Is Chicken Best for Muscle Building?

When we talk about a healthy Indian diet for weight gain, very few foods are as versatile, nutritious, & delicious like chicken. Infact, it is very important for you to be disciplined & motivated in following a healthy Indian diet for weight gain for building muscles. 

Chicken is the perfect protein to add to your muscle building diet, and we find out why?

In this fast moving life, it is difficult to make healthier food choices, as many of us do not have the time to plan and prepare. Because of this, most of us gravitate towards unhealthy, carb-dense, high-fat junk food. It is not bad to eat this type of food, but it should be consumed in moderation for a healthier lifestyle. The most important thing to notice when you want to be healthier is eating high-protein nutritional foods, at correct times.
But when it comes to muscle building, vegetarian food may not give you the highest source of protein than what Chicken can do. It is a good option to consider if one wishes to gain more muscle during body-building.

Why chicken for muscle building?

Usually, gym goers are asked to intake a large amount of protein in their diet to maintain and support muscle growth. In other words, strenuous workout alone cannot help you achieve muscle mass. You also need to intake protein-rich foods, and the best protein-rich ingredient in the market is surely chicken.
The amount of protein in the chicken breast is high when compared to other vegetarian or non-vegetarian sources, and can support to achieve the desired mass. This is the main reason why most of the people prefer to go with Chicken to fulfill their protein needs.

Chicken and the scientific reports

Most of the scientific researchers have proved Protein percentage in chicken is very high and consuming it along with your diet will enrich the vitamin and nutrient level of your body. Also, they found, when it comes to protein in fish vs chicken, always chicken is at the top with much more benefits than fish. Poultry meat makes bones stronger because of the high nutrient content in it. But muscle builders should be very aware in choosing the right cut of chicken, as some chicken parts are loaded with good fats which provide good weight to the body but low-calorie chicken parts result in weight loss.
Various studies around the globe have proved countries that follow different nutritional habits with higher intake of chicken and meats are healthier when compared to others. In case of getting bored with same recipes, people can also try various dishes like grilled chicken and roast chicken for great taste.

Various chicken recipes for builders

Chicken is protein-rich and is the cheapest product to gain muscle weight in a quick time. Some of the dishes not only bring taste but also can be a good nutritional source for muscle builders. Chicken recipes for bodybuilders can be surely a treat as they can prepare one by one in their home and enjoy.

Some of the popular chicken items are :

• Chicken Biryani: can be served for lunch and provides good energy level with high-protein. Prepare your dish with nothing less than 100 gm of chicken breast. It will give 30 grams of protein, along with essential micronutrients for an overall health boost.
• Chicken Sukka: This is also one of the best chicken dishes when it comes to chicken. You can add more amount of capsicum in this dish. That way along with good protein in chicken, you also intake a high amount of antioxidants. This may help you fight against the disease-causing agents inside the body.
• Garlic Chicken: Chicken with garlic helps in fighting against cholesterol, has high anti-inflammatory properties and much more.

Quick Recipes

In addition to the normal dishes, there are some other dishes that can be prepared easily during the evening snacks and for the dinner.

• Chicken Salad: Instead of the usual high-calories, sugar-laced sauces, try yogurt for the dressing. Roasted chicken can also be a good option. Boiled shredded chicken works well with fresh vegetables like capsicum, cucumber, and herbs. Add seasoning as per your liking, along with the salt and pepper.
• Chicken Sandwich: Toast whole-wheat, multigrain bread; spread the low-fat sandwich spread like tomato salsa, greek yogurt dip or homemade green chutney. Place slices of cucumber, capsicum, and onion. Add cooked chicken with salt and pepper above the one bread slice and cover it with the other toasted one.
• Oven Roasted Chicken: Among healthy chicken breast recipes, the oven-roasted chicken recipe is one of the easiest foods to prepare with a minimum number of ingredients. Take crushed, sugar-free cornflakes, separate the egg white and keep it in a bowl. Now make the protein-rich breast chicken into pieces and dip it inside the separated egg-white which was kept inside the bowl. Finally, roll the chicken pieces over the crushed cornflakes and bake for 30 minutes by keeping it inside the oven with the help of baking tray.

These are just a few dishes with good food values, many more foods with even more nutritional values are available so muscle gainers can use these dishes in their house to gain good healthy muscles based on their goals.​

Chicken breast and its health benefits

The calorie value of poultry chicken breast is very high compared to the others. The amount of protein in 100 gm of boiled chicken is approx 30 grams of protein, with only 165 calories (depending on the cut, and type).

Nutritional impact of 100-gram breast chicken

To know how much protein in chicken breast is available per 100 gram, USDA conducted experiments and found that approx. 114 calories were present in the boneless breast chicken. When they came to test how much protein in 100g chicken can be good for health, they found 21.2 grams of protein is available in raw chicken breast and it was concluded that protein in 100g chicken will be good to intake for people above the age of five. Dietary fiber was found to be zero; hence it is suggested to have a healthy portion size of grilled/ steamed vegetables on the side.

Important things to be noted down before intake chicken

• Many people always look into how much protein in chicken can make them gain absolute mass but there are some concerns and things needed to be checked before consuming chicken.

• Always try to purchase chicken from the chicken farm where the rules and regulations are properly followed to grow a chicken in a healthier way.

• There are many breeds of chicken available in the market, so before choosing the particular one for your growth and mass, better consult with a known person about this.

• As you know chickens are not the high-rated products and you can purchase them at cheap prices. So don’t go for very cheap chicken as day old chicken is bad for health and you can easily be cheated by the chicken farm with this.

• All try to purchase the best quality chicken from the farm and make sure you are purchasing from the right place where there is no disease causing agents present against the chickens.

• You might save chicken for the next day after a meal; it should be immediately refrigerated as chickens’ kept in open with the temperature above 26 degree Celsius should not be consumed.

• It is always better to keep the chickens in a separate closed box inside the freezer. This will mainly help to avoid spreading the bacteria. Once ready to prep the chicken, defrost and thaw it for at least an hour.

Other benefits of Chicken

Many people think chicken is only good to gain muscles and not fit for other nutrients. If you are also one such individual then your thinking is completely wrong. Yes, the protein level in the chicken will, of course, increase the weight and mass of the body but at the same time, there are many other reasons why it is good to consumed by others.

• Good for Cold:  When you are in the cold or a sore throat, chicken soup with the added pepper will ease the condition.

• Good effect in reducing the cholesterol: When compared to red meat like beef or pork with the chicken, the amount of saturated fat and the cholesterol level is very low in nature. American heart association has also found this in their experimentation, so with the proven results, you can surely try out the chicken or fish in place of red meat like pork.

• Weight loss: Boiled chicken is found with very low calorific value so including this in any daily meals can surely bring down your body weight. Even though the protein content is high in boiled chicken, the calorie value is very low.

To complement your chicken diet, we suggest including Whey Protein depending on your fitness goal. It is a healthy workout drink that is easy- and quick-to-prepare. It provides stamina, improves muscle size and prevents muscle breakdown.