Protein is an important nutrient that your body needs to stay healthy. It is used to build up muscles, skin, hair, and nails. But when people eat too much protein, they put their health at risk.
The average American diet already has a lot of protein, so there's no reason to add more. Unlike fat cells, there's no place in the body to store protein, so any extra is either thrown away or seen as fat instead of muscle.
So, you need to eat just enough protein to keep your muscles healthy, allow them to work, and let them grow. But just how much is enough?
Protein only gives you about 15% of the energy you need. Most of your energy comes from fats and carbs. When you work out, you don't necessarily need more protein. Instead, you need more carbs to stop your body from breaking down protein and using it as energy.
Try to get at least 70% of your protein from foods like meat, fish, eggs, and poultry. The complete protein in these foods gets combined with the incomplete protein in other foods. So all the protein you eat is used in the best way possible by your body.
If you eat too much protein, you probably eat too many calories above your maintenance level. This will cause your body fat levels to go up. And with the new trend of high-protein diets, people aren't eating enough carbs, so the protein is turned into glucose instead of being used to build muscle.
For muscles to grow, you don't need to eat more protein. Instead, you need to do high-intensity strength training with the right amount of rest and recovery time between sessions. Even though you read in the latest bodybuilding magazine that a famous bodybuilder needs 300 grammes of protein a day, that doesn't mean you have to do the same. What he won't tell you is that he uses Steroids, not his diet, to gain muscle.
Muscles grow because of high intensity strength training, not because of food.
Too much protein is bad for your liver and kidneys, and it also makes you less likely to get enough vitamins and minerals. It is also linked to osteoporosis and some types of cancer.
One way to avoid the need to eat a lot of protein is to slowly increase the amount of protein you eat until you reach the point where you get the most out of it, and then drastically cut it back. This forces the body to try to make up for it by making it easier for the body to take in protein.
Here is an example of a Protein Loading diet.
Week One
Poached egg on toast, cereal with fruit and milk for breakfast.
Fruit and a protein shake make a good snack.
Chicken, potatoes, and vegetables made up my lunch. Fresh fruit salad.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and cookies with cheese on them.
Fish cooked any way, rice, vegetables, whole meal bread, and a fruit salad for dinner.
Week Two
Two poached eggs on toast, a fruit salad with cereal, and milk for breakfast.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and a protein shake.
We had chicken with potatoes and vegetables for lunch (any style)
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and cookies with cheese on them.
Roast beef with vegetables, brown rice, and whole grain bread for dinner.
Week Three
Breakfast: Three eggs on toast, any way you like them, plus cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and a shake with protein.
Lunch was turkey with potatoes and vegetables, brown rice, and whole meal bread.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and a protein shake.
Dinner was half a chicken, potatoes, vegetables, brown rice, and whole meal bread.
Before Bed: Protein shake.
Week Four
Breakfast: Four eggs on toast, cooked any way you like, plus cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and a protein shake.
Lunch was spaghetti with meat sauce, potatoes, brown rice, and whole meal bread.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and a protein shake.
Dinner was roast pork, potatoes, brown rice, and whole meal bread.
Before Bed: Protein shake.
After the fourth week of this diet, go from eating the most protein to eating the least. So for the fifth week, go back to the menu from week one, for the sixth week, go back to the menu from week two, etc.
This protein-loading diet has the right amount of protein, fats, and carbs, and when combined with high-intensity strength training, it will help you gain muscle mass without having to eat a lot of protein.
