Within the context of this post, I will examine the four best meats to consume when working out that will provide you with the energy and nutrients needed to get you stronger and healthier. I will provide my personal experience with each meat and draw from credible sources on google for the nutrient contents within each meat. Each meat will be ranked from my favorite to least favorite and I hope that in reading this post it will provide you with clarity as to what meat will be the most beneficial to you in your journey to building the body you desire. So, let’s get started!
(Full disclosure: All of the information used and cited in this post belongs to the original authors and is used here purely for educational purposes).
1. Beef.
Beefs nutritional contents.
According to (WebMD), A 113-gram cut of beef contains 265 calories, 21 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, and 0 carbs (2022). Also, according to back of most labels for a package of beef you fill find it contains a surplus of beneficial minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and chloride.
Source: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-beef#
Why is this benefical to know.
Alright so now that we know the nutritional value of a single serving of beef how does this help you? Well in order to achieve the best results possible at the gym you need to choose quality foods that will help you either build or maintain muscle mass and elevate your performance. By knowing what certain foods contain such as beef, you can pick and choose what you need to have in order to function efficiently. Let us now go over what each of these elements contained in beef can do for you when trying to improve your fitness.
Why Beef is a good choice.
First off, beef is a high calorie meat and serves as a great source for rich, complete proteins. The high calorie and rich protein contents of beef make it one of the best meats for weight gain and the building of lean muscle mass. However, I know that some of you are probably concerned about the high composition of saturated fat in beef, but as long as you eat it in moderation and in consideration of your physical health, you will be fine. Even though saturated fat does have a reputation for causing heart disease some medical professionals would argue that the saturated fats found in beef actually provide energy for the body and are in fact useful for the manufacturing of vital steroidal hormones. Thirdly, the many minerals contained in beef are at a higher concentration than that of chicken and turkey. The minerals in beef such as iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium all help with a vast number of functions. Iron is a mineral essential to our bodies and is especially in high demand during exercise. In short, iron is responsible for the carrying and storing of oxygen the element responsible for energy conversion. Zinc is responsible for boosting immunity, and magnesium for cell communication in the body. Potassium plays a vital role and aids in regulating heartbeat, muscle, and nerve communication. Lastly, phosphorus helps the body by activating enzymes and storing energy in our cells. All around beef is a great source of complete proteins and calories needed by the body and an excellent source of minerals needed for basic bodily functions.
Personal opinion on consuming beef.
Beef truly is my favorite meat to eat especially after or before a workout, and not only because of the taste or texture of it, but because of the immense amounts of nutrients contained in a fine cut of beef. From my personal standpoint, beef is a meat that is essential for getting protein, minerals and calories into your diet. If you are like me and need more readily accessible minerals to boost your energy levels, and protein to build muscle, this is a meat you should include in your daily diet. All around the benefits of beef and the many different ways you can cook it truly makes it an excellent meat for building muscle mass and my favorite meat on this list.
2. CHICKEN
Chickens nutritional contents.
According to (healthline), a 172-gram skinless breast of chicken contains 284 calories, 53.4 grams of protein, and 6.2 grams of saturated fat (2022). Additional nutritional contents found in chicken are creatine, selenium, carnosine, anserine, and sodium, just to name a few.
Source: How Many Calories in Chicken? Breast, Thigh, Wing and More (healthline.com)
Why Chicken is a good Choice.
Chickens’ high protein and low-calorie nature make it the best meat to consume when trying to gain lean muscle mass without fat gain. If you scroll back up to the section on (Beef), you will notice that beef has more calories per gram than chicken, 113-grams of beef contains 265 calories while 172 grams of chicken has 284 calories. This means that if you were on a cut, you could consume more chicken and take in less calories and more protein than if you consumed the same amount of beef. By simply being low in calories and saturated fat, and having a significant amount of protein, chicken is one of healthiest meats you can eat. Personally, out of all the four meats we are going over I eat the most of chicken, not only because it is rich in nutrient contents, but because in comparison to the other meats on this list, chicken is the cheapest and most readily available meat for the average consumer. Alright, now let us cover the other components of chicken that make it a beneficial food in your fitness diet. As stated above, chicken contains creatine which is an organic compound made of three non-essential amino acids known as glycine, arginine, and methionine. In simple terms, this compound increases energy levels, muscle mass, and absorption of water in the skeletal muscles. Anserine and selenium act as antioxidants in the body which means that they remove substances that inhibit oxidation, particularly those causing the breakdown of essential biological products. lastly, carnosine is a compound that can improve sleep and binds excess glucose in the blood stream. Chicken also contains a great many minerals and vitamins, but I found these four compounds to be the most unique to chicken that can help you with your fitness journey.
My persinal opinion on cosuming chicken.
I believe that chicken truly is the best meat to eat for really anybody because its low in fat and calories, high in protein, sodium, and creatine and is cost efficient. From the price and nutritional benefits to the availability of this meat, chicken is the best meat to eat the most of during periods of cutting or maintaining. Just please don’t eat it fried!!!!!
3. Venison
Now I know when you read this you are going to be like what? but trust me when I say that you can buy venison, it is good for you, and is in fact delicious. Fun fact, venison is a meat that I have been eating for most of my life and is one of my personal favorites.
Venisons nutritional content.
According to a study done by (Nutrition Advance) 100 grams of venison contains 21.8 grams of protein, 7.1 grams of saturated fat, and a total of 187 calories (2022). Additional nutrients include Vitamins B6, B3, B12, B1, B5, Folate, Omega – 3 and a surplus of minerals (Nutrition Advance, 2022).
Source: 9 Health Benefits of Venison Meat (and Full Nutrition Facts) (nutritionadvance.com)
Why You should eat venison.
The main reason why you should eat venison is because if you are like me and have a higher cholesterol than most and crave beef, venison is a good substitute because it is a red meat but, has significantly less fat per gram, less calories, and more protein than beef. Another reason why you should eat venison is because of its high percentage of accessible B vitamins which aid in a variety of necessary bodily functions from neurological communication to metabolism. Venison is a great meat for building and maintaining muscles especially for those of you concerned about your blood cholesterol levels. More on what B vitamins do in section (4).
My personal opinion on consuming venison.
Know I know that many of you have heard how venison tastes very gamey or is chewy, but I am telling you right now that the people who have said this most likely ate venison that was not cleaned or cooked correctly. Personally, I like my venison prepared ground for making chili and burger patties or I enjoy eating the backstraps like steaks. The main downside to eating venison and the reason it is third on this list, is due primarily because of its price. Unless you are a deer hunter like me, you will need to purchase this meat at a health food store were the price is going to be very high. Aside from cost venison is a great meat for any of you who needs more B vitamins in your diet or for those of you craving red meat but are concerned about your calories and cholesterol. So, if you have the extra money to spend give it a try!
4. TURKEY
Nutritional contents of turkey.
Alright next up on this list is turkey! First off 170-grams of turkey contains 47.4 grams of protein, 16.8 grams of fat, and 354 calories (verywell fit, 2022). Additional nutritional factors of turkey include that it has an abundance of vitamins b3, b6, b12, along with selenium and phosphorus. Turkey is a quality meat that has many benefits and is defiantly the best meat on this list if you’re trying to get a surplus of calories.
Source: Turkey Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits (verywellfit.com)
Why You should eat turkey.
The three main reasons you should eat turkey is because it has the most calories per gram out of the four meats listed, is the second cheapest meat on this list, and has the second greatest amount of protein per gram. However, because of its high calorie quality, I would not recommend eating a lot of turkey if you are concerned about calories, but for those of you looking for a meat high in calories and protein for building muscle fast, this meat is the perfect choice. Above I stated that turkey contains a variety of b vitamins so what do each of those vitamins do for you. B3, or niacin, is a vitamin that aids in the releasing of energy from the foods we eat, improving overall neurological function, and simultaneously makes us feel more awake (Holland&Barett, 2022). B6 or pyridoxine is a vitamin that in short, improves overall body circulation by regulating amino acid concentration in the blood (WebMD, 2020). Lastly, B12 or cyanocobalamin, is a vitamin that plays an essential role in blood cell formation, metabolism, nervous system function and many other things such as DNA production (Wikipedia, 2022). From the protein, calories, and price of turkey If you need the calories and want essential B vitamins turkey is definitely a meat you need in your diet.
Sources: 1. Vitamin B6: Health Benefits, Nutrition Information, Uses, Safety, and More (webmd.com)
2. Vitamin B3: Benefits, Functions & Foods | Holland & Barrett (hollandandbarrett.com)
My personal opinion on consuming turkey.
Personally, turkey is probably my least favorite meat on this list solely because of taste, but the many health benefits of this meat force me to eat it. Especially when you are body building like I am, turkey is a meat you feel like you must eat because of the protein, surplus of B vitamins, and calories. Eat more turkey!
Conclusion.
Keep in mind that this post is solely meant to provide you purely with facts about each meat and my personal experience with eating each of them at different periods of my life. Also, please note that all of the nutritional contents in each meat are not listed here just what I thought to be the most beneficial for each. Additionally, I want you all to know that I do eat all of these meats all the time, but I simply eat more or less of one meat during certain periods of my fitness journey depending on calories, protein, or price. So, just remember that each of these meats have unique nutritional attributes that are good for you, but you may need regulate or increase the consumption of one over the other based on your health. I hope this post helps you and I strongly encourage you to do your own due diligence to find out what foods are best for you.
Sincerely, ultimategymbrohub.