Muscle building or bodybuilding requires hard work, both in the gym and kitchen. Gaining muscle mass requires a combination of strength training workouts and a healthy diet. Physical activity is necessary to push your body, but without correct nutritional support, your development will be slowed.

Protein-rich diets are essential for muscular growth, while carbohydrates and fats are required energy sources. If your goal is to build muscle, then you should exercise regularly and consume more calories from food for muscle building meals each day.

Yash Birla shares vegetarian sources of protein that you can include in your daily food for muscle building.

  • Dairy

Dairy contains a combination of fast-digesting whey protein and slow-digesting casein protein and high-quality protein. According to several studies, those who consume a mixture of fast- and slow-digesting dairy proteins gain more lean mass.

However, not all dairy products are made equal. Greek yoghurt, for example, typically has twice the amount of protein as regular yoghurt. Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are all found in milk.

  • Soybeans

Cooked soybeans include 16 grams of protein, healthful unsaturated fats, and numerous vitamins and minerals in half a cup (86 grams). Soybeans are high in vitamin K, iron, and phosphorus.

Iron is needed to store and transfer oxygen in your blood and muscles, and a lack of it can cause these functions to be impaired. Menstruating women may be especially vulnerable to iron deficiency due to blood loss during their cycle.

  • Cottage Cheese

Low-fat cottage cheese has 28 grams of protein per cup (226 grams), including a healthy dosage of the essential muscle-building amino acid leucine. Cottage cheese, like other dairy products, comes in a variety of fat content. Creamed cottage cheese, for example, is higher in calories.

The best type of cottage cheese to choose depends only on how many calories you want to add to your diet. It is an excellent food for muscle building regardless of which variety you choose. Thus, Yash Birla makes sure to include cottage cheese in his diet as much as he can.

  • Quinoa

While protein-rich diets are vital for growing lean muscle, you also need the energy to exercise. Carbohydrate-rich foods can assist offer this energy.

Cooked Quinoa has around 40 grams of carbohydrates per cup (185 grams), as well as 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fibre, and plenty of magnesium and phosphorus. Magnesium is necessary for the proper functioning of your muscles and nerves, which are used every time you move. Quinoa is one of Yash Birla’s favourite foods because of its protein content.

  • Brown Rice

Cooked brown rice delivers the carbohydrates you need to fuel your physical activity, although having only 6 grams of protein per cup (202 grams).

In the hours preceding up to your workout, eat nutritious food sources like brown rice or Quinoa. This may allow you to exercise more vigorously, providing your muscles with a larger stimulus to grow.

Furthermore, several studies have indicated that rice protein supplements can provide the same amount of muscle gain as whey protein after a weight-training regimen.

Yash Birla advises people to include these food items in their diet because they are an excellent source of protein. You can find more such recipes and food for muscle building in the upcoming book of Mr Yash Birla, which will be released soon.