When it comes to gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time, you are going to have to take a hard look into your diet and see if what you are eating is really helping you meet this goal. In this article, I am going to provide you with 10 superfoods that will build muscle and burn fat!
By getting all the right nutrients into your body, you can help this goal. The amounts of which nutrients you get from foods and supplements will change with your goal as well. Today we are talking about losing fat and building solid muscle at the same time. During this type of goal, protein will be one of your best friends and this is why..
Protein is going to help you build and repair damaged muscles from working out. Protein also has what I call a “special power”. Protein is thermogenic which means that it can basically burn fat from using more energy to digest it. So this is why I say that protein may help the most but not only protein should make up your diet, it’s a mix of that and other things like veggies, carbs and fats still. So here is my list for you:
1) Whole eggs- this is a great source of protein, usually caring around 7-9 grams of protein per egg. These will boost your metabolism which will help with burning fat while getting a decent amount of protein.
2) Bison- this is in my list because again, this is a very lean protein with about 20-30 grams in about 6-8 oz. With it being a red meat, this will also carry things such as vitamin B12, iron, creatine and zinc. Those things will help excel what the protein does with it being a food instead of supplement.
3) Green tea- this may not be a food but will still give you a large amount of healthy benefits! Drinking ONE cup of green tea can burn up to 100 calories! An article form diyactive.com over thermogenic foods had this statement from Dr. Burns : “it helps to block receptors from making fat” “It pushes food through our digestive tract, inhibiting amylase which aids in the digestion of carbs (meaning you’ll get hungry more quickly)” Not only does this aid us in fat lose but helps memory and fights against cancers as well!
4) Salmon- salmon and other fish can help with being very rich in protein and healthy fats! Remember we don’t just need the protein to make this work but other healthy macronutrients as well! Healthy fats are crucial for our heart health and brain function. Eating salmon and other fish usually will offer a lower caloric intake than some other meats out there, which in-turn can help lose weight after a while.
5) Broccoli- this should be one of your main goto veggies for weight loss. 6oz of broccoli may contain only about 50-60 calories! It also offers great benefits because it fights cancer and is high in fiber which also helps with weight loss.
6) Apples- “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and in this case it keeps the weight away too! Apples are full something called pectin, which will limit the amount of fat your cells in your body can absorb. These will also help you feel full longer by the amount of fiber in them as well as the vitamins.
7) Beans- As I have said in a few foods on the list, fiber is a positive and will help you have the “full stomach” feeling for a longer period of time. Beans are loaded in fiber and protein which is just what we are looking for! Mix the beans and meat together for a meal chock-full of protein and fiber to help reach your goal!
8) Whey protein supplement- I know that this is not a food but there are all kinds of protein blends out there so I want to give you a helpful tip when picking some out for building muscle and burning fat. It is packed full of protein and usually should have a lower number of carbohydrates and sugars. Whey protein is thermogenic like we talked about earlier and can be added into your nutritional eating plan as a snack. I usually recommend it being consumed along with a piece of fruit.
9) Whole oats- Whole grain carbohydrates can be one of many tools in the fat burning shed. When eating a “whole”food like whole oats, this will burn twice the amount of calories just to digest the food! So I would recommend whole oats for breakfast.
10) Hot peppers- this one is kinda funny because HOT peppers BURN fat haaa. On a real note, by including hot peppers into your diet this will actually increase your body temperature which can be why some of us sweat when eating them. This is another way to increase thermogenesis in the body which aids the fat loss part. Hot peppers contain something called capsaicin. This helps with everything I mentioned above and suppresses the appetite as well.
This is my list of 10 foods that will help you build muscle and lose fat! Mix and match some of these into your diet and see what results you get!
-Alex Costa-
costafitness 