Wouldn’t it be awesome if muscle was made out of junk food? That would solve so many problems we have as people and as a nation. If muscles were made from chips and beer, we’d be stacked but sadly that’s not the case. So, what do you want to eat to build muscles? Read about the muscle building meals below.
—-
Exercise gurus will agree on one thing: Get enough protein in your diet to build muscle.
Protein delivers essential amino acids, because they are the quintessential building block of muscle–but if you could construct the ultimate muscle meal, what would the other top ingredients be?
Potassium
Potassium is key for water balance, and without proper hydration, muscle function wouldn’t be possible. Wave your muscle cramps goodbye when you include creamy 
avocado in this satisfying meal. Like banana, avocado is potassium-rich, but also gives you a boost of heart-healthy fiber that will help keep you feeling fuller, longer.
Iron
Iron, the symbol of strength and endurance, is a mineral crucial for oxygenating the blood–a must-have for any healthy muscle mass. Red meat is a superb choice when it comes to getting more iron, because it contains high amounts of heme iron (which is more readily absorbed compared to the non-heme iron found in grains and vegetables).
Contrary to popular belief, red meat can be part of a healthy diet: Just go lean by opting for cuts like filet, stew meat, and flank steak. Grass-fed is best, since it contains more nutrients like omega-3s and tends to be leaner than corn-fed beef.
Magnesium and Manganese
Do you know that when you exercise 70 percent of your blood flow is diverted into your muscles? Two minerals that sooth and stimulate the flow, magnesium and manganese can be found in the tiny yet tasty seed quinoa that the ancient Aztecs called the “running food.” Quinoa also happens to be high in protein and lower in carbohydrates compared to other grains, like wheat.
Muscle Meal
Want to show your muscle some tender loving care? Toss out the protein shake and cook up something they’ll love. This meal is low in carbs, high in protein, with all the right micronutrients. Getting nutrients in real food not only keep you feeling full and satisfied, but also has better absorption with less preservatives.
Serves 1
4 ounces grilled flank steak or filet mignon
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 tablespoons of your favorite vinaigrette
Toss all ingredients together and serve immediately.
—-
These are some good suggestions. In addition to mentioning our favorite meal component, protein, the article makes some other good points. It points out the important of potassium, iron, magnesium, and manganese- it even goes as far as to layout the ultimate meal for building muscle. We couldn’t help put to notice how the article suggests we choose filet mingon though…at $30 a lbs. we might have to just save that menu for a special occasion. No fear, we went out and found some ideas that will get you eating to bulk up without going broke for every meal.
—-
Muscle Building Meals on a Budget
TIP #1 – Buy mince meat (ground meat)
Lean fillet steak, veal and lamb can often be very expensive. The solution, mince meat. Mince meat has the same amount of protein in it as steak and it’s so much cheaper. You can make it into beef patties for burgers, make a chili to feed you for a week or even make a pie with it. Chili is my personal favorite. I can buy all the ingredients for a big chili for around $20. That includes 1.4kg or meat! One thing to remember though, always get the premium mince. The normal stuff has way to mach fat in it. (>20%)
TIP #2 – Eggs are your friend
Egg whites are a really rich source of natural protein. Eggs are cheap and so very versatile. You can make omelets, scramble them, boil them, fry them… the list goes on – use your imagination! One point to note though, the yolk of the egg is very high in cholesterol so if you’re making an omelet use 4-6 egg whites and 2 full eggs.
TIP #3 – Buy in bulk and save
You hear it in every second TV advert, “buy in bulk and save!”. Well they’re not lying! Sometimes you can save up to 40-50% of meat sold in bulk. You’ve got a freezer haven’t you?! Don’t write butchers off either, sometimes their prices (especially on bulk) are cheap than the supermarkets. And if they’re a small outlet the might even be willing to do you a deal.
TIP #5 – Eat sandwiches
Bread is cheap. Head to the deli isle of your supermarket and you’ll find loads of good cheap sandwich meat available. Chicken, turkey and beef are all good sandwich meats. All some salad and you’ve got yourself a wholesome snack.
TIP #6 – Cook like a restaurant
What I’m telling is to cook in bulk. Find your favorite chili recipe, times the ingredients by 4 and cook it on a sunday afternoon. There you have 10-15 meals for the week ahead. All you need is some 2 minutes brown rice and you have yourself a meal ready in minutes. Perfect for post workouts and rush meals. Now you’ll have no need to stop at that sandwich shop!
TIP #7 – Natures cheapest fish
Tuna tuna tuna. Tuna is one of the best foods you can eat if you want to build lean muscle. Not only has it got more than 20% protein but it’s cheap and rich in natural essential oils. Just one problem, it tastes like cat food! I find it hard to stomach tuna, but I eat it anyway because it’s dirt cheap and so good for me. If you don’t like the taste or small on tuna mix it with some satay sauce. My favorite is tuna mixed with satay sauce on some boiled brown rice. Nothing but goodness! (tastes average though!)
Source
Watch this video for some more muscle building meal tips…
While this list is good, we took it a step further and found some more information about good muscle building foods. There seem to be some ‘magic foods’ out there and we narrowed it down to the top ones that we keep seeing over and over again. Eight foods are on the list: eggs, almonds, olive oil, salmon, steak, yogurt, water, and coffee. Add these ingredients to your stomach and faithfully follow the directions on the package—”Lift heavy weights”—and you can whip up a batch of biceps in no time.
know exactly what I’m about to talking about too! Steroids. It’s something a lot of people talk about, but not something that many of us inside the weight lifting and body building community have many discussions about- there’s a really good reason for that too- it’s just such an uncomfortable topic. A lot of us who don’t touch the stuff or know anybody that does try to avoid talking about it, pretty much because it just gives the who industry a bad rep. Sadly though, we can avoid it all we want but it’s not going away. As a matter of fact, so many athletes and people trying to push it to the next level are duped into it thinking there’s no ‘real’ side effects, but that could not be further from the truth! The reality is, steroids can and do kill people all of the time! More people are taking steroids now than ever, and it seems like less and less people are talking about it, so what are we supposed to do? Even if the users are unwilling to listing, experts in the industry need to keep raising awareness.
