A Closer Look At Protein

Protein has risen in popularity with recent food trends and the growing, fitness-conscious population.

Protein seems to have become it's own fad.

You find it all over food labels, in popular magazines, on your Pinterest boards. Protein may just be the trendiest nutrient yet.

With all the attention comes a mixture of credible and bogus information, and this leaves people with several questions.

I want you to have a levelheaded understanding of protein, how it works and the benefits to your health.

Proteins have several functions in the body, but I am going to focus mainly on the areas that most people want to know about and that's muscle growth (#gainz) and fat loss (also #gainz).

Protein Properties

Some people believe you can just drink a protein shake every day and be stronger and leaner.... not the case.

There is nothing magical about protein or protein shakes. It's not like taking steroids.

Proteins provide the building blocks and WILL stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the primary mechanism of muscle growth. However, protein ingestion alone will NOT achieve the stimulus your body needs to build strength and lean body mass without resistance training.

What about weight loss?

Same thing. Simply increasing your protein intake alone WILL NOT help you trim down.

Protein is still a source of energy and your body will store away any unused energy in the form of glycogen or fat.

Now, protein does have a high thermic effect which means increasing your calories from protein is less likely to cause weight gain than carbs or fats.

But we'll leave that for another day.

You already know from Fat Loss 101 what sure fire method helps you shed weight; a combination of strength training and a calorie deficit.

Protein Intake

How much protein you should eat in a day is very dependent on your goals.

0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/d) is plenty for those of you just wanting to make sure you eat enough to satisfy your body's daily requirements.

[That would be 73g/day for a 200lb person]

For those of you wanting to optimize lean body mass...

The current recommended protein intake for athletes is 1.3-1.8g/kg/d.

[That would be 118-163g/day for a 200lb person]

If you are like me, you think if 1.8g/kg/d is good for muscle growth and recovery, then 2g/kg/d MUST be better.

But it doesn't really work like that...

There seems to be a plateau effect after a certain point.

I'll dive deeper into the topic of protein intake next week.

Protein Sources

Nothing beats protein from natural sources (plants and animals). Whey protein is a great supplement, but it is just that, a supplement.

Protein supplements should not take the place of actual food.

Animal protein is more anabolic than plant protein because of a higher essential amino acid content. This makes animal protein superior in function than plant protein.

Don't fret you veggie eaters.

Simply eating a larger quantity of plant protein and adding variety will help compensate for the quality gap between animal and plant protein.

Conclusion:

Protein is important to your diet and is a great tool, but there's nothing magical about it. It isn't the be-all and end-all that the fitness industry has made it out to be.