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The Power of Protein

Rosario Rios Aguilar • Apr 21, 2015
"The food you eat can be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison" - Ann Wigmore

        We all have heard that extra protein builds extra muscle and strength. WRONG, training builds muscle and with the right amount of protein and other macronutrients you can develop and build a solid frame. On this blog, I am not going to write a meal plan but instead some suggestions on your protein intake during the day. I am hoping to help clear some myths and help you understand the importance of this macronutrient. Just remember a balance nutrition comes with an understanding of your own body and what works for each of you. Every single person has their own blueprint on how they body works, reponds and metabolizes certain foods. The one thing that is common in everyone is that you have to put in the effort, committment and dedication long enough to feel physiological changes as well as physical changes in your body.

        One important aspect when thinking of nutrition is the goal you are approaching. What do you want to achieve by changing or modifying your food habits? Are you eating for performance? For aesthetics? to prevent illness? competition? decrease body fat? regardless of what your goal is, the healthier and more balance you eat the more of all these goals combined you can have. There are several things I would like to discuss about protein..

PROTEIN INTAKE AND TYPES:

1. How much protein to do I eat?

the rough guidelines are:

0.5g/kg body weight – this is the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein. It’ll keep you alive and in general health. It is literally the minimum.

0.5-1.0g/kg body weight – this is a higher range mostly used by health-conscious people or people who are new to exercise and are trying to build some muscle.

1.0-1.5g/kg – this is the range which tends to be recommended for building muscle and reaching your athletic goals.

1.5-2.2g/kg (1g/lb) – recommended based on anecdotal evidence, but extremely under-researched (the highest dose recommended being around 1.8g/kg- this is still being researched up to 3.1/kg with calorie deficient people

 2. Am I eating too much protein and is it bad for my kidneys?

-Usually most people are not getting enough protein in their diet, or at least not lean enough with out adding the extra calories with them. Think of it like a carne asada burrito yea tons of calories but the actually grams of protein is low compared to a 4x2 at in and out protein style..haha now dont go an eat this every day haha

If you eat a little bit more than suggested you will be fine. Your body will eliminate what it doesnt need, One thing though, you cannot rely on protein only for overall calorie intake.

3. What proteins are better, Paleo or Whey Protein Powders?

-There are several types of protein powders, the best would be having it from a food source such as animal derived products but sometimes you need the extra protein shake when you dont want to chew on a T bone right after training.

Whey Protein:

-it is a component from dairy protein, it can come in a concentrate manner which can vary from 35-80% protein by weight, whey isolate 90% and hydrolized form which is broken down (amino acids) so the absorbtion rate is higher.
  
This one was referred to me by Yvonne Tait and is one of my favorite ones right now, I try and have most of my nutrients from real food, you cant beat that. I dont take pre-workouts or anything to that sort so having quality food is crucial for training and for overall energy. If you can self motivate to train then you are not in the right mindset.

Soy Protein:

-This kind of protein is derived from soy beans, there are some scientifically factors that I will not go into detail. But this will not affect any males testosterone levels because of the selective estrogen modulators (SERMs) found in soy protein. Myth is that soy causes negative impact on testosterone levels. Fact is that this can only be affected if you combined everything else wrong (exercise, diet and sleep) with soy protein. This protein has not been researched enough to say that the isoflavones are estrogenic enough to cause any problems. Now for PALEO lovers, no it is NOT PALEO. Most of the soy products make in the US now are genetically modified and are sprayed with herbicide round up. Which is a whole different topic on health effects. At least we know that because of the demand on soy products the care on the product has diminished and its full of GMOs.

Hemp Protein:

-Derived from hempseeds and no it does not contain THC-the most active component of marijuana haha. It is mostly good for extra fiber and some omega-3s and omega-6s

Rice/Pea Protein:

-categorized as a vegan protein and is as simple as being a good alternative if you are lactose intolerant.

Egg Protein:

-derived from eggs in a powder form, another good alternative if you are lactose. Nothing fancy just think almost of liquid eggs or powder eggs
  
this is not too bad for an egg and beef protein but to be honest I love eggs and steak or anything where I dont want my protein supplement to take away from that feeling haha

Beef Protein:

-processed beef into a powder form. One downside is that having an actual steak has different nutrients like creatine, carnosine, beta-alanine and others that most powders dont add back in when processing it into the powder form. Is it PALEO? yes if its grass fed but you wont really know the source of how they feed the cows. Unless the whey and beef protein comes from NEW ZEALAND where EVERYTHING IS GRASS FED AND FREE RANGE!! its awesome haha

TIMING OF PROTEIN INTAKE AND SUITTING YOUR GOALS:

4. Do I have to be a bodybuilder or an elite athlete to drink a protein supplement?

NO! Everyone can benefit from a clean product to get in your daily protein. It depends on the product because a lot of them contain hidden ingredients and high sugar. One rule of thumb I tell people is that if your nutrition is already poor, adding a protein shake is not going to cure your habits but can actually add more sugar and crap daily. First is eat clean, simple, often and fresh.

6. Should I replace my protein shake for a meal?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

7. Should I only eat protein and have a low carb diet?

-NO! the other nutrients are very important as well but like I said before for general population is different then when having specific goals at different phases of training. For the most part to be healthy and look good, having a proper balanced macronutrients is key. 

8. Is protein going to help me lose fat?

-If you are replacing the Mcdonalds burguer for a protein shake, yes it will help. If you are eating shakes on top of everything else..NO! Now by having the right amount of protein yes it can definitely help burn fat. When wanting to reduce body fat and keep muscle then yes protein plays a huge role and we can discuss this in person because like I said before everyone needs their own blueprint for nutrition and training.

9. do i take protein before, during or after my workout? Well this is a great discussion but usually is best to have protein before and after compared to just after. Now are you going to take 25g of protein before and 25g of protein after? mmm probably not because your body needs to be able to digest it. Some carbohydrates after the workout and protein is the way to go. Now remember more studies about timining, different macronutrients before and after are being done so things do change and evolve. But as of now at least try and get half protein before and half after.

10. I want to gain muscle mass..more protein?? not necessarily, your body can only process so much and for more gains you also need to use other nutrients to keep muscle mass higher. For muscle maintance and cutting then its about the regular 1 to 1.5g/kg but still remember thats for more general population. For athletes that have high demand on their sport it can go up to 1.8-2.5g/kg

Real fresh food is the best source where you can get your leanest protein and high quality =) enjoy your protein and keep getting strong! Also for anyone that has more specific questions or goals, we can set up a consultation to get you where you want to be. Just let me know :) 

Hope this blog helps you expand your mind a bit and have some understanding of what a powerful macronutrient protein is =)
  
Stay Strong,

DRS Strong

Coach Rosario
  
"tell me you don't like flexing haha"

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