If you look the majority of fitness or body building Facebook pages, Instagram feeds or websites, you'll see a bunch of confusing jargin! Take this supplement, take this fat burner, drink this fit tea, do this detox. Don't forget Vitamin, A, E, D, B1, B12, Glutamine, Creatine, etc. Its insane the amount of pills and things that the fitness industry brings about.
I am not one takes a bunch of supplements, fat burners or a bunch of vitamins and minerals. There are several health and scientific evidence as to why I don't do that; but in short I just don't have the need to. I am not a serious body building competitor, and it seems like a lot of effort to boot!
I take really only two "supplements" with my workouts; BCAA's during my workouts and protein powder after. I will talk about protein powder for today and touch base on BCAA's later.
I started reading into protein powders a little more lately because I knew I wanted valid information to write this blog and I wanted to know for myself. I quickly found that there is so much stuff on the web about protein powders! What to take, which brand, what to consider, ingredients, isolate vs concentrate..... It was a bit of an exhausting endeavor that got very complicated, very quickly. I took most of the complicated stuff I found and simplified it a bit. If you are wanting to look further into it, I would suggest looking into it more in depth.
So here the simple, basic information I found!
Why do you need protein?
Simply put, we cannot function without protein. Protein is one of the 3 main macronutrients along with fats and carbohydrates. Protein has many important functions in our body. The primary function it has is that it builds and sustains tissues, especially muscles. Protein doesn't just build muscle, it also plays a role in hormone production, cell growth and reactions, immune function, hair, body, nails.... You get the idea! We need to intake protein because our bodies do not store it. Therefore, we need to get it in our food-simple right?!
How much do we need to intake per day?
This is where the information gets confusing! Some sources say at least 3 oz per meal, some say 1g per pound of body weight, some say 1.5g per pound, some say 0.5g per pound. Against all the inconsistent things I found, I actually did find some consistent information; one of those things were if you have kidney issues, you cannot take in so much protein, so if that is the case, work with a Doctor and a registered nutritionist. Other things you can do is use a caloric counter app (like the My Fitness Pal) and can break up your macros. From my gathering, it is ideal to have protein make up 25-35% of your daily caloric intake, with not going over 35%-40%. Again, this is taking in all your goals. If you are really unsure, talk to a registered Dietitian.
What about Protein and working out?
When you are working out, especially lifting weights, protein is essential for tissue repair and building muscles. In a short version, during resistant training, micro tears are caused in your muscles. During recovery post workout, the micro tears need to heal and muscle growth needs to be stimulated. Protein is needed to heal these micro tears and stimulate growth of the muscle cell. Therefore, protein post workout is very important to help heal the body and grow.
There is talk online about a "anabolic window" that says that there is approximately an hour or more timeline where you are supposed to intake at least 25 grams of protein post workout: but there is conflicting evidence about it. For me, I try to take it right after a workout to ward off hunger until I can eat, which sometimes isn't for an hour or so post workout.
What do I take for post workout protein?
I think this depends on what kind of a person you are and what your goals are. If the sound of a protein shake makes you want to gag, then food post workout with protein is always a good option. The only downside to food is that it takes some time for your body to digest the protein and utilize what you've eaten.
Protein shakes on the other hand are digested and begin doing their job within less than an hour.
My favorite part is they are also convenient. So again for me, I can drink one in the car after the gym.
If your goal is to build muscle, protein supplements can be beneficial. Building muscle is a very important goal, as we all know the old formula: increased muscle mass=increased fat loss=increased metabolism.
What kind of protein supplement?
This was a very confusing topic as well. There are many different types of protein powders out there. There is whey protein, vegan protein (usually made from soy or rice), milk, casein, etc.
Whey protein is made from milk protein and is considered a "complete protein" because it contains all 9 essential amino acids.
The consistent information I found was to look for 20-30g of protein per serving, low/no sugar, low fat, and make sure to include the calories into your daily intake.
So there is just a small list of things to consider when trying to choose a protein powder and if it is right for you and your goals.
If you are looking for more information, here is some sources:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/features/protein-powder#1
http://www.webmd.com/diet/protein-shakes
http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-benefits-of-protein-shakes.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/choosing-the-best-protein-powder.htm
I am not one takes a bunch of supplements, fat burners or a bunch of vitamins and minerals. There are several health and scientific evidence as to why I don't do that; but in short I just don't have the need to. I am not a serious body building competitor, and it seems like a lot of effort to boot!
I take really only two "supplements" with my workouts; BCAA's during my workouts and protein powder after. I will talk about protein powder for today and touch base on BCAA's later.
I started reading into protein powders a little more lately because I knew I wanted valid information to write this blog and I wanted to know for myself. I quickly found that there is so much stuff on the web about protein powders! What to take, which brand, what to consider, ingredients, isolate vs concentrate..... It was a bit of an exhausting endeavor that got very complicated, very quickly. I took most of the complicated stuff I found and simplified it a bit. If you are wanting to look further into it, I would suggest looking into it more in depth.
So here the simple, basic information I found!
Why do you need protein?
Simply put, we cannot function without protein. Protein is one of the 3 main macronutrients along with fats and carbohydrates. Protein has many important functions in our body. The primary function it has is that it builds and sustains tissues, especially muscles. Protein doesn't just build muscle, it also plays a role in hormone production, cell growth and reactions, immune function, hair, body, nails.... You get the idea! We need to intake protein because our bodies do not store it. Therefore, we need to get it in our food-simple right?!
How much do we need to intake per day?
This is where the information gets confusing! Some sources say at least 3 oz per meal, some say 1g per pound of body weight, some say 1.5g per pound, some say 0.5g per pound. Against all the inconsistent things I found, I actually did find some consistent information; one of those things were if you have kidney issues, you cannot take in so much protein, so if that is the case, work with a Doctor and a registered nutritionist. Other things you can do is use a caloric counter app (like the My Fitness Pal) and can break up your macros. From my gathering, it is ideal to have protein make up 25-35% of your daily caloric intake, with not going over 35%-40%. Again, this is taking in all your goals. If you are really unsure, talk to a registered Dietitian.
What about Protein and working out?
When you are working out, especially lifting weights, protein is essential for tissue repair and building muscles. In a short version, during resistant training, micro tears are caused in your muscles. During recovery post workout, the micro tears need to heal and muscle growth needs to be stimulated. Protein is needed to heal these micro tears and stimulate growth of the muscle cell. Therefore, protein post workout is very important to help heal the body and grow.
There is talk online about a "anabolic window" that says that there is approximately an hour or more timeline where you are supposed to intake at least 25 grams of protein post workout: but there is conflicting evidence about it. For me, I try to take it right after a workout to ward off hunger until I can eat, which sometimes isn't for an hour or so post workout.
What do I take for post workout protein?
I think this depends on what kind of a person you are and what your goals are. If the sound of a protein shake makes you want to gag, then food post workout with protein is always a good option. The only downside to food is that it takes some time for your body to digest the protein and utilize what you've eaten.
Protein shakes on the other hand are digested and begin doing their job within less than an hour.
My favorite part is they are also convenient. So again for me, I can drink one in the car after the gym.
If your goal is to build muscle, protein supplements can be beneficial. Building muscle is a very important goal, as we all know the old formula: increased muscle mass=increased fat loss=increased metabolism.
What kind of protein supplement?
This was a very confusing topic as well. There are many different types of protein powders out there. There is whey protein, vegan protein (usually made from soy or rice), milk, casein, etc.
Whey protein is made from milk protein and is considered a "complete protein" because it contains all 9 essential amino acids.
The consistent information I found was to look for 20-30g of protein per serving, low/no sugar, low fat, and make sure to include the calories into your daily intake.
So there is just a small list of things to consider when trying to choose a protein powder and if it is right for you and your goals.
If you are looking for more information, here is some sources:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/features/protein-powder#1
http://www.webmd.com/diet/protein-shakes
http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-benefits-of-protein-shakes.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/choosing-the-best-protein-powder.htm
Comments
Post a Comment