- Combined with strength training, foods like Greek yogurt can help build muscle, one nutritionist said.
- Muscle-building diets should include foods high in protein and calories, such as salmon, he added.
- Foods like walnuts, which have Omega-3s, can reduce inflammation and soreness after a hard workout.
While no food will make you stronger, there are some foods that can help the process, according to the sports nutritionist. Angie Ashche.
Asche, the owner of Eleat Sports Nutrition, told Insider that in addition to strength training, eating higher-calorie, higher-protein foods helps muscle growth. Protein is made up of amino acids, which the body breaks down and absorbs to form muscle tissue, Insider’s Rebecca Strong previously reported. So his body needs a surplus of calories, Asche said, to fuel the muscle-building process.
Foods like full-fat Greek yogurt and salmon are high in calories and packed with protein, Asche told Insider. Avocados and tempeh are great high-protein vegan alternatives, she added.
Full-Fat Greek Yogurt Is Packed With Calories and goes well with smoothies
Full-fat Greek yogurt is a great muscle-building food because it’s high in calories and high in protein, Asche said. According to Health Line, 100 grams of full-fat yogurt has 61 calories and 3.5 grams of protein. He said the recommended amount of protein for an active person trying to build muscle is 1.6 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight (1 kilogram is about 2.2 pounds) per day. The number of calories a person on a muscle-building diet consumes depends on their height, weight, age, activity level and fitness goals, she said. Experts generally recommend eat 10 to 20% more calories than your body needs for muscle growth.
The full-fat version of yogurt has more calories, as well as healthy fats, Asche said, which help the body absorb nutrients, regulate hormones and reduce inflammation.
Greek yogurt is also incredibly versatile, he said, and can be put into foods like smoothies as a way to get more calories and protein in a ready-to-eat form.
Avocados are a calorie dense vegan option
Asche recommends avocados as another high-calorie food that can be added to a variety of meals. There are around of 250 calories in a medium avocado. Asche said he puts them in sandwiches and eggs to add some calories and fat to his food.
Avocados are also a great source of vitamin E and fiber, he added.
Fatty fish are full of protein and can reduce inflammation.
Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, herring and halibut are another great source of protein, Asche said. They’re full of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation when doing strength training, she said. Omega-3s are also an essential nutrient that the body cannot produce on its own and have been shown to help prevent heart disease and stroke. according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
These fish are also packed with healthy fats, which adds to the calorie content, Asche said.
“Gram for gram, fat has twice the calories of carbohydrates and protein, so that helps increase calories without sitting down to a big plate of food,” he said.
tempeh is more high in calories what other vegan options
Asche said that tempeh is a great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans who want to build muscle because it has more protein than other meatless options. It’s also a higher-calorie food than other high-protein foods like chickpeas or black beans, he said, so you don’t have to eat as much. According to Healthline, 1 cup of chickpeas is about 269 calorieswhile a cup of tempeh is about 315 calories.
An added bonus to tempeh is that it’s fermented soy, Asche said, meaning it has bacteria called probiotics They live inside our intestines and help us digest food.
Nuts are a protein-packed snack
Walnuts are a great snack when you’re trying to build muscle because they’re high in protein and calories, Asche said. One ounce of walnuts typically contains 173 calories.
The sports nutritionist said she recommends walnuts for their high calorie and Omega-3 content. The flavor isn’t overpowering either, so nuts can be added to smoothies and yogurt for extra calories and protein, she said.
But Asche said eating a wide variety of nuts would give you the most nutritional benefit. For example, almonds are rich in magnesium, while cashews are a good source of zinc.
