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DESIGNING A DIET
This has got to be the longest running debate in the whole training and nutritional
institutions ever. Just how much protein does a person need. Of course the answer
lies in your training level, your type of training, your genetic make-up and
the amount, if any, of chemical assistance you may be using in your athletic
goals. Study after study show varying results. However one must realise that
study after study uses different dietary and training principles and clean and
drug using athletes and non athletes (sedentary folk). Thankfully some evidence
corresponds with real life logic.
The long-standing belief is that you require about 0.75gm of protein per kilo
of bodyweight, which may well be adequate for sedentary people. However, studies
on people performing even moderate levels of exercise showed that this was inadequate.
These studies were based on measuring nitrogen retention, positive balances
showing that adequate protein is being eaten, negative balances showing that
muscle protein is being broken down to meet the body's needs.
It is now commonly accepted that protein levels need to be in line with activity
levels. The harder and more intense you train, demanding more muscle growth
from your body, the more protein you generally require. Or whatever other stimulus
may indeed be causing a required higher level of protein, such as performance
enhancing drugs.
Studies on strength athletes showed that protein levels of 3-4 gm per kilo
of bodyweight gave significant strength and size increases.
It must be stressed that it is training effort that determines protein needs.
Eating more protein will not create more muscle, or increase strength, unless
the body's demand for protein increases as a direct result of training effort.
With this in mind most sports nutritionists would recommend protein levels
around a gm per pound of bodyweight daily for people training to build muscle
size and strength. This should be split into six evenly sized meals. For example
a 180lb man requires 180 gm's of protein, which gives him 6 meals of around
30gms of protein.
To minimise saturated fats, whilst maximising protein quality, you should select
from whey, egg whites, turkey, tuna, chicken, trout, and most white fish. Beans,
grains and pulses also contain high protein to fat ratios. Sports nutrition
protein drinks, especially those based on whey and other milk proteins, should
also play a significant part especially in the post workout period.
Don't forget, that protein quantity is not the only issue. We must consider
protein quality too. There is no use in eating 180 grams of useless and poor
quality vegetable proteins that are poorly digested and assimilated into muscle.
That would be very different from consuming 180 grams of micellar casein and
ion exchanged whey proteins. It is in fact a world of a difference. So remember,
the lower the quality of your protein, the more you are going to have to eat
and combine with varying proteins to obtain a reasonable amino acid score. With
the increase in quantity you run the risk of experiencing problems and stress
upon your system. So logically thinking, you want to improve the quality of
your proteins and eat the correct amount.
Recent studies with many of the pharmaceutical assisted athletes around the
globe show that when using anabolic agents both the quantity and quality of
the proteins should increase and dramatically so. There have been studies showing
improvements in muscle size and strength with protein increases upto 3 or even
4 grams per lb of bodyweight (preferably lean body weight - don't calculate
your fat mass). The missing element here, is whether the controlling factor
is the drugs, the protein or of course a combination of the two factors together.
It is also known that the human body can only efficiently digest a certain
quantity of protein at any one meal. There is no use in trying to force feed
100 grams of protein down your neck in one sitting as most of this will not
be digested efficiently. It is better to almost drip feed amino acids into your
system by consuming smaller more regular meals throughout the day. Nobody is
quite sure how much protein the human body can absorb in one sitting, however,
the professional community generally agree that you are adapting all of the
time, and the more protein you eat on a regular basis, the more you will digest
and absorb. This is also correlates with a supply on demand basis. If your body
is stimulated to require higher demands of protein it will become more efficient
at absorbing your dietary proteins. However, there are likely to be some undetermined
limits.
Below is a table outlining the protein quantities found in many popular whole
foods:-
| Per 100g Uncooked Weight |
Protein |
Carbohydrates |
Fats |
Calories |
| Chicken Breast |
21.8g |
0g |
3.2g |
116 |
| Rump Steak |
18.9g |
0g |
13.5g |
197 |
| Cod Fillet |
17.4g |
0g |
0.7g |
76 |
| Skimmed Milk |
3.3g |
5g |
0.1g |
33 |
| Turkey Breast |
21.9g |
0g |
2.2g |
107 |
| Egg Whites |
9g |
0g |
0g |
36 |
| Whole Eggs |
12.5g |
0g |
10.8g |
147 |
| Tuna fish in Brine |
23.g |
0g |
0.6g |
99 |
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