Proteins are one of the most essential components of your nutritional program. Comprising 80% of the weight of our muscle and 90% of the weight of our blood, proteins are vital to our basic function and essential part of your diet and fitness regimen, whether your goal is to build muscle or lose weight.
After we consume a protein, our body breaks it down into long-chain amino acids—essentially the building blocks of our bodies. These amino acids are responsible for the growth and repair of tissue, which is why a protein rich diet is ideal when trying to build muscle and increase strength. Remember, when you exercise to increase muscle, physiologically, you’re creating tiny tears in the muscle fibers. Fueling yourself with the compound best for building and repairing those tears, will allow your body to recover quicker and with better results. This muscle building process also assists in weight loss by helping us burn fat more efficiently, in other words, boosting our metabolism.
Additionally, high protein foods help us to feel fuller longer and eliminate cravings. In addition to eating less food altogether, research indicates that when we do finally feel hungry, we are less likely to eat unhealthy foods. With that in mind, it’s a good practice to make sure every meal and snack includes at least some protein—for example, piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or a slice of cheese. However, try to avoid or at least limit your intake of high fat proteins, such as fatty red meats and whole fat diary products. Instead, look for leaner cuts of meat and chicken or turkey breast, low fat dairy products and egg whites, and fresh fish—tuna in particular.
Because your body needs protein to function at a basic level (in advance of meeting your fitness goals), it’s essential to find the right balance between your protein intake and your body’s protein breakdown. A general rule for identifying how many grams of protein to consume daily, in order to maintain your current weight is to allow .5-2 grams of protein per pound, i.e. a man weighing 200 pounds should be consuming 100-400 grams of protein daily. Of course, you must also consider your goals—if through your workout and diet, you’re goal is to add 15 pounds of muscle mass, adjust your protein intake to support that growth proportionally. Similarly, if weight loss is your intention, calculate your intake considering your decreased goal weight.
Keep in mind this number should be adjusted further based on factors such age, gender, body size, and most importantly, the level and type of exercise the person is engaging in. For women, additional factors such as pregnancy and nursing will also have an impact.
