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Q: I’m trying to gain a lot of muscle mass by
consuming plenty of protein in the form of steak, peanut butter
and whole eggs. Comments?
A: The protein in human muscle tissue can be broken
down into building blocks called “amino acids.”
Of these 22 aminos, eight “essential amino acids”
must be taken in the form of the food you consume. Your body
can’t synthesize those eight. Your body can, however,
manufacture the 14 other “nonessential aminos”
from the food you eat.
Obviously, a bodybuilder should eat foods high in essential
aminos, and most of these should come from animal sources
such as fish, egg whites, skinned poultry breasts, lean ground
beef and nonfat milk products. Soybeans come close to being
a complete source, but they have too-low levels of some essential
aminos. Among vegetarian sources, sprouted seeds produce protein
of high biological quality (with all eight essential amino
acids present), so if you fail to sprinkle sprouts on your
salads, you’re missing a good thing.
I suggest consuming one complete protein food with a complex
carbohydrate source at each meal. Here are three examples:
• Baked fish and brown rice
• Lean ground beef and dry baked potato
• Skinned turkey breast and yams
It’s better to consume four to six of these types of
meals per day than two or three huge meals, because smaller
portions digest more efficiently and make more protein available
for assimilation into solid muscle tissue. It’s also
possible to “complete” an incomplete protein food
by combining it with a complete protein source. Here are three
good examples:
• Whole-grain toast and cheese
• Corn tortillas and chicken
• Peanut butter sandwich and nonfat milk
The combinations can be endless, but it’s still best
to always have complete protein at each meal. The human body
is able to digest and make ready for assimilation into muscle
only 20-25 grams of protein per meal. So four to six meals
per day makes the most sense if you’re trying to increase
muscle mass.
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