What Vitamins and Minerals Help Build Muscle?

80% of all muscles are made up of amino acids. Amino acids are produced when the body consumes and breaks down protein. Essentially, protein is what functions as the most important building block when attempting to build and maintain muscle strength. This is why it is important to consume foods and nutritional supplements with high protein content when building muscle.

How much protein your body needs to build and maintain muscle depends on a variety of factors such as age, gender, weight, and how much muscle you want to build. Harvard Health explains that the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is .8 grams per kilogram of weight. But this amount is the bare minimum to keep your body functioning – it’s not enough to build and maintain muscle. To do so, you need to consume a much higher volume of protein.

For example, if you want to bulk up your muscle mass, then you should consider consuming nearly 2 grams of protein per kilogram of total weight. In other words, you will need to eat quite a bit of food that is rich in protein and low in fats and carbs.

Carbohydrates for Building and Maintaining Muscle Strength

While protein is invaluable in building muscle, carbohydrates are just as important when it comes to repairing muscle fibers. When you work out, your body burns through glycogen, a glucose that is stored in your muscles. Glycogen is what provides you with the energy to power through your workout, making it very important to replenish your glycogen levels. Complex carbohydrates, like those found in whole grains, are the key to regenerating your glycogen supply.

Fortunately, ENU’s nutritional shakes feature complex carbohydrates from whole-grain foods such as brown rice, tapioca, and quinoa. In other words, by consuming an ENU product, you not only get the benefit of protein that builds muscle, but also take in complex carbohydrates that effectively replace your workout fuel – glycogen.