Gaining muscle mass is a big challenge. You can be training very well in the gym, but if your diet is not well calculated and adjusted, the results always fall short.
The main problems are: not consuming enough calories, not eating everything, always eating the same foods and getting sick…
So in this article, I’m going to give you some recipes to include in your daily routine to make your life easier if your goal is to gain muscle mass.
It is important to remember that the assessment and monitoring are fundamental to calculate your diet and understand well the process because many times, terms such as hypertrophy, toning, and increasing muscle mass are confused. Do you know the differences?
First, let’s understand, in summary, form, what it takes to increase muscle mass.
Strategies to increase muscle mass:
1. Consume more calories than you expend: a high-calorie diet is essential. With training, the organism is stimulated to increase muscle mass and has the substrate to do so. The support of a nutritionist is essential as, depending on your body composition, the number of excess calories can be higher or lower to minimise fat gains during the process.
2. Adequate protein intake: besides consuming the necessary grams of protein per day, it is essential to distribute them throughout the day so as not to overload the organism at the main meals and facilitate the digestive process.
3. Eat good fats: this will make it easier for you to eat more calories per day. Bet on foods such as peanut butter, avocado, oily fruits, olives, fatty fish
4. Avoid skipping meals: if the number of daily calories is a determining factor for this goal, skipping meals will keep you on maintenance calorie values. If you can’t eat many meals, use shakes to make it easier to ingest calories.
5. Avoid consuming calories through processed foods: it is common to think that we can eat as much as we want to make it easier to reach our daily calorie target because we want to increase muscle mass. However, we forget about the quality of those calories. In other words, that we will increase the consumption of calories in the form of fat. You may even reach your calorie level, but you will also increase fat mass.
6. Consuming carbohydrates: one of the biggest mistakes is reducing carbohydrates consumption for fear of gaining weight. However, they provide the energy needed to perform well in training and recover well from one day to the next.
7. Drink water: we can never forget how important it is also for increasing muscular mass. We are creating new cells and increasing their volume, and for this, you need water. Consume at least 35mL per kg of weight.
Recipes to increase muscle mass:
So let’s see some easy recipes to vary your diet and achieve your daily calorie goal
Protein oatmeal: to start your day in the best way!
Ingredients:
– 1 cooked apple
– 50 g oat flakes
– 150ml egg white
– 10g whey
– Milk/vegetable drink
– Cinnamon
– Toppings: Almond butter, coconut flakes
Method of preparation:
1. Peel the apple, cut it into pieces and wash in the microwave for about 1 minute until cooked. Then crush with a fork and add cinnamon.
2. Beat the egg whites until fluffy.
3. Place the milk/vegetable drink, cooked apple and oats in a pan and bring to a boil. When it reaches the consistency, you want to remove it from the heat and leave it cool slightly.
4. Add the whey and egg whites and blend until smooth.
5. Add the toppings, and it’s ready!
Chicken with peanut butter sauce: adds a special touch to the classic chicken and rice meal
Ingredients:
– Chicken breast
– Garlic and onion
– Salt, pepper to taste
– Coriander
For the sauce:
– 3 tbsp peanut butter
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 Tbsp lime/lemon juice
– 1 c. tablespoon agave
– 1 teaspoon grated ginger
– Pepper
– Water QB
Method of preparation:
1. Start by preparing the sauce: mix all the ingredients in a jar and stir with a fork until you get a homogeneous mixture.
2. Put some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic and onion.
3. Cut the chicken into cubes and add to the sauté. Season to taste.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, reduce the heat and add the sauce, stirring until all the chicken is coated.
5. Serve with some chopped coriander and accompany with rice and vegetables!
Hyper calorie shakes: for those who don’t have much appetite or have little time to eat – drink your calories!
Ingredients:
– 1 Banana
– 10g peanut butter
– 25g of whey
– 2 tbsp. oat flakes
– 1 tablespoon of rice flour
– 1 dessert spoon of cocoa powder
– 2 dates
– Milk/vegetable drink
– Cinnamon
Method of preparation:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Add the milk/vegetable drink little by little to reach the consistency you like.
Pancakes with whey cream: a different way to use whey!
Ingredients:
– 40g oat flour
– 2 eggs
– 1 banana
– Cinnamon
– Yeast
– Milk/vegetable drink
– Topping: Red berries, coconut flakes
For the whey cream:
– 1 scoop of whey
– Milk/vegetable drink
Method of preparation:
1. Start by preparing the whey cream: Place 1 scoop of whey in a cup and add a teaspoon of milk/vegetable drink. Stir until the whey is dissolved, and add more liquid if necessary until it reaches a creamy consistency (not liquid).
2. In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, previously mashed banana, cinnamon and eggs. As you stir, add the milk/vegetable drink until you have a smooth mixture.
3. Place a non-stick frying pan on heat and add the pancake batter. Let it cook until bubbles form and turn over.
4. Serve on a plate, add the whey cream and decorate with fruit and coconut flakes.
Tell us which recipe you’re going to try first?