Best protein sources for muscle growth:

Introduction:

Protein is a major food for muscle growth and without protein you will lose muscle mass. You should not focus only on protein for muscle growth but you need to get protein from high quality sources as protein food are not all eqaul and you need to get them from complete protein chain to maximize muscle growth.

What Makes A Protein Source “Good”?

There are two important things that make food a good protein sources:

1. Leucine content: Studies have been showns that leucine increase protein synthesis

2. Digestibility: The higher leucine content the best digestibility for protein food

What Are Good Sources of Protein?

There are two types of protein sources:

Animal-based protein sources (think dairy, eggs, lean meats, and fish)

Plant-based protein sources (think beans, lentils, tofu, and quinoa)

Studies have been shown that animal protein sources are better for muscle growth.

1. Animal-based proteins have a higher leucine content.

Consdering leucine content, animal protein sources have 8-13% while plant based sources have 6-8%, moreover plant based sources are not complete protein in another word they are deifcient is some amino acids.

2. Animal-based proteins typically have a higher digestibility.

The average Digestibility for animal sources of protein are >90% while for plant sources is 45-80% so it is clear that animal sources have higher digestibility. You should know that plant powder like pea powder have digestibility comparable to animal sources which is >90%.

You can be vegan and build muscles you will now it later in this article.

What Are The Best Animal-Based Protein Sources?

Whey protein powder is the best source of protein as it has high leucine and high digestibility. You need approximatly 2.5 grams of leucine daily and then one scoop of whey provides 2.5 grams of leucine. You have other sources than way and you should not rely only on whey as you will be issing some micronutrients.

The Importance of Micronutrients in High Protein Foods

Considering micronutrients they improve protein sysnthesis for muscle growth, according to a study done that show comparaison between consumption of egg white and whole eggs, the study shows that whole eggs promote better muscle synthesis than egg white and this is due to the egg yolk that provide important micronutrient for muscle growth.

Examples of Good Sources of Protein (Animal-Based)

You can have whey as pre and post workout while you are choosing other protein sources for the rest of the day:

1. Whole Eggs (Egg Whites Can Be Added):

It provides 0.5 grams of leucine per one egg, the greater effect for muscle growth comes from micronutrient provided by egg yolk.

2. Lean Meats (Chicken Breast, Extra Lean Ground Turkey, Lean Grass-Fed Beef)

They provide many important sources like iron,folic acid, selenium, vitamin A, B12. Moreover, they are rich in leucine, protein while they are low in calories from fat and carbs.

3. Lean Fish (Tuna, White fish) & Oily Fish (Salmon, Mackerel)

They are rich in omega-3 and both EPA and DHA that are important for muscle repair, growth and boosting energy.

You need to incorporate fish into your diet as they are excellent source of protein and they promote muscle growth.

Slower-Digesting Protein Sources

In general faster-digesting protein are important when there is no long break between meals.

While slower-digesting protein like casein powder and casein-rich food like cottage cheese,yogurt and milk are important for about 40 grams consumption when you have over 6 hours without food like overnight. This is very important to promote protein synthesis.

So you need to consume about 40 grams of slower digesting food:

Before you sleep and choose cottage cheese, greek yogurt and low fat milk.

What About Plant-Based Protein Sources?

Plant based protein are great source of fiber, micronutrient and phytochemicals for people who are vegans. But unfortunatly they are not complete protein and ingesting about 20 grams of them daily is not enough for muscle growth.

Instead you need to mix plant based sources to maximize amino acid content.

Some of combinations:

Red, green and brown lentils

Chickpeas

Black beans

Kidney beans

Edamame

Tofu

Tempeh

Vegan protein powder

Oatmeal

Quinoa

High-protein vegetables such as green peas, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms

Conclusion:

You need to know at the ned that two things matter total amount of protein and the quality of protein in addition to appropriate training program. As well a well balanced diet is really important to build muscles, lose fat and slim your waistline.

Sources:

https://builtwithscience.com/best-sources-of-protein/

https://nuts.com/healthy-eating/high-protein-foods