If you are building muscle for fitness or have experienced frequent muscle weakness or injury, turn to a healthy diet for help. Optimal intake of protein, vitamins and minerals will allow your body to form and repair muscle cells and help your muscles contract and relax. Your mobility and overall musculoskeletal strength depend on a consistent supply of these nutrients to your muscle tissue. Eating a regular, balanced diet will benefit your blood, bones and other body parts needed for muscle support as well.
Protein
Dietary protein is a main component of muscle tissue, and the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, recommends getting 50 g of protein daily. Eating nutritious foods from all the food groups should suffice, as the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, report that individuals without underlying medical conditions should not need protein supplements. Healthy animal-based protein foods include low-fat cuts of beef, pork and poultry as well as eggs, milk, fish and shellfish. Beans, peas, nuts and seeds are good plant-based protein sources.
Potassium
Potassium from the foods you eat is essential to muscle cell growth, so strive for the recommended daily value, or DV, of 3,500 mg of potassium. Leafy greens, beans, fish and dairy products all contain strong ratios of potassium, with the highest content present in cooked beet greens, white beans, halibut and yogurt, as per the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA. Additional potassium foods to eat include potatoes, sweet potatoes, papayas and bananas.
Calcium
Calcium contributes to the health of your entire musculoskeletal system, while specifically assisting in normal muscle contraction. Achieve your DVs of 1,000 mg eating dairy products, leafy greens and fish canned with edible bones. For high calcium values, add yogurt, cooked spinach, collards, kale and sardines to your menus often. You will find moderate calcium content in milk, cheese, almonds and many kinds of cooked dry beans.
Vitamin C
Normal wear and tear as well as environmental threats to muscle tissue require nightly cellular repair. Your body handles this task with the help of vitamin C, an antioxidant vitamin that also helps your body make collagen, necessary to the tendons and ligaments that offset the action of your muscles. Get 60 mg of vitamin C daily from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, tomatoes and green peppers have high vitamin C content. Other foods providing significant vitamin C include cooked spinach, sweet potatoes and potatoes.
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