Protein
is an essential nutrient, and is vital to your health. It is used to
build muscles, skin, hair and nails. However, many people put their
health at risk by eating too much protein.
The
typical American diet already provides plenty of protein and there is
no point in adding any more, unlike fat cells, there is no place in the
body to store protein so the excess is eliminated or is seen as fat
rather than muscle.
So
what you need to do is to consume just enough protein to allow your
muscles to be healthy, perform work and grow. But how much is just
enough?
You
only use protein for about 15% of your energy use, the majority of
energy comes from fats and carbohydrates. Exercising doesn’t necessarily
mean that you require more protein but more carbohydrates to stop your
body breaking down protein and using that for energy.
Try
to make sure that 70% of your protein comes from sources such as meat,
fish, eggs or poultry. The complete protein provided by these foods
combines with incomplete protein consumed from other food sources. So
your body makes the best of all the protein that you consume.
If
you are consuming too much protein, you are probably consuming too many
calories over your maintenance levels and this will show as an increase
in your body fat levels. And with the advent of the latest fad high
protein diets, not enough carbohydrates are being consumed so the
protein is converted to glucose and not converted into muscle growth.
What
is needed for muscle growth is not more protein but high intensity
strength training with the required amount of time for rest and recovery
between sessions. Because that major bodybuilding star you saw in the
latest magazine requires 300 grams of protein a day doesn't mean that
you have to. What he won't tell you is that taking Steroids is behind
his muscle gains and not his diet.
High intensity strength training and not food stimulates muscle growth.
Consuming
excessive amounts of protein is not only bad for your liver and kidneys
but also promotes vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is also linked
to osteoporosis and some forms of cancer.
One
way to overcome the need to eat large quantities of protein is to
increase the consumption of protein in stages until a maximum efficiency
point is reached and then to drastically reduce it again. This obliges
the body to over-compensate by increasing the efficiency for the
absorption of protein into the body.
An example of a Protein Loading diet is found below.
Week One
Breakfast: Poached egg on toast, cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Fruit and protein shake.
Lunch: Chicken, potato, and vegetables. Fresh fruit salad.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and biscuits with cheese.
Dinner: Fish any style, rice, vegetables, whole meal bread and fruit salad.
Week Two
Breakfast: Two poached eggs on toast, cereal with fruit salad and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Lunch: Chicken with potatoes and vegetables (any style)
Snack: Nuts, fruit, biscuits with cheese.
Dinner: Roast Beef with vegetables, brown rice, whole meal bread.
Week Three
Breakfast: Three eggs any style on toast, cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and protein shake.
Lunch: Turkey with potatoes and vegetables, brown rice, whole meal bread.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Dinner: ½ Chicken, potatoes, veggies, brown rice, whole meal bread.
Before Bed: Protein shake.
Week Four
Breakfast: Four eggs any style on toast, cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Lunch: Spaghetti with meat sauce, potatoes, brown rice, whole meal bread.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Dinner: Roast Pork, potatoes, brown rice, whole meal bread.
Before Bed: Protein shake.
After
week four of this protein loading diet, move from the max intake of
protein to the lowest. So in the fifth week go back to week one menu, in
the sixth week, week two menu and so on.
This
protein loading diet provides a balance of protein, fats and
carbohydrates and combined with high intensity strength training will be
very effective in increasing muscular bodyweight without the need to
ingest large quantities of protein.
