When you start working out, you will realize that almost everyone around you is working on either losing weight or gaining muscle. There is no doubt that these two options seem like an obvious choice however, both goals are extremely hard. This is the reason if you look through the fitness goals and fitness websites, you will notice that both these topics are considered the most talked about so far. For weight loss, most people choose to work on the calorie wound and then balance it with exercises. However, when it comes to building muscle, you need to consume calories in surplus without gaining weight. For most people, this is quite confusing because they need to look for food items that can help them only focus on gaining muscle without gaining fat.

Generally, carbs and fats are converted into the surplus fat content that you see in your body. To avoid this, you need to keep your diet strictly protein. Protein helps in keeping you full for a long time, while also making sure that your body stays in shape. Another important thing is that protein becomes part of your body fairly easily because it works as a building block in muscle fibers as well as in other parts of the body. With the right protein ratio, you will not only trigger better recovery but also facilitate the healing process. Most of the protein sources are animal-based so you will see a lot of dairy options along with meat. However, not everyone likes to eat animal-based food and you also need to make your food more flavorful texture-wise. For making your food more appetizing you need to work on the quality of food, mix it up with other food options, and look for ways to make it more interesting.

With the help of this article, we will mainly look at some basic food items that are rich in protein. We will then look at some of the ways you can make your meals protein packed. Finally, we will look at some of the best ways to make the most out of the protein that you have consumed.

Simple Protein Food Items That You Must Have in Your Diet

If you want to stick to conventional protein food items, it is pretty easy. You can rely on animal-based protein, especially meat and poultry items. It will give you enough protein that you will easily gain enough muscle. Here are some of the best animal-based protein sources.

Lean meat

Lean meat will have little to no fat content so it will be all protein. You do not have to eat too much meat because it has enough protein to last you for a whole day. There are so many different meat recipes that you can try including grilled meat, soup, boiled, etc.

Milk

Milk has all the essential protein components that you need for your body. A good amount of milk will help you keep your bones stronger and your muscle fibers healthy.

Chicken

Chicken has a good amount of protein and can be used in several ways. The best thing about chicken is that you will not be consuming fat and it is safe for people with heart issues, cholesterol issues, and uric acid issues.

Fish

Another great protein source, fish is great for skin and muscle fibers. Also, fish is good for hair, nails, and eyes.

Eggs

Eggs are a great protein source, and you must add them to your diet. However, it is better to stick with egg white as the yolk portion is rich in cholesterol.

Vegan-friendly Ways to Add Protein to Your Diet

Apart from animal-based protein, there are so many plant-based protein sources that you can try as well. These protein sources range from basic lentils and chicken peas to plant-based protein powders. Here are some of the best vegan-friendly protein options that you can try.

Seitan

You can buy Seitan from health food stores, and it is a great alternative to meat. You can grill or Sautee it easily. Most of the Seitan has wheat gluten mixed so you need to make sure to avoid it if you are gluten intolerant.

Tofu

Tofu is another great component that you can throw in any soup, meat-based dish, or even in sandwiches and rice. Apart from tofu, you can also add tempeh and edamame for enhanced flavor. All these things have a soft milky texture.

Lentils and Beans

You can never go wrong with the lentils and beans combination. From basic soups to salads, you can add them to anything you want. You can also toast it up for a crunchy texture or just boil it for a mushy creamy texture. The options are endless.

Nutritional Yeast

There is no hard and fast rule for using nutritional yeast because it is mainly used as a flavor enhancer by most people. You can generally add nutrient yeast in soups or sandwich filling some people like to add it to their daily food recipes as well.

Green Peas

Greens peas along with some freshly chopped vegetables can go in anything you want, and it will instantly have a better waste. From fried rice to salads and soups you can never go wrong with green peas some people even like to speared green peas on bread which is another good combination.

Spirulina

It is a blue-green alga that is filled with nutrients, especially protein. From helping you improve muscle texture to helping you lose weight; it all has everything you need.

Plant base Milk

Almost all plant-based milk and especially soy milk has a good amount of protein in it. By adding a pint of milk to your coffee or tea, you will have a good amount of protein in your breakfast.

Chia Seeds, Nuts, and Nut Based Butter

Chia seeds like nuts and nut butter are a good way to incorporate protein into your diet without even trying. You can instantly boost the protein intake and it is much better in stake and texture. If you rely on raw nits the texture is crunchy but by just switching to butternuts you will get a buttery texture.

Tip to help you make the Most out Of Your Protein intake

Most people eat a lot of protein, but they complain that they have not gained weight as they expected. This is quite a common issue that most people have to face generally, people report weight gain issues while others say that their body is not toned properly. This is where you need to focus on making protein as part of your body.

Here are some of the best ways you can make protein as part of your body without gaining weight or losing shape.

Detox Your Body

There is no doubt that protein is very good for your body. However, protein also has by-products that can deposit in your body if you do not detox your body effectively. With high protein, you will soon feel that you have high uric acid and your joints will become painful. This is where you need to balance out the effect by using detox methods. Keep in mind that the detox process doesn’t always have to consist of quick fixes like detox powders and metabolism boosters. Instead, you need to facilitate your body in the detox process by sweating more and consuming more food that is high in anti-inflammatory components like green tea.

Keep It Hydrated

Drinking more water is very important when you are consuming high-protein food items. With the help of high hydration, you will be able to trigger a recovery in muscle and the best part of the process is that you will also get to facilitate digestion and the detox process of the kidneys are liver. Generally, when you are eating high-protein food, the process of digestion is affected, and with high protein byproducts like urea, uric acid, ammonia, and creatinine. To make sure they are all flushed out of the body, a good amount of water and keeping your body hydrated is very essential.

Exercise More

Exercise is very important for your body when you are eating a lot of protein without exercise all the surplus calories will be converted into fat and your body will be out of form. To make sure that your body uses the protein properly, you need to exercise more. This balances out the calorie count and you will see that your body is becoming more toned.

Rest Better

Triggering recovery is as important for the body as any exercise. Without recovery, you will end up feeling burnout, and extreme cramps, and even you might end up overworking yourself. You need to maintain a 5-2 basic ratio of work and rest and you need to take at least 8 hours of sleep so your body can recover faster.

Bottom Line

To sum it all up, it all comes down to balancing the intake of protein and facilitating it by using exercises so the protein becomes part of your body. There is no doubt that protein is very good for muscle gain and the more protein you eat, the entree the muscle quality. However, you also need to make sure that you are facilitating the overall process by exercising more and facilitating your recovery otherwise, this might end up with an injury or worse. If you are working out under the supervision of an expert, he will not only help you choose the protein sources more easily but also you will be able to work out much better.