The food you eat is one of the key components of muscle gain and weight loss. If you exercise, but continue to eat all the wrong foods, it is likely that you will only see minimal or slow progress, which is bound to be very discouraging. However, if you are careful enough to provide your muscles with the nutrients and food they need, you will be surprised by how quickly you lose fat and gain muscle. It is not necessary that people may start losing weight, because muscles are heavier than fat, but they will definitely feel and look better and healthier.

The foods that can have an impact on your weight loss and muscle gain goals are:

Proteins

Protein is one of the key components of a balanced diet. It is said to be one of the major fuels that are used by a body for building muscles, especially after an intense and rigorous workout. In addition, protein fills up people quickly, ensuring that they eat less and takes a lot of energy to process so more calories and fat is burned. When people consume a lot of protein, their body will have to work all the more harder during digestion. That energy is focused on the building and strengthening of muscles.

There are a wide variety of sources of protein. Essentially, there is a lot of protein in every meat and also in lentils, beans and nuts. However, if one wishes to lose weight and gain muscle, it is best to opt for leaner sources that have less fat such as fish, lentils and skinless chicken breasts.

Carbohydrates

While it might be tempting to follow a low-carb diet, the fact is that your muscles need carbs to grow. Muscles might be made of protein, but they get their energy to work from carbohydrates. Consider protein the engine and carbs as fuel; both need each other to be of any use.

However, some carbs are better than others such as complex carbs are a better choice as opposed to simple carbs. This is because the body takes time to digest complex carbs and uses them efficiently. You will feel full longer with carbs like whole-grain pasta, whole-grain bread, oatmeal, vegetables and brown rice. They should be taken in place of candy, white bread and other simple carbs.

Fats

Lots of people have a hard time believing this fact, but the body also needs fat to grow. If too much fat is cut from the diet, the body will work hard to store whatever fat you do consume. This will cause you to gain weight rather than lose it. Nevertheless, like carbohydrates, there are good and bad fats. Saturated and trans fats aren’t well-processed by the body and should be avoided. They are usually found in fast foods and pre-packaged goods. Olive oil and animal fat are natural fats that should be taken as these will be used by the body for growing muscles.

With these foods, people can lose the weight they want and gain the muscle strength they desire.