Foods That Build Muscle – Pulses, Nuts + Legumes

If you have yet to read my initial article about foods that build muscle then please do so before reading on. It contains vital information about protein that you won’t want to skip over!

foods that build muscle pulses beans nuts Pulses, nuts and legumes are a source of protein that do not come from animals. This makes them great for vegetarians and they’re pretty much the only protein options for vegans. (Apart from the small amount of protein found in starchy foods like rice, pasta and bread)

The difficulty with these types of foods that build muscle is that they are incomplete proteins. This means that they are lacking quantities of some essential amino acids needed for the muscle to make use of the non-essential ones contained in the foods to build muscle.

Not to worry! There is a way around this issue. All you need to do is use combinations of these foods to make them complete proteins. Ideally, you will combine two foods that compliment each other – The amino acids missing from one of the foods will be made up by the amino acids in the other to give you a complete protein.

Some examples of complimentary food combinations include…

Rice with beans
Beans on toast
Nuts with vegetables

The other negative to pulses and nuts is that they usually contain carbs and occasionally fats (nuts can be especially fatty). This could cause a problem if you’re a vegan because there aren’t many purely protein options available in this food category.

If you’re worried about your carb and fat intake from these kind of foods that build muscle, then you can supplement your protein consumption with products like soya protein which ARE almost pure protein and not sourced from animals. (if you’re vegetarian then dairy, casein and egg protein supplements are also an option).

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Note : All values are approximate and are per 100 grams. Cooking methods may alter the nutritional value of the food. Frying will increase the fat content for example. If there is a type of food that is not listed here, then you can check out www.nutritiondata.com – The site contains a massive directory of foods and their values

Pulses, Nuts and Legumes – FOODS THAT BUILD MUSCLE

PEAS / ADZUKI BEANS / GREAT NORTHERN WHITE BEANS / BLACK BEANS / KIDNEY BEANS / PINTO BEANS / BROAD BEANS / HYACINTH BEANS / – ALL COOKED (BOILED)

foods that build muscle pulses beans nuts Protein – 7.5 – 9 grams

Carbs – 19.5 – 25 grams

Fat – 0.1 – 0.5 grams

Calories – 115-140

CHICKPEAS – COOKED (boiled)

Protein – 9 grams

Carbs – 27.5 grams

Fat – 2.6 grams

Calories – 164

LENTILS – COOKED (boiled)

Protein – 9 grams

Carbs – 20 grams

Fat – 0.4 grams

Calories – 116

PEANUTS – DRY ROASTED

Protein – 23.7 grams

Carbs – 21.5 grams

Fat – 49.7 grams

Calories – 585

Notes: Although some of the fat contained in peanuts are good fats, the high overall fat content means that peanuts should be consumed sparingly.

SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE / ISOLATE (per 30 gram scoop)

Protein – 16.5 Grams (concentrate) 24 grams (isolate)

Carbs – 9.5 grams (concentrate) 2 grams (isolate)

Fat – 0.5 Grams (concentrate) 1 gram (isolate)

Calories – 110

Notes: This option is only for strict vegans. There is some controversy and many studies showing negative effects of soy protein. Isolate is the better ‘pure’ protein source if you’re looking to control carbs. (if you’re vegan or vegetarian, more often than not your protein sources will contain more carbs than protein) If you’re not vegan, whey protein is the far superior option.

Overall, if you’re a vegetarian or a vegan it can be quite difficult to reach your required daily intake of protein (especially if you’re vegan). This is made more difficult due to the availability of complete proteins in this food group.

foods that build muscle beans Vegans have limited choice but clever combinations of foods can solve this problem. The only danger to watch for is the high carbohydrate content also contained in these foods.

If your goal is to stay fairly lean and build muscle, these excess carbs might pose a problem. To avoid the extra carb calories I’d recommend investing in a supplementary soy protein isolate powder for vegans or a tub of Whey protein for vegetarians.

I hope that this article gave you some insight on the topic of pulses, nuts and legumes and their properties as foods that build muscle.

Keep eating your way to a healthier body!

Thanks for reading

Altug

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Click Here To Read All About ‘Foods That Build Muscle’ and How Much of Them You Need

Click Here To Read The ‘Fish and Seafood’ Chapter of This Article

Click Here To Read The ‘Meats’ Chapter of This Article

Click Here To Read The ‘Dairy’ Chapter of This Article

Click Here To Find Out How Much of Each Macronutrient (Protein/Carbs/Fat) You Should Eat For Your Specific Goal!

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Pulses, Nuts and Legumes – FOODS THAT BUILD MUSCLE

For Muscle Building I Recommend

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