This Food Beats Protein Shakes for Building Muscle, New Research Says

Well, this is unexpected.

October 16, 2025

This Food Beats Protein Shakes for Building Muscle New Research Says

Building muscle takes time, hard work, and proper nutrition, which is why you’ll see a lot of people at the gym tossing back a shake after a tough workout session. But while those shakes have been the go-to way to refuel for years, a new study suggests there may be food that’s even better for building muscle after you work out: meat.

While it’s less convenient—and admittedly a little random—new research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a clear link between eating a specific kind of burger post-workout and an increase in elements in the body that support muscle growth. The study was small, but it adds to a growing body of research that suggests chowing down on high-protein, whole foods after you exercise might be the best way to support muscle growth.

Sure, you’re probably not going to start tossing a burger in your gym bag going forward, but experts say you may want to consider eating “real” food after workouts to build muscle. Here’s the deal.

What did the study find?

For the study, researchers tracked 16 physically active young adults and their muscle-protein synthesis, which is the process that happens when new muscle proteins are formed in the body and a crucial element to building muscle.

The participants gave blood samples, and had muscle biopsies taken during the study to monitor muscle-protein synthesis. Then, the participants went to the gym, where they performed leg presses and leg extensions, before eating one of three test meals: a high-fat pork burger, a lean pork burger, or a carbohydrate drink. After five hours, the researchers took another muscle biopsy to look at how the combination of the workout and meal impacted muscle protein synthesis.

After a few recovery days, the researchers had the participants repeat the process, but eat a different meal from what they had tried before.

Overall, the researchers found that levels of amino acids—which are the building blocks of protein and are crucial for muscle growth—rose quickly in people who ate pork compared to those who had the carbohydrate drink. (That wasn’t shocking since these people were literally putting protein into their bodies.) But the researchers also found that those who ate the lean pork burger had the biggest increase in amino acids. They had a bigger rate of protein-muscle synthesis compared to those who ate the high-fat pork burger too.

“It seems silly with all the protein craze out there that we have to tell people to eat real food,” Nicholas Burd, PhD, study co-author and a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, tells SELF. “But whole foods are more nutrient-dense and better quality than a shake.”

Having “real” food after a workout may do more than you think.

It’s definitely easier and more convenient to reach for a bar or shake after you work out, but some research suggests that whole foods may do more for you when it comes to muscle growth.

Burd’s previous research found that eating salmon after a workout created a bigger muscle-building reaction than having a processed blend with the same nutrients. He also discovered in another study that eating whole eggs after weight training created more muscle-protein synthesis than eating the same amount of protein from egg whites.

Burd says it’s not clear why the lean burger performed better for muscle-protein synthesis than the high-fat burger in the latest study. But he suspects that it could be because the meat was manipulated to add fat back in—and that may have impacted the outcomes. “That’s very different from a whole egg and salmon: Those are still in their natural components,” he points out.

Something else to consider: The fat in the burgers may have messed with the protein absorption. “Fat slows gastric emptying and amino acid absorption, which can blunt the early rise in blood amino acids that triggers muscle-protein synthesis,” Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy, tells SELF. “Lean protein, on the other hand, digests faster and delivers a cleaner anabolic signal.” Essentially, having a lower-fat source of protein could allow your body to get the muscle-building nutrients it needs faster than if you were to have a higher-fat meal or snack, even when it contains the same amount of protein.

Protein shakes aren’t bad, but there are better options.

All of these findings don’t mean that having a protein shake is bad, Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, cofounder of SoHo Strength Lab, tells SELF. But he says that foods high in protein with a lower fat content may help build muscle after exercise.

“For muscle building, protein from any complete source—which is animal-based protein—is what I would recommend,” Matheny says. “If you can have a meal post-workout, even better.”

Not only can protein from animal sources support muscle growth, Matheny points out that it’s filling. “It’s good to have protein after workouts because people tend to get hungry then,” he says. “They often make poor food choices if it’s been too long [since they last ate].”

Burd agrees that protein shakes “aren’t bad for you.” He just argues that eating whole foods after a workout may be better. “Protein shakes are stripped-down protein,” he says. “Whole food is going to be much more satiating.”

You also don’t need protein powder to support muscle growth, Keatley points out. “You need consistent, well-timed meals built around complete proteins and whole foods,” he says.

If you need a few ideas for what to eat after a workout, consider these from Dani Singer, CPT, founder of Fit2Go Personal Training:

Lean burger on a whole-grain bun with fruit
Salmon, rice, and vegetables
Omelet, potatoes, and spinach
Greek yogurt, oats, and berries
Tofu or tempeh bowl with rice and edamame

“Protein shakes are suitable for busy schedules, while whole foods are excellent when you have time for a meal,” Singer says.

The best way to build muscle is still to go hard at the gym.

While Burd studies the impact of nutrition on exercise, he still says what you do in a workout will have the biggest impact on muscle growth. “The biggest thing to do if you want to build bigger muscle is to go to the gym, work out harder, and be consistent,” he says. “We just use nutrition to try to squeeze a little more out of it.”

Still, Burd recommends eating real sources of protein after workouts when you can—and not stressing about jamming in protein as soon as your workout ends. “You have plenty of time to lift, travel home, and eat a meal to see benefits,” he says. Keatley agrees. “There’s a two-hour ‘window’ when muscle cells are most sensitive to amino acids, but the total daily protein distribution matters more than the exact minute,” he says. “Getting protein every three to four hours across the day maximizes synthesis more than one big meal does.”

Overall, Burd suggests keeping this in mind when figuring out how to refuel after a workout to support muscle growth: “Eat a nice, high-quality source of animal protein—whether eggs, meat, chicken, or a lean piece of pork. All of that is great for building muscle.”