Importance of Protein

All body builders agree on the importance of protein as both a supplement as well as a part of a healthy diet. However even how much protein is needed and what protein does for a body are not wholly agreed on. Most body builders agree that one gram of protein per pound of body weight is a good guide for how much protein a body builder needs to supplement. Some body builders however think that one gram is not enough and would argue for more. More protein certainly won’t harm your body but it may not do much more either. There are a lot of myths going around in regards to protein that we can look at.

The first myth is that protein in itself will build muscle. This is simply not true. The only thing that will build muscle is exercise. However like all good myths there is a grain of truth to be found. When you look at what protein does for your body you see it is an important component for every cell in your body because your body uses protein to build and repair tissue. Protein is also an important building block for bones and muscle. So protein does help build muscle and repair tissue damage from a workout but just eating protein alone without the exercise won’t do anything to build muscle.

The second myth about protein is protein is a good source of energy. Eating a protein bar or drinking a protein shake won’t hurt you but it also won’t give you the energy kick you are looking for. The truth is the body can convert protein to a glucose which your body will use for energy but it can not do it as efficiently as it can convert carbs or fat to glucose for energy. So protein is probably no the best solution to getting more energy in your workouts.

Another myth is the body can store protein and you can build up a reserve by consuming a lot of protein in your diet. The truth is the body can’t store protein so there is no reserve to dip into when your protein supply is low. Since protein is a macro nutrient, your body needs large amounts of it to do its job. So you do need to get a lot of protein in your diet every day but it isn’t as hard as you think to do that.

There are a lot of good food sources for protein that are very efficient in getting you the protein you need to build muscle in conjunction with a good workout of course. Fish is an excellent source of protein and it contains omega 3 which is an excellent source of fatty acids. If you’re not already getting omega 3 in your diet as a supplement you need to add fish to your menu.

Another good source of protein is beans which contain more protein than any other vegetable. Nuts are another easy source of protein in your diet. One ounce of almonds for example will give you six grams of protein.

Another myth about protein is it will make you lose weight. This one gets a bit tricky but basically what your high protein diet is doing is making you fuller so you are taking in about 200 calories less than you normally would and as a result you are indeed losing weight. The bad news is that most people don’t maintain this diet so after six months the weight loss results aren’t so dramatic.

What protein does do for a body builder is help him recover after a workout so eating a protein bar or drinking a protein shake after a workout is beneficial to reduce recovery time.  The best whey protein supplement on the market is going to be one that is 100% straight whey without the unnecessary additive and sugar. All you need is 30 grams of whey mixed with a glass of milk and in addition to your protein diet you should be getting gall the protein you need to help you build muscle in your workouts.