The Best Nutrition for a Toned Body

There are foods that can help you to improve your muscle tone and combat flabbiness in a healthy way, as long as you also engage in physical exercise.

In this article, we’ll give you suggestions for you to prepare your daily menus with foods that will help you obtain a lean and toned body.

Healthy Tips for Getting a Toned Body

The Importance of Protein

When we talk about the health of our muscles, the first thing to emphasize is the importance of protein. After all, protein also helps you lose weight and reduce your waistline

However, it’s important to know how to choose what’s best for you:

• Red meat is the protein that most increases muscle. However, you should eat it in moderation because it can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Once or twice a week is enough.
• White meat is great if what you want is just to tone and firm without increasing muscle mass.
• Fish: Both oily fish and white fish contain a lot of protein, although white fish is much lower in fat.
• Eggs: Egg whites contain the most protein, while the yolk contains more fat. You can prepare omelets with two egg whites and one yolk, for example.
• Milk and dairy products: We recommend low-fat dairy products, such as cottage cheese, which can be combined with a little honey or olive oil.
• Legumes (beans): These are the best source of vegetable protein. In addition, if you combine them with grains such as brown rice, you get a really complete protein.
• Nuts: The healthiest option to eat them is raw or roasted, but unsalted and not fried.
• Mushrooms: This vegetable protein is very healthy and versatile.
• Algae (seaweed): We especially recommend Spirulina algae or Klamath, which you can eat daily.

Healthy Fats

Fats are vital for the body, but if you want to prevent them from building up in order to have a toned body, you should reduce saturated fats and choose healthy fats, such as:

• Premium vegetable oils: These include olive, coconut, sesame, flax, evening primrose, and wheat germ oil, among others
• Nuts like macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts or almonds.
• Oily fish
• Eggs
• Avocados, an excellent fruit that’s high in good fats
• Seeds: Sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flax, etc

Healthy Carbohydrates

Overall, the carbohydrates most suited for a firm and toned body are found in the following foods:

• Fresh and seasonal fruit
• Cooked or raw vegetables in salads, in smoothies and juices, etc.
• Whole grain cereals: rice, quinoa, wheat
• Whole wheat flour (however, don’t eat too much of this)
• Starch: Potatoes, bananas

Recommended Supplements

Finally, we recommend you assess whether or not to take any of the following supplements. All of them have the ability to help strengthen and tone your muscles:

• Magnesium
• Collagen
• Silicon
• Brewer’s yeast
• Spirulina or Klamath algae (seaweed)
• Wheat grass

A Sample Menu

Using the foods that we have recommended, we’d like to offer the following suggestions for a daily menu for a toned body:

• Breakfast: Toasted whole wheat bread with cottage cheese, honey and seeds.
• Mid-morning Snack: A handful of nuts and a fruit.
• Lunch: Chicken with sautéed vegetables.
• Afternoon Snack: Natural yogurt with nuts.
• Dinner: Vegetable soup and an omelet.

A Vegetarian Option

Below is a lacto-ovo vegetarian option:

• Breakfast: Yogurt smoothie, banana and walnuts.
• Mid-morning Snack: Corn pancakes with fresh cheese.
• Lunch: Whole wheat pasta with cream of mushroom and parmesan cheese.
• Afternoon Snack: Whole wheat toast with unsalted peanut butter.
• Dinner: Quinoa with vegetables and an omelet.

A Vegan Option

Finally, here’s a vegan option (without any animal protein):

• Breakfast: A sandwich with tomato and avocado on whole wheat bread along with a supplement of Spirulina algae (seaweed).
• Mid-morning Snack: A handful of nuts and a vegetable drink.
• Lunch: A salad with lentils and brown rice and assorted mushrooms.
• Afternoon Snack: A handful of nuts.
• Dinner: Cream of pea soup with algae (seaweed) and sprouts and corn pancakes.