Optimal Protein Intake For Top Performance

Protein requirements are a controversial topic in health and fitness. Some fitness fanatics say that you need waay too much and some nutritionists are simply too short on their recommendations for someone working out.

I do think however that when exercising, people need to get more then most nutritionists would suggest.

This is because the more muscle you have, the more protein you will require. This is something that nutritionist do not mention because they are concerned with the general population who are generally not fit.

If you are an athlete or an individual with some decent muscle tone, you will require more protein in your diet. Every cell in the body is comprised of proteins and you need to be able to repair and support the muscle cells that break down in exercising.

In general though, healthy carbs should be the main content to a healthy diet. Protein filled craze diets like the Atkins diet deprive you of many important things. Dieters who pass up fruit, veggies, beans, nuts, and grains miss out on a whole range of nutrients that protect the heart, strengthen bones, fight cancer, and boost immunity.

It is important to remember also that there are only 3 types of food. Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Additionally, carbohydrates are supposed to be consumed the most out of these 3 nutrients in most cases.

People who take to extreme diets like the Atkins or the Zone diet get way too much fats and proteins and they don't get the healthy carbs that are required for health. When people only include fats and proteins in their diets, studies show that health risks, cholesterol, and heart attack are much more likely.

An example of why high protein diets don't work is Oprah Winfrey. In 1988, she went on a high protein diet and lost 60 pounds in 2 months. However, 3 months latter, she gained 75 pounds back!! And now her metabolism is slower because she lost muscle when she lost the original 60 lbs. This makes it harder for her ever to get in shape again.

Remember, the key is sensible dieting, cardiovascular training, weight training. Not some wildly high protein intake diet plan.

So this begs the question, what are correct amounts of protein? Dr. Richard Havel of the University of California has been studying protein requirement intake for over ten years. He found that a good amount is 45 grams of protein a day for a 132 pound individual. Or, around 60 grams for a 180 pound man.

Personally, I think that this is enough for the average person, but if the goal is muscle tone increase, more protein should be ingested. For a 180lb man, I would recommend around 150 grams of protein a day for a exercising male and around 100 grams for the average exercising female. Both these numbers are well aligned with the AMDR(Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges).

The AMDR(Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges) recommends the following.
* Protein: 10-35%
* Fat: 20-35%
* Carbohydrate: 45-65%

My personal opinion for an exercising individual of 150 grams for men and 100 grams for women actually matches the AMDR(Although its on the high end of 35%.

In conclusion, remember that the more muscle you have, the more protein you will require. However, this should not be a universal rule. There have been studies of strong bodybuilders getting 300 grams of protein a day and they broke bones just by brushing up against things because eating too much protein weakens your bones.

Protein obviously helps in muscle gain. However, if it is over done, the consequences of getting too much protein can be bad for your health. I would allow for something above Dr. Richard Havels requirement if you want to build a little extra muscle and if you exercise on a regular basis. However, the extremes that some athletes and bodybuilders use are never the answer to true health.