Your fitness journey of weight loss and muscle gain can be a rocky one, but without the daily consumption of nutritious foods that promote your goal, you will find it more difficult to reach.
Discovering the muscle-gaining foods that are right for you is easy. Even simply adding a side of brown rice to your dinner or sprinkling a few almonds onto your yogurt parfait can help bring you closer to your goal!
1. Salmon, Tuna & Tilapia
Fish are well-known for their mega-3 fatty acids and heart-healthy benefits. Adding one of these three fish to your meals throughout your fitness journey will help promote weight loss and muscle gain, mainly due to this foods ability to reduce inflammation and help reduce the production of cortisol.
Cortisol works within our bodies as a stress hormone that increases the storage of fat, so reducing this pesky problem can help set you on track for your fitness goal. While this fish prevents weight gain, it also provides both heart and muscle support, promoting your ability to gain muscle.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
This unique food can strongly effect your appetite and works as a popular hunger-reducer for fitness fanatics looking to lose weight and gain muscle. Along with this natural way of managing your cravings, apple cider vinegar also contains acetic acids which promotes the decrease of stomach fat and helps your body lose it.
Adding just a few drops to your water, taking a quick shot or sprinkling some in your yogurt is a great way to subtly mute your daily cravings and bring you closer to your fitness goal.
3. Quinoa
Quinoa is the perfect additive to your salads, lunches or just as a quick snack in between meals. Eating some quinoa on the daily is an efficient way to consistently keep your body energized and ready for fitness. Because of the high amount of carbohydrates in quinoa, these carbs prevent your body from losing stamina throughout the day, allowing a strong and constant stability for workouts.
Along with this pro, quinoa also helps with cholesterol, blood sugar levels, risk of heart disease and diabetes. The richness of antioxidants within the quinoa lowers these risks, as well as protecting any possible damage to your body. Therefore, what’s the harm in adding a dash of quinoa to your afternoon salad?
4. Legumes & Beans
Legumes and beans consist of edamames, chickpeas, kidney beans and more, and they all have a strong tendency to improve muscle strength while providing a healthy amount of protein to your body. Other benefits include high plant protein, fiber, B-vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium and much more.
Any naturally nutritious vegetable such as legumes and beans, strongly promote your body for fitness and stability. Edamames primarily increase muscle strength, making this legume the perfect addition to a bowl of soup, rice or as a dinner side.
5. Lean Beef, Turkey & Chicken
Beef is an essential source of protein to consistently consume during your fitness journey, and choosing the right ones can rapidly improve your workouts, and your workout results. Lean beef is a go-to for gym junkies due to it being one of the best meats for muscle growth.
Consuming lean, red meat is linked to a gain of lean mass, and is a great choice because of its low calories. While red meat promotes muscle gain, white meat such as chicken breast is considered one of the best options for promoting weight loss. It also acts as a go-to protein source for body builders and is the easiest and mot familiar to cook with.
While these meats both aid in positive ways, turkey aids both. Because of the low calorie intake that comes along with eating turkey and its high protein, it makes for the perfect fitness meal.
6. Almonds & Peanuts
Inside almonds and peanuts you will find a nutritious variety of high protein, fiber, vitamins and healthy fat content that assist in the increase of weight loss. These nuts efficiently burn calories and give you a natural metabolism boost that anyone looking to lose weight wants.
Almonds also uphold a similar role to apple cider vinegar and help lower your feelings of hunger, by increasing your feelings of fullness. Therefore, adding a few scoops of almonds or eating a handful in between meals is a methodical plan to help reach your fitness goal.
7. Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a delicious snack that most love, and because of its richness in dietary protein and fullness effect, it is all the more loved by those looking to lose weight.
Greek yogurt is a high protein dairy snack that simultaneously causes a feeling a fullness while fueling your body with nutrients. The meal is desired by those working out to lose weight because of this hunger-reducing effect, plus, it tastes delightful!
8. Green Tea
Filled with caffeine and an antioxidant called catechin, green tea constructively helps your body speed up its metabolism and break down any extra fat that your body doesn’t need. A type of flavonoid in the ingredients of green tea called catechin works as a compound antioxidant that strongly supports your metabolism growth while also increasing how much fat your body uses.
Along with these metabolistic pros, this delicious tea also targets potentially harmful fat in your abdomen that can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many other diseases. According to studies, this tea has been linked to burning an additional 75-100 calories per day, making your fitness weight loss journey all the more merrier.
Losing weight and burning fat can seem like a strenuous task, but adding a few naturally nutritious foods can make it a swifter experience. Making the stand to take that procrastinated grocery store trip and purchase some turkey, almonds and edamames can surprisingly make a vast difference during your fitness journey.
These delightful and nutritive foods are flavorsome as well, making it an experience you can enjoy!