.8 g | 492 g |
| Tuna fish | 166 kcal | 26 g | 6 g |
| Avocado | 96 kcal | 1.2 g | 8.4 g |
| milk | 60 kcal | 3 g | 3 g |
| Bean | 76 kcal | 4.7 kcal | 0.5 g |
These foods are easy to include in your daily diet and should be consumed along with good sources of carbohydrates such as rice, whole noodles, fruits and whole grain bread.
Supplements to gain muscle mass
The most commonly used supplements to gain muscle are Whey Protein, which is made from whey protein, and Creatine, which is an amino acid compound that works from the energy reserve to the muscle and stimulates its hypertrophy.
It is important to remember that these and other supplements should be consumed according to the orientation of the nutritionist, which will indicate the best and which quantity to be used according to the characteristics and the type of training of each person. Learn more at: Supplements to gain muscle mass.
