PROTEIN- The Building Blocks of the Body

The protein you eat becomes the building blocks of the body. That is why it is so important to feed yourself properly. Intense muscular activity causes the body to react by sending signals that it is under stress. You will want to have enough protien in your system so that it can rebuild.

It is also important that you have a high Carbohydrate diet for energy for athletes who engage in periods of hard, intense training. For now I will be talking about proteins.

When you train hard the proteins act like an army and provide energy for muscular contraction, recovery, and building. The body reacts by building stronger tissue that was used by training.

Think of protein like a bundle of bricks (they are actually a chain of something called amino acids). They have several different "bricks" that do different things. Some are for growth, some are for repair, ect. The exercise process uses energy from two things, the bricks (amino acids) of the protein bundle and glucose from the carbohydrate intake (which I will talk about at a later date). Some of the amino acids are maufactured by the body. There are 9 which cannot be made and they are called ESSENTIAL amino acids. We get them from what we eat. Intense workouts cause a supression of protein synthesis (building), and tissue destruction. This means it is important to have enough bricks (amino acids) on board. The exercise causes exhaustion of the muscles, so the body destroys them and replaces them with bigger and stronger muscles. You have a window of opportunity after an intense work out (approximately 1 hr) to increase growth with a good protein source. This is when a protein supplement will assist with recovery. WHEY protein is best. It is usually assimilated into the body within a couple of hrs. Supplements that are casein based cause a bloated feeling, nausea and gas for many hrs. They also decrease your appetite for solid foods.

One important element I must mention is the need to keep your body hydrated. When you take high amounts of protein it causes the body to become acidic so hydration is crucial. Water helps transport nutrients and flush waste products from the body. An average adult body is usually made up of 70% water (about 12 gallons). Lean muscle contains more water than fat tissue. Sweating depletes that fluid. Be sure to sip water as you exercise. On the average we need about 1200 ml per day, but with exercise our requirements increase by 5 or 6 times that amount. It is the mechanism by which the body cools itself. Normally we lose about 350 ml through the skin, but an intense workout will increase that significantly.

In conclusion the body needs protein for building. It is also important to have enough carbohydrates and to hydrate the body for proper fuction.

Eating For The Peak Athlete

Generally speaking being an athlete requires a balance of timing and planning. It takes approximately 3 1/2 hrs. to digest what you have eaten. By then, it will be time to eat again. This depends heavily on what you will be doing. Several small meals per day allows the body to use it's fuel more efficiently. Eating large meals encourages the body to store the extra calories as fat. If you do not eat frequently your body recognizes a deficit of calories and will "catabolize" (eat) it's lean tissue. In short to prevent fat and loss of muscle several meals a day should be eaten. Approximately every 3-4 hrs while awake (about 5 meals) per day.

Here is a simple way to decide how many calories you need at each meal:
If you want to GAIN muscle mass ADD 100 calories to each meal. If you want to LOSE weight (fat) reduce calories by 100. If you will be working out within the next three hours take 100 calories from other remaining meals and add them to your pre-workout meal. If you will be sitting quietly or napping over the next three hours reduce you meal to no more than 300-400 calories.

The average person is usually protein starved most of the day. It is the most important part of your diet. You must spread out your protein during your 5 meals per day. You will typically need about 1 gram of protein for every kilogram (2.2 lbs) of body weight. That would be about 15%. You will want to keep your fat intake low. Carbohydrates are your source of energy. You will want what they call complex carbs. They cause a gradual rise in your blood sugar. Simple carbs cause a rapid rise and then FALL of your blood sugar. You can easily purchase a book that tells you the caloric value of foods and it will be important to know the glycemic index of foods. You will want to keep your preworkout meal carbs on the lower glycemic end...ideally under 50%. Fruits (except bananas and raisins) and beans are very good choices. A good reference source is a diabetic cookbook with the glycemic indexes listed. Below is a very brief chart for reference. The higher the percentage the higher the sugar content.

80-90 %
carrots
parsnips
potatoes (instant)
honey
Corn flakes

70-79%
bread (whole wheat)
rice (white)
potato

60-69%
bread (white)
rice (brown)
Muesli
shredded wheat
bananas
raisins

50-59%
buckwheat
spaghetti (white)
sweet corn
All-Bran
peas (frozen)
yam
potato chips

40-49%
spaghetti (whole wheat)
oatmeal
potato (sweet)
beans (canned navy)
peas (dried)
oranges
orange juice

30-39%
butter beans
black eyed peas
chick peas
apples (golden delicious)
ice cream
milk (skim)
milk (whole)
yogurt
tomato soup

20-29%
lentils
Kidney beans

10-19%
soy beans
soy beans (canned)
peanuts

You will want your proteins to be lean meats such as chicken,turkey,and fish.
Egg whites are also an excellent source of protein. Remember, proteins are very important. The word itself is derived from Greek meaning "of prime importance".