A nutrient-rich diet is essential not only for athletes. Salads provide many essential vitamins and minerals, primarily supporting the immune system. When preparing, also use high-protein ingredients to help maintain muscle mass.
How can you keep fit, eat healthily and prevent muscle loss as much as possible despite a low level of exercise?
The first good approach: Rely on a balanced diet with lots of vegetables – they provide fiber and essential micronutrients.
To maintain muscle, it is also essential to include more protein-rich ingredients and healthy fats in your meals – carbohydrates should be reduced somewhat.
Proteins and fats give your body, especially your muscles, power, have a minimal effect on insulin levels, and, as a result, keep you fuller for much longer.
The following protein suppliers pimp up your protein salad and turn it into a strengthening variation for the muscles.
Lose Weight And Maintain Muscle With A Protein-Rich Diet
Vegetable and animal proteins boost the metabolism rapidly and keep you full for longer. This is mainly because the body has to expend more energy to break down proteins into amino acids.
Your body burns calories as you digest them. Nearly a quarter of the protein’s nutritional energy goes to waste before it hits your hips.
Furthermore, proteins are required for muscle maintenance and muscle building, which has a positive effect on fat burning. Because the more muscles you have, the more energy your body burns at rest.
Therefore, it is best to use a mix of vegetable and animal protein sources for your filling salad – they should always be balanced.
Also, integrate healthy omega-3 fatty acids into your diet plan; they are essential for maintaining muscle mass. The healthy fat is mainly found in high-fat fish such as salmon and tuna, linseed oil linseed, chia seeds, avocado, and nuts.
It is essential only to use foods with a low to medium glycemic index when choosing carbohydrates. We recommend quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, chickpea flour, almond flour, and many types of vegetables.
Six Protein-Rich Ingredients For The Salad
Legumes
Lentils, kidney beans, and chickpeas provide carbohydrates and a large portion of vegetable protein.
The leader: kidney beans with 8 grams of protein per 100 grams.
In addition, legumes are bursting with fiber, promoting healthy digestion and keeping you full for a long time. You should consume at least 30 grams of fiber per day at best.
Nuts & Seeds
Absolute hit: cannabis seeds. They have been a superfood for centuries. And not without reason – they are bursting with vital substances and protein (37 grams per 100 grams).
In addition to hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds are a high-quality, plant-based protein source with health-promoting ingredients. The tiny, green seeds contain 24 grams of protein per 100 grams.
The most protein-rich nut is the peanut – 100 grams score with 26 grams of protein. Consumed in moderation, they are therefore a suitable source of protein.
The following nuts and seeds also provide a lot of protein:
- almonds
- walnuts
- pecans
- brazil nuts
- sesame
Fish
High-fat fish such as tuna, mackerel, herring, or salmon provides you with lots of protein and healthy fats such as omega-3.
The omega-3 fatty acids support muscle regeneration and thus promote muscle maintenance and growth.
Since they have an anti-inflammatory effect, they best prevent sports injuries or overuse.
In addition, omega-3 makes the muscle cells more receptive to insulin. The build-up of body fat is made more difficult, even when there is a calorie surplus.
Ultimately, omega-3 fatty acids strengthen the cardiovascular system – essential for competitive athletes.
Other good omega-3 sources that also provide protein:
- Chia seeds
- walnuts
High-Protein Dairy Products
Grainy cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, and cheese are among the top protein suppliers among dairy products that you can use for a fresh filling salad.
The delicate cream cheese performs best: it is usually shallow in fat and has a protein content of around 11 grams.
The “crumbly quark” provides vitamin B12 magnesium and is particularly rich in calcium – there are 100 milligrams in 100 grams. The mineral is essential for maintaining bone density, bone formation, and metabolism.
Not to forget: The lactic acid bacteria are perfect for the intestinal flora, which in turn maintains your performance and general health.
At the top, however, is the hard Italian cheese – 100 grams of Parmesan provides 38 grams of protein.
Eggs
A whole egg already provides six grams of protein, with the yolk having more protein than the egg white.
In addition, eggs, especially the yolk, are high in magnesium, calcium, and even vitamin D.
They can be varied wonderfully; either you prepare them poached for your salad, boiled until soft, or as scrambled or fried eggs.
Lean Meat
When it comes to absorbing protein, the biological value of your protein source is significant. It indicates how much of the protein ingested can be converted into endogenous protein, i.e., muscle mass.
Suppose a food contains all nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce. In that case, it is an excellent source of protein. With a value of 100, the egg serves as a reference value.
In particular, lean beef and chicken have a high biological value and immediately convert dietary protein into muscle protein.
When buying meat, please pay attention to organic quality.
ALSO READ: THESE 5 FOODS ENSURE A HEALTHY GUT