Building and maintaining muscle requires more than just exercise—it’s about fueling your body with the right nutrients. Not eating enough calories or protein can lead to muscle loss, slower recovery, and a lack of progress in your fitness journey. Choosing the right foods at the grocery store, like lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats, is essential to support muscle growth and overall strength.
@ervc.fitCOMMENT “LIST” FOR MY MUSCLE BUILDING GROCERY LIST If you’re on a fitness journey and you want to build muscle in 2025 but you struggle to eat enough calories and protein everyday, here are the BEST foods to get We’re looking for lower volume, calorie dense food options here to help get in enough calories for the day without feeling overly full and stuffed. Growing up skinny, I’ve always had a hard time with eating enough calories to build muscle because of the foods I was choosing to make up my diet. I was eating a lot of high volume, LOW calorie foods which made it hard for me to eat enough calories throughout the day because I was always full. Once I started to switch my food choices and opted for higher calorie, lower volume options I was able to eat enough calories without feeling overly full by the end of the day. If you want my entire list of foods that are perfect for your muscle building diet, comment “LIST” below and I’ll send it over to you asap original sound – ERIC C | ONLINE FITNESS COACH
Fitness coach Eric (@ervc.fit) recently revealed his must-have grocery items for building muscle, toning up faster, and increasing your protein intake. Keep reading to discover all his top recommendations!
1. Best carbs
Eric says you should look for high-protein, calorie-dense options. "These foods pack more calories without taking up a lot of volume in your stomach.
He says to start with carbs because carbs will "give your body the fuel that it needs to train hard." He recommends bagels, tortilla wraps, rice, pasta, quick oats, and cream of rice for carbs.
Bagels and tortilla wraps are convenient carb sources, and choosing whole grain varieties boosts fiber and nutrient intake. Similarly, rice and pasta are excellent for sustained energy, particularly when opting for brown rice or whole grain pasta, which offer more vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to refined options. When possible, choosing organic versions of these foods can be beneficial as they are free from synthetic pesticides and additives, ensuring a cleaner, more nutrient-dense option for your diet.
2. Protein
“Protein is responsible for repairing the muscle tissue that we break down during our training sessions as well as helping you build new muscle tissue," Eric states.
Some of the best options include lean ground beef, steak, boneless skinless chicken thighs, turkey sausages, and salmon.
3. Healthy fats
Eric says healthy fats are “good for regulating hormone health,” as well as being "our body’s secondary energy source.”
Some good healthy fat options he suggests are avocados, peanut butter, whole eggs, almonds, or cashews. He also advises cooking with either canola oil or avocado oil.
