Can You Get BCAAs From Food?
Muscle building and high intensity training/nutrition programs recommend taking BCAAs. BCAAs are needed daily and can be generally consumed through a regular healthy diet. Foods that contain BCAAs are chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, lentils, red meat, soy protein, and nuts.
In order to get the recommended amount of BCAAs per day naturally from food, one would have to consume multiple servings of the above foods. As an estimate, you would likely need to spend around $100-200/week to get enough from food, depending on things like age, height, weight, gender, and activity level, etc.
Of course, these foods provide other nutrients, and you will likely eat some of these foods anyway, as you have to eat. However, many people choose to supplement so that they know they are consistently getting in enough BCAAs to maximize muscle growth, especially on training days.