Best Foods To Help You Gain Weight

A workout itself is not sufficient to build a perfect body, knowing the foods that help to gain muscles is of the utmost importance. Here are some best Foods To Help You Gain Weight.

Most of the sportsmen plan their menu in accordance with their tasks and set goals. Everything is clear as day if we talk about losing weight, there is a whole lot of info on this topic. But little is known about what products should be consumed to get the muscles growing.

Here I give you TOP-5 foods necessary for building a menu of the athletes that want to increase their muscle mass and keep healthy:

1. Avocado.

Besides 100g of avocado contains 160 calories, it boosts collagen synthesis and has big values of vitamins and minerals. It is definitely worth including in your basic menu.  

Despite avocado belongs to fruit, everyone has already got used to considering it as a product rich in fatty acids. The absence of fructose is another thing that differentiates it from other fruit and increases its value.

The big amount of fibers in avocado also plays a key role, as the proper functioning of the intestine and nutrients absorption have a significant impact on athlete’s health. It also contains an amino acid that launches the liver detox function.

This product also helps to support the immune system and it possesses certain antimicrobial features. Not only is avocado healthy, but it’s also very delicious, though for many it doesn’t have a brightly expressed taste. There are many other variants of serving other than adding it to complex dishes, you may mix it up with other fruits and berries to make your favorite dessert or even eat it separately. Also, it is a great ingredient of a healthy smoothie.  

2. Dates.

Just a few good meaty dates can contain up to 300 calories. This is a fine source of carbohydrates and energy. Dates are rich in copper, iron and B6 vitamin that are crucial both for muscle growth and nervous system health. They might be used as natural sweeteners to complement your dishes, or in combination with nuts or nut butter to increase the energy and calorific value of the daily menu.

3. Bananas.

It’s no surprise why exactly this fruit plays such an important role in an athlete’s diet. Banana is a great source of carbohydrates (21g per 100g), potassium, B6 vitamin, magnesium and fiber. This product contributes to the health of the gastrointestinal tract and good nervous system functioning. Its pleasant taste makes it an appropriate ingredient for any dish, or, it might be used as a snack solely if nothing else happened to be at hand. Combine banana with avocado and you will increase the calorific value of the meal, easily get satiated and receive a plethora of beneficial nutrients.

4. Nuts.

Any nut, whether it is almond, Brazilian nut or hazelnut is abundant with unsaturated fatty acids, zinc and, which is most important, calories. Only 100g of nuts contain 500-700 calories, they are filling, delicious and healthy, providing the body with a sufficient energy supply. They also include coconut, which, besides all its merits, plays an important role in forming up the intestinal microflora. 

Nuts contain a good amount of healthy unsaturated fatty acids and a low level of saturated fatty acids (except pili, Brazilian and macadamia nuts). There is a fair amount of omega-3 fatty acids in a form of alpha-linolenic acid. The plant protein percentage in nuts is also rather high (26g per 100g) as well as that of carbohydrates (15-30g per 100g).

Some nut types are rich in B-group vitamins and some contain K or E vitamins. Nuts have a big quantity of non-heme iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, calcium, copper, phosphorous, and manganese. By the way, there is almost no sodium in unsalted nuts, which is surely good for health.

Besides all the aforementioned, nuts are a good source of fiber and various phytochemical substances such as plant sterols that positively affect health condition by lowering the levels of the «bad» cholesterol.

Dried nuts are better than fried ones. Nuts are usually fried to improve their taste and flavor and to get a crunchy texture. But the certain amounts of B-group vitamins are lost in the process due to high temperatures. This is the first drawback of frying nuts.

The second is the damaging impact of high-temperature processing upon fatty acids in nuts. This can lead to the formation of free radicals that are capable of injuring our body cells. Oxidized, rancid fat adds bitterness and unpleasant odor to nuts.

The third is acrylamide – a potentially carcinogenic chemical substance that is generated by some nuts (pistachios, almond) during the frying process.

Considering all the aforementioned it becomes clear that nuts are better dried than fried, thus you’ll squeeze out a maximum benefit with no harm.

5. Dark chocolate.

 Chocolate is a mystery product that everyone likes. But indeed it is a questionable mixture of fat and sugar with quite a doubtful influence on health. Anyway, we can state that dark chocolate with no additives contains a ton of good substances and cocoa butter. Many of those substances are antioxidants. The higher is the cocoa percentage the less sugar and more benefit you will get. Aside from its positive influence on vessels and the health of the cardiovascular system, dark chocolate has a good impact on brain condition and improves cognitive skills. Also, the consumption of moderate dark chocolate amounts gave a certain boost to carbohydrate metabolism in diabetics.

This product is a source of iron, antioxidants and, certainly, calories. A bar of quality dark chocolate (more than 85% of cocoa) contains approx. 600 calories. Surely you should not get too much into this product as well as the other ones mentioned here. But you can easily diversify your menu with it, especially if you are in the bulking process.

More useful information about bulking and muscle gains, key products and nutrition programs you can find on Oleksiy Torokhtiy’s site.

Except for food and calorie surplus, you should mind that muscle growth is possible only with the respect to the following rules:

• Full-fledged sleep;
• The optimal amount of right proteins and carbohydrates;
• Focused workout program

Apply the thoughtful approach to this process and the result will not be long in coming.