Get The Most From Your Protein Intake

Get The Most From Your Protein Intake!

If you want to get the most out of your workouts you need a great nutrition plan. We all know that protein is important for muscle growth and a lean body composition but your intake throughout the day must be correct in order to get the most out of your protein intake.

Here are some tips on getting the best results from the protein sources in your diet.

1 Eat Protein Little And Often

This in fact goes for all your meals and food intake. Eating smaller amounts of protein at regular intervals for example 5 – 7 times daily or every 2 – 3 hours has a considerable amount of benefits:

Constant feeding of protein and amino acids to muscle tissue increasing growth
Reduction of hunger pains and energy highs and lows
Scientifically proven that both physical and mental performance are increased when the same amount of calories are ingested over 5 – 6 meals rather than 3 meals
Eating every 2 – 3 hours prevents overeating, which can lead to bodyfat storage
Elevates metabolic rate, which leads to fat loss

2 Adequate Protein Intake

The amount of protein needed for optimal growth varies from person to person and with the amount of physical activity performed. Male bodybuilders typically need about 1.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Very hard training individuals may need to increase this to 2g per lb. Be sure not to overdo your protein intake as eating more than you need will not increase your gains.

3 Vary Your Sources!

Eating protein from a variety of sources will ensure you get the most out of your protein intake. Different sources of protein will have different amino acid profiles, so if you limit yourself to one source the weakest point will limit you. Chicken and beef are very popular in western diets, but be sure to vary your sources, so eat fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, turkey, nuts and whey protein. I would suggest you eat up 4 – 6 different sources daily. This may sound excessive but you could have milk at breakfast, chicken for lunch, a few scoops of whey protein throughout the day, beef for dinner and hard-boiled eggs and nuts as snacks; that’s 6!

4 Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have been shown to increase the intake of protein when eaten together. Carbohydrates signal the release of insulin, a hormone that transports nutrients to muscle cells. Eating carbohydrates on their own will spike insulin levels too high and could store fat. However protein negates this so eat protein and carbohydrates together for the best results.

5 Timing

As mentioned before you should eat protein every 2 – 3 hours, however there are certain periods of the day where you should pay extra attention to the amount you are eating and the source.

Post workout you should consume a whey protein, whether it is in a weight gainer recovery product or with a meal. Whey protein digests much quicker than other food sources of protein stopping the breakdown of muscle tissue and building new muscle mass quicker. Whey protein is also appropriate at breakfast, as the body needs a fast digesting source of protein to feed muscles after 8 hours without food.

Before bed or late in the evening consuming a slower digesting protein source is more beneficial. During sleep you go for 8 hours without food, so a slow digesting protein source will stay in the stomach for longer allowing for prolonged amino acid absorption. Casein protein is a slow digesting source of protein; it can be found in cottage cheese or a casein protein supplement.