Best Foods to Eat for Muscle Definition

If you want to look fit and toned, your game in the kitchen has got to be just as strong as your game in the gym. Pumping iron is important for muscle growth, but so is getting enough of the mineral itself. Certain foods boost blood flow to your muscles, increasing their efficiency and the rate at which they repair themselves, so they can then grow bigger.

Introducing more nutrient-dense foods into your diet will not only help your muscles grow more defined, but can also assist weight loss efforts. So grab a dumbbell in one hand and a shopping cart in the other, and let's get to it—here are the five best foods for a toned body.

1. Kale
Popeye may have built bulging biceps on spinach, but kale is king when it comes to weight loss foods that help muscles grow. While the classic salad green boasts protein, kale packs an impressive amount of iron, a mineral vital for muscle development. Iron helps your body circulate oxygen to your muscles, aids in their repair after heavy training and encourages synthesis of the muscle fibers that gives them that defined look you crave. Kale is also key to seeing noticeable changes in your muscle definition because its iron content also boosts your endurance , allowing you to lengthen and intensify your gym sessions. As if that weren’t enough reason to love this leafy green, it’s also rich in vitamin K, which keeps you feeling good through your rigorous lifting routines by fighting inflammation and protecting against stiff joints.

How best to eat Kale - use kale as a salad base.

2. Millet
Millet may be the main ingredient in birdseed, but this lesser-known health food shouldn’t be limited to Mr. Bluebird on your shoulder. While technically a seed, millet should be treated as a grain. Very similar to the ever-popular quinoa, it helps enhance blood flow to your muscles thanks to its rich magnesium content, allowing them to develop and take on a more toned look. Even better, this seed has the power strengthen your body and give your muscles long-lasting fuel to run on because it serves as a great source of plant based protein and complex carbohydrates.

How best to eat it - Use it just as you would quinoa—in salads, sides, breakfast bowls. The two can be interchanged. If you’re lucky, you may also be able to find millet bread in the frozen section of certain grocery stores.

3. Hemp Seeds
Yes, hemp seeds come from the cannabis plant, but sorry Woody Harrelson: They will not get you high. Sometimes called hemp hearts, the seeds are rich in amino acids, which your muscles drink in to gain power and tone up. Just three tablespoons offer up 11 grams of easy-to-digest, muscle-toning protein. What’s more—hemp may also boost fat burn thanks to its gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) content, an omega-6 fatty acid that encourages a healthy metabolism and fights inflammation in the body. And they also encourage more vibrant skin, hair and nails, qualifying them as an overall beauty food.

How to best eat them - Sprinkle hemp seeds whole on salads, blend some hemp powder into a smoothie.

4. Chia Seeds
They may be tiny, but chia seeds have massive health benefits and plenty of muscle-chiseling power. Their greatest strength as a better-body ally comes from the one-two punch they deliver of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Healthy omega-3s work to reduce inflammation and help strengthen and grow your muscles through the process of protein synthesis while fiber (and protein) supply you with steady, long-burning energy. In fact, just two tablespoons of the seeds contain 11 grams of gut-filling fiber.

How to best eat them - The secret to these little guys is that they swell ten to fifteen times their original size when added to liquid, forming a gel-like substance, which keeps you feeling fuller longer. Sprinkle these potent seeds over cereal, stir-frys, and yogurt, or mix into weight loss smoothies or baked goods for the full effect.

5. Quinoa
A particularly grueling workout can feel like going a round in the boxing ring against a heavyweight champ, but quinoa is your ropes. Rely on this complete protein to help you rebound faster and come back stronger thanks to its slow-burning complex carbs, notable protein content and rich levels of lysine, an amino acid that aids tissue and muscle repair. What’s more, quinoa is a rich source of minerals including magnesium, which helps relax the blood vessels and improve blood circulation to your muscles. All that adds up to a noticeably more defined, stronger you.

How to best eat it - quinoa recipe are on the web.