If you want to look fit and toned, your kitchen game has to be 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 rapid weight loss efforts, which will help reveal a more svelte you overall.
So grab a dumbbell in one hand and a shopping cart in the other, and let's get to it—here are the 25 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. Although 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 yourendurance, 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 to Best Eat It
Use kale as a salad base or—if you’re adventurous—try these Vrill cubes.
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. Although 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 to strengthen your body and give your muscles long-lasting fuel because it’s a great source of plant based protein and complex carbohydrates.How to Best Eat It
Use it just as you would quinoa—in salads, sides and breakfast bowls. Quinoa and millet can be interchanged. If you’re lucky, you may be able to find millet bread in the frozen section of certain grocery stores.
3
HEMP
SEEDS
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, or blend some hemp powder into The Best Weight-Loss Smoothie Ever.
4
CHIA
SEEDS
SEEDS
If there’s only one thing Rudy taught us, it’s that the power of something shouldn’t be underestimated because of its diminutive size. 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
You’ll be bikini-body ready in no time by cooking up these 10 Quinoa Recipes for Weight Loss.
6
COTTAGE CHEESE WITH LIVE CULTURES
Cottage cheese’s muscle-building powers come from two different components: casein (the slow-digesting dairy protein) and live cultures. When you eat casein, your blood amino acid levels rise slowly and stay elevated for longer than if you would have eaten whey (the other dairy protein). The live cultures will help you break down and absorb all the nutrients you need to get bigger and stronger. In fact, cottage cheese is one of our 8 Grab-and-Go Snacks Under 200 calories.How to Best Eat It
Pair it with some fruit and eat it with a spoon, or use it to make a protein-filled “Power Pancake.” Get the recipe here.
7
SPINACH
As we noted before, downing iron is as important as lifting it — the mineral is crucial to building muscle and strength, and spinach is the dietary MVP. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180-gram serving of boiled spinach has 6.43 mg of iron — more than a six-ounce piece of hamburger. The leafy green is also an excellent source of magnesium, a mineral that’s essential to muscle development, energy production and carb metabolism. Two studies have found that levels of testosterone (and muscle strength) are directly correlated to the levels of magnesium in the body. Other good veggie sources of magnesium: Radishes, soybeans and chard.
How to Best Eat It
Lose weight and tone up with Julia Roberts' favorite salad recipe, which features spinach, chickpeas and carrots.
8
LENTILS
Lentils may be one of the most underrated muscle-building weapons. One cup of the cooked variety contains 18 grams of protein and 40 grams of slow digesting quality carbohydrates. They’re also very inexpensive, have a long shelf-life and cook up in just 10 minutes
How to Best Eat It
Mix them with brown rice, sprinkle them over a salad or eat them as a standalone side dish.
9
WILD SALMON
Salmon contains both high-quality protein and the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. These omega-3 fats are most well known for their ability to improve heart health, but they also inhibit muscle breakdown while increasing the anabolic capacity of amino acids. If you don’t like eating fish, then make sure to take a fish oil supplement to reap these benefits. And, just because your fish is fatty doesn't mean your body will be, too. Salmon makes our list of the Fatty Foods that Will Help You Lose Weight.
How to Best Eat It
Whip up one of these 10 Salmon Recipes for Weight Loss!
10
SWEET POTATOES
There’s a reason bodybuilders scarf these with their chicken breasts: They’re one of the cleanest sources of fuel available. High in fiber and carbs (4 grams and 27 grams per serving respectively), the vibrant tubers have a low glycemic index, meaning they burn slowly, providing a long-term source of energy that helps you power up after a workout and recover your stores of muscle glycogen afterward. The fiber keeps you fuller longer, helping prevent the overeating that’ll shatter your dreams of getting shredded and toned. Bonus: One cup of sweet potato cubes has four times your RDA of vitamin A, which helps your body synthesize protein.
How to Best Eat It
Bake an orange tater in the oven and sprinkle it with some paprika and ground pepper or make one of these 20 Sweet Potato Recipes for Weight Loss.
11
BROCCOLI
There’s a reason almost every diet includes a hefty dose of broccoli. The green superfood is rich in sulforaphane, a compound that not only increases testosterone and fights off body fat storage, but also blocks enzymes linked to joint destruction and inflammation. And if you want to stay lean and active for life, maintaining healthy joints is a must! Bonus: The green veggies is also rich in vitamin C (a mere cup of the stuff can help you hit your daily mark), a nutrient that can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which will further aid your toned body efforts.
How to Best Eat It
Whip up our Garlicky Beef and Broccoli with Broccoli Noodles recipe to reap the belly-flattening benefits —just not the day before you need to look your leanest.