Protein in your diet
Many Body builders regularly consume large quantities of proteins to support their building muscle The Adkins Diet, recommends a high protein and reduced carbohydrate intakes. I remember watching Rocky Balboa gulp down raw eggs before going to the gym to train. The FDA recommends a minimum protein intake in the adult diet. There’s no debate about the importance of eating quality proteins. But there’s been a great deal of debate over how much protein your body needs.
Protein is necessary for the repair and maintenance of the cells in your body. Your body uses protein to produce hemoglobin the oxygen carrying part of red blood cells. Other proteins are used to maintain the cardiac muscle. Still other proteins are used in the movement. Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet.
According to the RDA, you should consume about 1 gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight. Divide your body weight by 2.2 and multiply times 1. This works out to about 50 grams per day for women and 63 for men. The typical diet consists of 2000 calories, of which 15% is protein, 35% comes from fat and 50% from carbohydrates. Based on the usual diet, men take in about 75 grams per day or 120% of the RDA.
Research from the University of Washington showed that increasing the amount of protein in your diet helps you lose weight. Participants in the study increased their protein consumption to 30 % and reduced their fat intake to 20 % of calories. Within three months, the subjects lost 11 lbs. even though half of the calories they ate still came from carbs. Participants reported they were satisfied with less food. They ate less and lost weight.
If you are working to add muscle mass, you will probably need to increase your total calories. This should provide the additional protein necessary to support gains in muscle mass and strength. Avoid high fat sources of protein or muscle gains will come with more body fat and higher cholesterol. Recommended sources of proteins include fish, poultry,eggs, dairy foods such as milt and cheese,nuts, seeds and legumes.
Excessive protein places additional stress on the kidneys and can accelerate a loss of calcium. It seems wise therefore to avoid extremes. Keep a food diary. If you are not achieving your desired results, then modify your food intake in small increments and pay attention to how your feel.
References
"The Protein-Hunger Connection", Carlin Flora Content provided by Psychology Today
Learning about protein
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