Question of the Month by Hany Rambod

What is the most anabolic food I can eat?

When it comes to keeping your muscles full, nothing beats lean beef, because of the many ways it works to build & keep muscle. First, the cholesterol in red meat drives testosterone, keeping your body in an anabolic state. If you cut out red meat for too long, you'll become weak & lethargic. It also has zinc, which further supports testosterone production.

Beef is a slower-digestion source of protein, which gives you a positive nitrogen balance & a steady trickle of amino acids into your blood. I often recommend that guys eat beef at night-instead of getting up to eat, so that their muscles are getting fed while they snooze.

It's also a natural, efficient, slow-acting source of creatine, which helps keep you stronger through heavy training, meaning you'll be more likely to hold on to that muscle. Your focus should be on 4%-6% fat ground beef or lean cuts, such as top round, bottom round & sirloin. In the offseason, spend a little more & have filet mignon. 

Phil Heath is a great example of the benefits of lean red meats. In his offseason, we have him taking in three or four red-meat meals per day. That's the only way he's able to keep the weight on. If he stops eating those red-meat meals, he'll drop 10 pounds in a couple of weeks, easy.