Travis Zipper Provides His List of Protein Rich Foods to Promote Muscle Growth

Training hard is an integral part of developing lean muscle—but muscle growth itself never technically happens in the gym. In fact, a rigorous workout does exactly the opposite. The entire point of training is to break down your muscles; with the end goal of building them back up bigger and stronger than they were before. In truth, it’s this recovery and re growth process that promotes true muscle growth. In order to fuel that recovery, your body is going to require certain nutrients.

According to functional medicine expert Travis Zipper, during that essential recovery period is when protein rich foods really come into the equation. By delivering a range of amino acids, a protein rich diet will help you increase strength, lose body fat, and gain muscle more quickly. With its help, a person will not only perform better in the gym; but also recover more quickly and progress faster.

For those wishing to optimize their diet for muscle growth, Travis Zipper recommends eating a balanced protein rich typed of meal plan. He recommends any of the following foods as excellent protein sources for building muscles that are leaner and stronger.

Lean Grass Fed Beef

One of the highest quality protein sources are animal-based foods like red meat. But when it comes to packing on muscle, not all cuts of meat are created equal. Lean beef such as sirloin steaks, tenderloin steaks, and round steaks are some of the leanest cuts of meat available—they’re also some of the best protein sources when it comes to building muscle.

For starters, lean beef is jam-packed with proteins that are rich in amino acids. However, beef is also rich in B vitamins and minerals. Lean beef is also a wonderful and natural source of creatine—a naturally occurring molecule that helps muscles produce more energy in order to power through some of the high-intensity and higher weight related training.

Pacific or Alaskan Salmon

Just 3 ounces of salmon delivers a sizeable 17 grams of protein to the body’s recovering muscles. As a bonus, this super food also contains 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids, which have also been shown to improve muscle strength and function, reduce muscle soreness, prevent muscle damage, and promote heart and lung health. Many studies also suggest that that a balanced consumption of omega-3 fatty acids are effective in managing or even preventing heart disease.

Pasture Raised Eggs

Eggs can be a cheap, versatile, and low carb food option. According to Travis Zipper, eggs are also an excellent source of protein. The exact protein content varies depending on how the egg is cooked. But when hardboiled, eggs can boast at least 6 grams of protein per individual serving.

In addition to their protein content, eggs are also a wonderful source of B vitamins, which directly impact the body’s energy production. Those who consume healthy and sufficient doses of the B vitamins that can be found in eggs are more capable of applying themselves fully during their training sessions. In turn, they’ll likely also reap more of the rewards of increased muscle gains.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are a common staple of many vegetarian and vegan diets because they make an excellent replacement for the rich and vital proteins that are found in meat. But regardless of whether or not you follow a plant-based diet or not, chickpeas are still an excellent way to boost your body’s overall protein intake in order to promote muscle growth.

Also known as “garbanzo beans,” chickpeas deliver close to 12 grams of protein per cup. They’re also a rich source of fiber, which has also been shown to help increase a person’s muscle mass while decreasing their overall body fat level.

Peanut Butter

Like many other nuts, peanut butter is a pretty decent source of protein. It also has significantly more protein than its trendier alternatives, including almond butter and many of the other nut butters. At 8 grams for every 2 tablespoons, peanut butter is an easy and delicious way to add a little extra protein to almost any meal. It can be spread on just about anything, mixed into nutrient-rich smoothies, or eaten with celery or apples.

However, Travis Zipper points out that peanut butter does come with one catch: many commercial peanut butters are enriched with sugar and or many other unnatural additives that detract from its muscle-building properties. So, when shopping around for peanut butter, be sure to read nutrition labels and find a product that’s all-natural. And only lists peanuts and salt as the ingredients. Alternatively, homemade peanut butter made directly from crushed peanuts and i is always a healthy alternative to the store-bought versions.

Tuna

At 20 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving, tuna is a great way to work a little extra protein into a person’s meal plan. Like salmon and many other healthy fishes, tuna is a decent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help slow the loss of muscle mass while promoting overall muscle health.

Tuna is also jam-packed with energy-boosting nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B12, niacin, and B6. Together, these help to maximize your workout’s effectiveness, which may in turn give a boost to your training performance for better overall results in the long run.

Greek Yogurt (Organic Preferred)

With 10 grams of protein per 100 grams of weight, Greek yogurt is an excellent addition to any muscle-minded diet plan. It also has up to three times the amount of protein as regular yogurt. The food’s unique mixture of fast-digesting whey protein and slow-digesting casein protein means that it will also keep a person feeling full and satisfied for longer than many other foods. This makes it an excellent snack for fighting the bedtime munchies.

As a bonus, Greek yogurt is also rich in probiotic bacteria, which serves as an excellent component to a gut-healthy diet. For best results, Travis Zipper recommends looking for the full-fat organic variations rather than those made with skim or 2%, since the food’s natural fat content works to stabilize sugar, thus creating a steadier release of insulin.

Cottage Cheese

A whopping 70% of the calories in cottage cheese is accounted for by protein, making it a great snack for anyone who is wanting to burn fat and gain muscle. It’s also a source of casein, a dairy protein that digests slowly, delivering valuable nutrients to your muscles over an extended period of time. Outside of keeping a person full for a longer period of time, casein also works wonders to keep your muscles fueled while repairing your body from vigorous, muscle-building workouts.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes