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Protein is an essential nutrient, and is vital to your health.
It is used to build muscles, skin, hair and nails. However,
many people put their health at risk by eating too much protein.
The typical American diet already provides plenty of protein
and there is no point in adding any more, unlike fat cells,
there is no place in the body to store protein so the excess
is eliminated or is seen as fat rather than muscle.
So what you need to do is to consume just enough protein to
allow your muscles to be healthy, perform work and grow. But
how much is just enough?
You only use protein for about 15% of your energy use, the
majority of energy comes from fats and carbohydrates. Exercising
doesn’t necessarily mean that you require more protein
but more carbohydrates to stop your body breaking down protein
and using that for energy.
Try to make sure that 70% of your protein comes from sources
such as meat, fish, eggs or poultry. The complete protein
provided by these foods combines with incomplete protein consumed
from other food sources. So your body makes the best of all
the protein that you consume.
If you are consuming too much protein, you are probably consuming
too many calories over your maintenance levels and this will
show as an increase in your body fat levels. And with the
advent of the latest fad high protein diets, not enough carbohydrates
are being consumed so the protein is converted to glucose
and not converted into muscle growth.
What is needed for muscle growth is not more protein but high
intensity strength training with the required amount of time
for rest and recovery between sessions. Because that major
bodybuilding star you saw in the latest magazine requires
300 grams of protein a day doesn't mean that you have to.
What he won't tell you is that taking Steroids is behind his
muscle gains and not his diet.
High intensity strength training and not food stimulates
muscle growth.
Consuming excessive amounts of protein is not only bad for
your liver and kidneys but also promotes vitamin and mineral
deficiencies. It is also linked to osteoporosis and some forms
of cancer.
One way to overcome the need to eat large quantities of protein
is to increase the consumption of protein in stages until
a maximum efficiency point is reached and then to drastically
reduce it again. This obliges the body to over-compensate
by increasing the efficiency for the absorption of protein
into the body.
An example of a Protein Loading diet is found below.
Week One
Breakfast: Poached egg on toast, cereal with
fruit and milk.
Snack: Fruit and protein shake.
Lunch: Chicken, potato, and vegetables. Fresh
fruit salad.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and biscuits with cheese.
Dinner: Fish any style, rice, vegetables,
whole meal bread and fruit salad.
Week Two
Breakfast: Two poached eggs on toast, cereal
with fruit salad and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Lunch: Chicken with potatoes and vegetables
(any style)
Snack: Nuts, fruit, biscuits with cheese.
Dinner: Roast Beef with vegetables, brown
rice, whole meal bread.
Week Three
Breakfast: Three eggs any style on toast,
cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, and protein shake.
Lunch: Turkey with potatoes and vegetables,
brown rice, whole meal bread.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Dinner: ½ Chicken, potatoes, veggies,
brown rice, whole meal bread.
Before Bed: Protein shake.
Week Four
Breakfast: Four eggs any style on toast,
cereal with fruit and milk.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Lunch: Spaghetti with meat sauce, potatoes,
brown rice, whole meal bread.
Snack: Nuts, fruit, protein shake.
Dinner: Roast Pork, potatoes, brown rice,
whole meal bread.
Before Bed: Protein shake.
After week four of this protein loading diet, move from the
max intake of protein to the lowest. So in the fifth week
go back to week one menu, in the sixth week, week two menu
and so on.
This protein loading diet provides a balance of protein, fats
and carbohydrates and combined with high intensity strength
training will be very effective in increasing muscular bodyweight
without the need to ingest large quantities of protein.
Written By: Gary Matthews
Author of several ebooks, including:
"Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks"
"Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks"
http://www.maximumfitness.com
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