Muscle Building Foods

Muscle building foods-Fortified Eggs:
An exciting development in the functional food area is the fortified egg. Bodybuilders have long known that eggs are a good source of protein...and because of this are a great muscle building food... but eggs can now also be a good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Some egg producers are adding flaxseed to the feed of hens. Flax seed is one of the best sources for the essential fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid. Adding omega-3 fatty acids, in the form of flaxseeds, to the diets of hens increases the omega-3 fatty acid content of eggs by over six times that of regular eggs. Eating two fortified eggs may provide an adequate amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

Benefits for bodybuilders

Alpha linolenic acid is important to bodybuilders for:

· Enhancing insulin sensitivity within muscle cells
· Stimulating steroid production
· Systemization of hormones
· Mediating immune response
· Directing endocrine hormones to target cells
· Regulating smooth muscle and autonomic reflexes
· Construction of healthy cell walls
· Transportation of oxygen to body cells
· Keeping saturated fats mobile in the blood stream
· Regulation of nerve transmission
· Serving as the primary energy source for the heart muscle.

Egg producers also add vitamin E to the flaxseed feed to keep it stable. This can cause the vitamin E content of fortified eggs to be as much as eight times higher than that of normal eggs. It is also worthy to note that eggs can taste better with the vitamin E enrichment. Whether you choose normal or fortified eggs...they are both great muscle building foods.