The Fitness Masters
  • Home
  • THE INSTITUTE
  • Online Coaching
  • Blog
  • Contact

Whats the big fuss about protein?

23/3/2017

Comments

 
There are plenty of well-documented benefits of consuming sufficient protein, whether it is for strength/muscle gain or losing body fat perspective. 

The average person in the UK under consumers protein. 

Protein is one of the big three macronutrients fats and carbohydrates being the other two, it is also the body’s least preferred source of energy. 
Whats the fuss with lean protein?
Are you on the list?
Protein contains 4 calories per gram and takes the more energy to digest compared to carbohydrate and fat. This is a good thing if you are looking to lose some body fat, as you will actually burn some calories during the digestion process.

The main role of protein is to provide the building blocks for the body to build and repair its tissues, however there are other important functions. 

After exercise muscles are damaged, protein is used to repair them, which makes them stronger. Protein is also involved in the production of enzymes, antibodies and hormones; it also allows hair, nails and skin to grow and replenish so all in all protein is great!  It also tastes lovely in a steak
Picture
Chicken, Parsley, Salt pepper, olive oil and squeeze of lime. Cook in oven for 30-40mins

Why 'lean protein'

Before you start avoiding all fats like the plague, let's be clear that not all fat is bad, we will save what is 'good fat and bad fat' for another time, here we are only going to discuss why you should be eating sufficient protein. 

'Lean protein' is protein which has less fat and is generally unprocessed, some good safe examples are: 
  • Chicken/turkey breast (minus the skin)
  • Beef/Pork/Lamb (with minimal fat marbling) 
  • Whey protein powder 
  • Eggs
  • Fish 
  • There are also vegetarian and vegan protein powders which you will probably need to use if you want to consume sufficient quantities as a vegan/veggie. More on this in a moment. 

Some foods which would not be considered lean are: 
  • Sausages 
  • Burgers 
  • Mince beef/lamb/pork 
  • Fatty cuts of meat with marbling

If your goal is fat loss then you might want to minimise the consumption of the non lean proteins. Not because eating this type of fat is bad for your health, they just contain more calories per gram than lean protein sources. 

Protein is broken down by the body into amino acids, there are twenty amino acids and the body can make twelve of them. 

Eight are supplied by food and need to be eaten daily, these are known as 'essential amino acids'... because they are essential! 

Meat and fish are complete proteins, this means that they contain all the essential amino acids. Other sources of protein include pulses, nuts and seeds, although these are often incomplete. 

A vegetarian/vegan would need to eat a wider variety of sources to ensure that all of the essential amino acids are consumed in sufficient quantities. 

How much sound you consume?

Current UK government guidelines recommend about 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight. This is far below what current research recommends. 
 
Ask your coach to calculate your guidelines for you as it can vary depending on your activity levels and body size. 

Recent research from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition stated the following: 

For those who are looking to maintain muscle mass 1.4g-2.0g of protein per Kg of body weight is sufficient.  A diet higher in protein intake, in excess of 3.0g per Kg of body weight per day, can help those looking to retain lean body mass while losing body fat on a lower calorie diet and help promote the loss of fat. 

In short eating, a lot of protein is going to help with fat loss and muscle gain. For the average guy who has 80kg of lean body mass, eating 3.0g per Kg of body weight looks like a lot of protein (240g in total). Supplementing with protein powder will make this more cost effective and easier to achieve. 

This is what a typical day could look like for somone with 80kg lean body mass eating 3.0g per Kg body weight. 

Breakfast 
  • Two Scoops of Whey Protein powder = 42g 
  • Four Egg Omelette = 24g 
 
Lunch 
  • 200g Chicken Breast = 48g 

Dinner
  • 300g Beef Steak = 66g 

Before Bed 
  • Two scoops protein powder = 42g

Total 222g Additional protein will be found in different types of vegetables and nut sources which can make up the difference. 

Now lets look at the average UK diet: 

Breakfast 
  • Jam on Toast = 0g Protein 

Lunch 
  • Ham/chicken sandwich = approx 10g (being generous) 

Dinner
  • 1 portion (approx 100g) of beef/chicken/meat = 30g protien 

Total = 40g... way to little protien, particually if you are trying to lose fat! 
If you want to work it out really simply, just make sure you are eating around 5 palm sized portions of lean protein a day and you will be covered, yes that is quite a lot more than your probably eating right now.

Another great thing about protein is that it suppresses one of the hormones (Ghrelin) that makes you feel hungry... this means it can keep you fuller for longer. 

Whey protein has also been shown to nourish the lining of the gut, which is good for anyone who suffers from a 'leaky gut' or want to encourage good bacteria. 

There is a 'window of gains' which diminishes the longer you wait after your workout. This means that one of the best times to get protein into your body is after a resistance workout, keeping a protien shake on hand can help with this.  

The amount of protein that can be used and absorbed by the body in one serving varies slightly depending on age and type of training, resistance training would require more. But in general, the recommendation is 0.25g of high-quality protein per KG of body weight or a total dose of 20-40g.

Bottom line

If you are considering fat loss or strength gains eating more protein than required will not be a problem, in fact, excess protein can help, particularly for fat loss, just ensure it is 'lean'. 

It is reasonable to consider supplementing your diet with whey protein powder.  Just don't go adding lots of extra calories into your shake by mixing in Bananas or peanut butter. 

Subscribe to my legendary emails

High protein breakfast ideas

Eggs: One of the easiest options for breakfast! Boil, fry, scramble, poach make an omelette, there are many options! 

Boiled eggs are the easy option and can be prepared in advanced. If you want to make them more interesting, try dipping them into some spicy sauce (sugar-free would be best). 

If you have time to make an omelette then consider adding a bit of veg in there, chopped up broccoli, Kale or spinach is a good choice, get creative and squeeze veggies in as much as possible! 

Picture
Quick Fry onion, broccoli and tomato, mix in 3 x eggs, pop 1/2 Avocado on top. Enjoy
Protein shakes: Easy to do and easily digested, personally I use a unflavoured 'whey protein isolate' which I mix with random berries for flavour and sweetness. This is my preferance and I feel that this is a slightly healthier option than artificially sweetened protein powders, but if you are just looking for something quick and easy any kind of whey protein will do! 

You can also hide veggies in you protien shakes as well! Spinach blends nicely, avoid adding dates or bananas as these are particularly high in carbohydrates. 

There are plenty of other ideas out there; a quick google search will bring up a tonne of high protein breakfast recipes. 
 
These are my go-to high protein breakfasts! Easy to do and easy to take with you on the run. If you are training hard and want to add carbs in there somewhere, chuck in some whole oats or plenty or fruit and veg. 

High PROTEIN Lunch and dinner ​

If you want to be really prepared, spend some time on a Sunday to cook yourself a boat load of chicken/turkey/ other lean protein. Cook enough to last you a week and freeze some of it to defrost mid week. 

Keep things interesting with chicken! You are only limited by your creativity or ability to google 'chicken flavour ideas', there are tonnes of different flavours you could add. I would personally be happy with a bit of spicy sauce, or some salt pepper and lime juice.
You dont just have to have chicken every day but it will work! 

Protein shake explosion
#Fail. Protein shake explosion
Subscribe to my legendary emails
What do you think? Do you have any favourite breakfast ideas you want to share with others? 

Please like and share if you found this interesting. 

Sources: 

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

http://suppversity.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/latest-study-shows-that-33-gkg-high.html

'Food for Fitness' by Anita Bean

Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Eight years in the military... lots of injuries. Now I am here to help you learn about mobility, strength and nutrition. 

    Categories

    All
    Books
    Fitness
    Health
    Mobility
    Motivation
    Nutrition
    Online Personal Trainer
    Skiing
    Sport
    Squat
    Stability
    Strength
    Success

      Enter you email for epic updates
    Subscribe to LEGENDARY email

    RSS Feed

    Shop Now Rogue Fitness
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • THE INSTITUTE
  • Online Coaching
  • Blog
  • Contact