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The Importance of Protein In Your Nutrition Plan

By Tim Baird

Protein consumption is an essential part of a balanced workout and nutrition program. Aside from water, protein is the most prevalent substance in the human body. It comprises most of the body's tissues, including muscle and vital organs – protein is the building block of all of the body's muscles. Without a protein rich diet, you cannot build lean muscle mass. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Unfortunately, there's more to it than simply eating meat. There are different types of protein that are better for building muscle than others and there are formulas for how much protein should be eaten in a day and when to eat it to best fuel workout and recovery periods. Once you become familiar with the basic principles of protein consumption, it's pretty easy to follow the guidelines to ensure you'll achieve optimal results from your weight training program.

How the Body Uses Protein

Protein consumption is critical for the proper functioning of the body. Protein within the body's cellular structures is being continuously destroyed. As a result, we need to consume protein in our diets everyday to replace the destroyed protein structures. When we eat protein, the body metabolises the whole protein structure, breaking it into amino acids. The body then uses these amino acids to repair and replace destroyed protein structures. If we don't eat enough protein to repair destroyed proteins, our bodies will metabolise our muscles to provide protein replenishment to our vital organs.

Protein Sources

There are some protein sources that are easier for the human body to metabolise than others, allowing the amino acids to repair protein structures more quickly – these protein sources are optimal to support weight training programs. Different types of protein are graded on the body's ability to breakdown and use the protein efficiently. The scale is called the Biological Value scale and it depicts the best sources of protein to quickly repair and replenish destroyed structures within the body. The top three best sources of protein, according to their Biological Values are Whey Protein, protein from whole eggs and protein from cow's milk. Most bodybuilders rely on whey protein supplements to ensure they're consuming enough protein to aid in muscle recovery after a hard workout. Other sources of protein that are recommended to support weight training include, boneless skinless chicken breast, lean cuts of fish and lean cuts of beef.

How Much is Enough?

Since protein is the building block of muscle, it's necessary to consume quality protein everyday. How much protein should be consumed depends on your bodyweight, body composition and weight training goals. There are several different formulas that people use to determine the ideal amount of protein to support muscle growth. Some studies suggest 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day, while others suggest 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. Some serious bodybuilders even suggest up to 4 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight. For most people's purposes, 1.5 to 2 grams of protein is ideal to support their weight training routine. Protein digestion can put a lot of strain of the kidneys, so it's important that you consume the minimum amount needed to support your training goals based on your current weight. If you're weight training to achieve mass, you'll need to consume higher quantities of protein than if you're weight training to tone. If you are consuming more than 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day, it's important that you drink plenty of water to help protect your kidneys.

When Should I Eat Protein?

It's already been stated that you need to consume protein everyday. That being said, your protein intake should be divided evenly within 5 to 6 small meals that should be eaten every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day. This will ensure that your body has a constant influx of protein to break into amino acids that will aid in muscle repair, which is necessary when following a weight training program.

Additionally you should also consume an easy to digest protein source immediately upon completing a weight training workout, as this will aid in a faster recovery from hard workouts. The best way to do this is to drink a Whey Protein shake.

The reason you need a protein shake right after a workout is that weight training essentially breaks down the protein structures in your muscles, which then require amino acids to repair themselves.

It's difficult to consume enough protein to support muscle repair and growth through whole foods alone. If you try to get all of your protein from whole foods, it's likely you'll feel like you're eating all day long. The bloated and sluggish feeling that may result from this can negatively influence your workouts and general quality of life. A viable alternative to this is to use Protein supplements to replace 1 or 2 of your 5 to 6 daily meals. This will allow you to reach your protein consumption goals more easily. When you construct your weight training diet, always keep your individual goals in mind. Eat easy to digest proteins that are low in fat, and don't forget to drink plenty of fluids to flush protein by-products from your system.

About the Author:

Tim Baird is a certified Personal Trainer and founder of Toodfood Weight Loss & Fitness in South Melbourne. Visit his website is at http://www.toodfood.com.au