I am not someone who necessarily believes in making a top 10 muscle building foods list. What I would rather do is list good quality sources of foods and when to eat these foods. It’s not as cut and dry as just knowing WHAT muscle building foods to eat. Knowing WHEN to eat them is EVERY BIT as important! Contrary to what some believe, it’s not all about JUST cutting carbohydrates, or JUST cutting fat. It’s not even about how much protein you can stuff yourself with in a day - it ALL plays a part.

So Lets Cover Some Musclebuilding Foods You Should Have in Your Kitchen

First, there’s yogurt. This easily digestible dairy source is full of protein. It’s a food that allows the body’s digestive system to work properly and efficiently. But it is also a tremendous source of protein for your body. If I were making a must-have list of muscle building foods, this would definitely be on my list. Pair some yogurt with some delicious fruit and this will stave off cravings for sweets. I enjoy yogurt and fruit to start my day every morning. Love ice cream? Yogurt has that same cool temperature and smooth texture.

Eggs: You simply cannot beat eggs for protein. They have more digestible protein than any other natural protein source. Eggs are simply one of those muscle building foods you NEED! Scramble them up for a very quick, easy breakfast PACKED with protein. Take half a dozen eggs and slip them into a bowl. Whisk them into a frenzy. Throw in some sweet or hot peppers, onions, or even some broccoli is good. It’s rather amazing that, for the amount of protein you get, the fat content is right about where it should be. The body needs some fat to make foods absorb more gradually, thereby eliminating drastic blood glucose elevations.

Chicken Breasts: Yes, we all know animal flesh has a lot of protein in it, but chicken has it all beat hands down. Chicken is the top muscle building foods in the animal product department. Chicken breasts are so versatile. You can make an amazing assortment of foods with chicken breasts. They are a terrific thing to keep on hand. Chicken fajitas as just about as good as it gets. This mexican dish is almost a perfect muscle building meal.

Rice, Potatoes, and Yams: Surprised to see these listed here? Lots of people have thrown carbs under the bus in the news recently. Stop listening to people saying, “all carbs are bad!” These sources actually provide essential nutrients that make protein do its job better. Your body will burn protein for energy instead of building muscle if you don’t eat carbs. This means you’re spending WAY more money on protein just for daily energy, when that’s the carb’s job! If you tend to be slender and have a hard time gaining weight, then you especially need to consume carbs. I always recommend that guys who fit this description to increase their carb intake dramatically when they are trying to gain muscle.

Eat Simple Carbs and Fat Free Meals Right After Training

As soon as you stop training, your body should be digesting simple sugars that you eat. Avoid anything containing fat in the food or drink you ingest right after training. As previously mentioned, fat slows absorption of vital nutrients into your muscles. So, you obviously you would do well to eat foods that break down faster at this critical time.

The rest of the day, consume fat in your diet

Consume moderate amounts of fat throughout the day, NOT following your workout. The problem with eating fat-free meals is that your body tends to absorb those meals at a faster rate than your body can use them. What happens is you get a strong blood sugar spike and then a crash. Adding a little bit of fat to your meals insures steady energy. You will also get more out of the food you eat since it will absorb at a slow and steady rate.

Of course, WAY too many musclebuilding foods - really GOOD ones - exist to list them all, but this will certainly get you off on the right path!