Recently I received a question about protein:
” Hey Pamela do you think it’s healthy for someone that works out 5-6 days of the week, to drink a shake that’s over 60g of protein? Or is it good?”
Before I answer the question I would like to tell you the makeup of proteins , functions and why it is so beneficial to your body, especially if you are weight lifting or performing any kind of exercise.
Protein is responsible for synthesizing hormones such as Insulin, Growth Hormone and Insulin Growth Factor 1. These are anabolic hormones that influence muscle growth , recovery, strength and absorption of nutrients in muscle cells.
There are 2 types of proteins: Complete and Incomplete
Complete: contain all the essential amino acids
Incomplete: are lacking a few of the amino acids
You can always combine incomplete and complete proteins in order to get essential nutrients.
Here is a list of complete and incomplete proteins
Complete
- Whey
- Casein
- Milk
- Eggs
- Beef
- Cheese
- Chicken
- Fish
- Yogurt
- Cottage Cheese
- Turkey
Incomplete
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Rice
- Grains
- Oats
- Pasta
- Nuts
- Bread
- Sunflower Seeds
Now back to the question…
After asking for this person’s weight we came to the conclusion that he was actually not consuming enough protein.
*The minimum amount of protein a serious lifter should consume us 1gram of protein/per pound of body weight.
Of course this maybe difficult to obtain especially if you weigh 200lbs (you’ll end up eating like 50 chicken breast a day!) Therefore, it is necessary to combine whole foods with supplements such as protein.
* You should consume a portion of your total protein with every meal to avoid having your body enter a catabolic muscle-wasting state=The body begins to “eat itself” to attain the amino acids necessary to function.
Hope this helps ! 🙂
EllaThought 