If you are an active person,
fatigue and the recovery cycle play a critical role in how well you will
perform. You need to have the energy and ability to push your body to achieve
new levels of cardiac and muscle growth.
Conversely you also need to experience full recovery so you can repeat
the process the next day.
This is an intricate cycle that
involves sleep, hydration, stretching and diet. While carbs and fats play an
important part in your nutrition strategy, protein plays an equally important
role and is the glue that holds the delicate balance of protein, carbs and fats
together to provide you optimal nutrition.
Research has shown
that eating more protein can support weight loss and prevent weight gain by
boosting metabolism, increasing feelings of fullness and helping the body
retain muscle while losing fat. However, many Americans are not consuming
enough protein in a balanced way to achieve these effects and athletes are at
particular risk.
University of Missouri
researcher Heather Leidy and her colleagues conducted a review of the current
scientific literature on protein consumption and found that a moderate increase
in protein consumption at each meal, balanced throughout the day, can lead to
significant improvements.
To help individuals
integrate more protein into their diets, Leidy, an assistant professor in the
MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, provides several
recommendations based on her and others' research based:
"Breakfast, in
general, provides benefits for appetite control and satiety, or feelings of
fullness," Leidy said. "Eating a protein-rich breakfast containing
about 30 grams of protein leads to even greater satiety throughout the day and
can reduce unhealthy snacking by improving appetite control."
When looking at
protein look for healthy protein like Greek yogurt and eggs and stay away from
high saturate fat loaded protein found in sausage.
Leidy said individuals
should aim for a diet that contains 1.2 -- 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of
body weight. For example, a 150-pound woman who wants to lose weight or prevent
weight gain should eat approximately 90-100 grams of protein a day. For
endurance athletes that number can go as high as 3 grams per kilogram of body weight.
This will help promote lean (muscle) body mass.
In keeping with the
Zone diet concept pioneered by Dr. Barry Sears, balancing protein, fats and
carbs at every meal is idea. "We want people to know that they don't have
to consume impractical amounts of protein," Leidy said. "Although
most Americans don't consume the amount of protein necessary to achieve
benefits, such as increased feelings of fullness, the research suggests that
individuals only need to add an additional 10-15 grams of high-quality protein,
such as eggs, lean beef, pork or dairy, at breakfast and lunch to achieve the
recommended amount."
Not all proteins are
created equal. High-quality, or "complete," proteins found in
animal-based foods such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products
contain all the essential amino acids and are easily digestible. Most
plant-based proteins found in vegetables and grains are considered lower
quality, or "incomplete," proteins because they lack one or more
essential amino acids and are less digestible.
Adding protein through
“clean”, high quality protein powder like Designer Whey is also a good way to
add valuable grams of protein. Two
scoops to a smoothly can add as much as 36 grams in one serving. Be sure to look for protein powers that are
low in sugar and the less ingredients they contain, it is more likely to be a
quality and clean product.
HERE’S TO BEING FIT FOR LIFE! Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer, USA
Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, exercise and endurance
enthusiast. He competes yearly in
numerous running races, marathons, ultra-marathons, triathlons and other
endurance events. He is a member of the
2015 QT2 Systems Advanced Team.