Adolescents, and elderly people especially, need good nutrition to form muscle during growth spurts and to keep from losing muscle to accelerated aging processes. The same food elements, however, work to build healthy muscles in everyone, from developing children to recovering surgical patients and active or aging adults. Consuming significant protein, potassium, calcium and vitamins C and D every day builds new muscle cells and helps existing muscle tissue to function and repair itself when you are injured. Fewer calories from fat in your meals will allow you to maintain muscle rather than add fat to body tissue.
Cottage Cheese
For high protein and low fat, cottage cheese exceeds even meats and fish in nutritional value to muscles. One cup of 1 percent cottage cheese provides more than half of all the protein you need for the day, with less than one-third of the total fat in 3 oz. of beef.
Tuna Fish
Tuna fish beats out beef as well in overall muscle nutritional support. Beef round steak does have a few more grams of protein and milligrams of potassium than canned tuna. Tuna fish packed in water, however, has less than 1 g of fat, compared to beef's 10 g of fat, which translates into half the calories per serving for you.
Navy Beans
Navy beans are major plant-based protein sources. The calcium content of beans and other legumes stimulates muscle contraction, including the heartbeat, while their potassium content relaxes muscle contraction and builds new muscle cells. Other than soybeans, navy beans and other white beans contain the most calcium among legumes. One cup of navy beans has only 1 g of fat.
Tomatoes
Support muscle health by adding to your potassium stores with vitamin-rich tomatoes. One cup of chopped tomatoes offers 11 percent DV of potassium plus more than half of your daily vitamin C needs in low fat and calories. Potassium content more than doubles in cooked pasta sauce, but the vitamin C content diminishes with heat processing.
Oranges
Oranges are a superior vitamin C source and have moderate potassium content. More than 100 percent of your DV of vitamin C in 1 cup of cut fruit supports muscles and connective tissue in self-repair. A calcium-fortified orange juice enhances this nutritional value.
Milk
Getting your total DV of calcium daily is important to healthy muscle function. Drink 1 cup of milk at every meal for significant calcium, vitamin D, protein and potassium. Choose 1 percent or fat-free milk to minimize fat and calories.
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