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Foods to Eat for Lean Muscle

By Rosalie BennotoPosted on
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Raw Egg

5 Foods Women Should Eat to Gain Lean Muscle.

The term dieting always gets me, when people mention weight loss I always cringe, I used to go on diets only to end up with less muscle and a bit more body fat. In this article, I will tell you about the best 5 foods to eat for lean muscle.

When I was searching for the foods to eat for lean muscle, I found there were so many fluff articles, many of them seemed so generic, and suggested a lot of foods I could eat but they were just not practical.

While many suggest fresh salmon and other types of seafood they just aren’t practical. Without a doubt, salmon is packed full of nutrients but it’s expensive and not always available.

I feel my list of foods to help you gain lean muscle is more down to earth and things that in most countries are readily available.

I feel a lot of women are just like me, many have full-time jobs and they cant always focus 100% on their nutrition, so the easier you make your meal plan the easier it will be to follow.

A word about fats

One of the biggest issues I struggled with was understanding fats.

Every article I read would say you need to avoid fats. This is true to some degree, however, not all fats are the same.

While it is true we do gain weight from eating unnatural fats there are fats we need to consume even when trying to gain lean muscle.

Fat is one of the macronutrients you need to make available to the body, the other two are carbohydrates and proteins.

Fats are classified as:

  • Monounsaturated
  • Polyunsaturated
  • Trans
  • Saturated

Monounsaturated fats are synthesized by the liver, these are found in things like almonds, avocados, cashews, pecans, and olive oil.

Monounsaturated fats help promote weight loss, help maintain a healthy memory, and protect things like cardiovascular disease.

Polyunsaturated fats

These come from the food you eat, these kinds of fats are considered essential and are some of the more talked about fats when it comes to gaining lean muscle.


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These fats include omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, when these fats are consumed equally they can have a positive benefit on preventing certain illnesses which include preventing cardiovascular disease, improved brain function, and reducing inflammation.

Saturated fats

These are good fats that are healthy when consumed in moderation these fats come from dairy products, meats as well as coconut and palm oils.

While saturated fats have had a bad reputation in the fat recent studies have shown that if consumed in normal amounts they can help increase HGL (good cholesterol) and reduce LDL (bad cholesterol).

The reason I wanted to discuss a little about fats is that some of the foods you will be eating will contain healthy fats you will need for energy and overall health.

Trans fats

These are the bad fats and the ones that cause people to gain weight and contribute to poor health.

Many of the diseases we suffer from today are caused by trans fats, these are the foods many of us like to eat, unfortunately, most of these foods are not healthy.

Trans fats are usually in the form of fried foods, fast foods, and most things processed. These are the kind of fats we should avoid whenever possible.

Eating for muscle

Certain foods offer more benefits for gaining muscle for others the ones below are some of the ones you may want to consider in order to lower body fat and main a well-sculpted body

Our muscles thrive on protein and that’s because it is important for repairing muscle.

Not only does protein help you gain muscle it also helps you burn more calories by boosting your metabolism.

Since protein is harder to digest which is not a bad thing because it helps burn more calories in the process.

1. Chicken

One of the most popular protein sources you hear everyone talk about is lean chicken.

A cooked skinless chicken breast contains 31 grams of protein per 100-gram serving.  Not only is it high in protein it is also filling.

2. Eggs

Eggs are easy to prepare and affordable, there are so many creative things you can do with eggs making them a staple among bodybuilders.

A whole egg contains 5-6 grams of protein and about 60 calories, egg protein has a high biological value making it one of the best muscle foods around.

There are many ways you can prepare eggs including scrambled, fried, and poached eggs. My favorite meal is making them in an omelet with sauteed bell pepper and mushrooms and maybe some lean ground turkey.

3. Peanut butter

There are some foods that contain a good balance of carbohydrates as well as healthy fats and protein.

Peanuts butter for example contain a balance of protein, carbs, fat, and amino acids.

All-natural peanut butter is not only filling it can make a good pre-workout meal when spread on a piece of whole-wheat toast or accompanied with celery sticks.

Peanut butter keeps you full longer and gives you energy.

2 tablespoons of peanut butter(32 grams) have 190 calories and contain 7 g of protein, 190g of potassium, this is one of my favorite pre-workout foods not only does it give me energy and keeps me full.

4. Fish

There are many different kinds of fish, many of them contain healthy fats are loaded with protein, for example, 100 grams of salmon contains 25 g of protein. Salmon also has healthy amounts of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D.

5. Oysters

While a lot of women may snub their nose at oysters, there is a lot to be said about the nutritional value they offer for building muscle.

Oysters are packed with essential minerals such as Zinc and magnesium. 100 grams of cooked Pacific oysters contain 20 grams of protein and only 5 grams of fat making oysters the perfect food for gaining lean muscle.

Final thoughts

While there are dozens of protein-rich foods, these are my favorite foods to eat for lean muscle and the ones that have helped me maintain a lean and toned body.

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