Both nutrition and physical activity are critical if you want to gain lean muscle.
To get started, it’s essential to challenge your body through physical activity. However, without proper nutritional support, your progress will stall.
High-protein foods are very important for gaining muscle, but carbohydrates and fats are also necessary sources of energy.
If your goal is to gain lean muscle, you should focus on exercising regularly and eating more calories each day from muscle-building foods.
Here are 26 of the top foods for gaining lean muscle
1. Eggs
Eggs contain high-quality protein, healthy fats and other important nutrients like B vitamins and choline (1).
Proteins are made up of amino acids, and eggs contain large amounts of the amino acid leucine, which is particularly important for muscle gain (1, 2).
Also, B vitamins are critically important for a variety of processes in your body, including energy production .
2. Salmon
Salmon is a great choice for muscle building and overall health.
Each 3-ounce (85-gram) serving of salmon contains about 17 grams of protein, almost 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids and several important B vitamins (5).
Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in muscular health and may even increase muscle gain during exercise programs .
3. Chicken Breast
There’s a good reason why chicken breasts are considered a staple for gaining muscle.
They are packed with protein, with each 3-ounce (85-gram) serving containing about 26 grams of high-quality protein (7).
They also contain generous amounts of the B vitamins niacin and B6, which may be particularly important if you are active (7).
These vitamins help your body function properly during the physical activity and exercise that’s necessary for optimal muscle gain (4).
What’s more, some research has shown that higher-protein diets containing chicken may aid fat loss .
4. Greek Yogurt
Dairy not only contains high-quality protein, but also a mixture of fast-digesting whey protein and slow-digesting casein protein.
Some research has shown that people experience increases in lean mass when they consume a combination of fast- and slow-digesting dairy proteins .
However, not all dairy is created equal.
For example, Greek yogurt often contains approximately double the amount of protein as regular yogurt .
While Greek yogurt is a good snack anytime, eating it after a workout or before bed may be beneficial due to its mixture of fast- and slow-digesting proteins .
