STEAK. IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER.

So this week I am going to talk about protein and focus on one major question: Do we need to drink protein shakes after a workout?

Amino Acid Chain

Protein is an energy-yielding, large, and complex macronutrient composed of amino acids. The main purpose of protein is to build and repair muscle. Protein is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The nitrogen gives protein the unique ability to repair muscle tissue (Bushman). Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and there are 20 amino acids in the body. They can be combined to make up to 50,000 different proteins! There are 9 essential amino acids and 11 nonessential proteins. The “essential” name does not mean that they are more important but that they are the ones that our body cannot make and that we need to consume via foods.

Bushman, Barbara Ann., and Rebecca Battista. ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Helath, 2014. Print.

There are two main types of protein: complete and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins contain all 9 essential amino acids and as you might have guessed incomplete proteins do not provide all 9 essential amino acids. The best complete sources of protein in animals are egg whites, beef, chicken, tuna (other fish as well), and milk. In vegetables the only complete source of protein is soy beans. There are other great sources of protein that are incomplete such as beans, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. We need to consume a large variety of these foods to give us the most complete dietary intake of protein.

                

Every single person needs different amounts of proteins based on their age, sex, and weight. According to the ACSM, the daily percentages of our diet for each major macronutrient is roughly:

• 45-65% from carbohydrates (6-10g/kg body weight)
• 12-15% from protein (see below)
• 20-35% from fat (around .9g/kg body weight) (Bushman). 

Harvard Medical Food Pyramid

From this information you can see the easy discrepancy on how much more carbohydrates we need versus fat and protein. We need around .8g protein/ kg body weight. Pregnant women, intense athletes, and growing adolescents need more. The more intense the athlete (recreational versus Olympian) the more protein they need. The upper limit for anyone should be around 1.5-1.7g/kg of body weight. This is usually only reserved for vegetarian strength athletes. So if you are like me and are a

normal athlete you only need around .8-1.0g/kg of body weight.

I will break this down a little easier to understand how much protein we actually need. I weigh roughly 175 pounds or 79kg. (1kg= 2.2pounds). So that means, that if I need around 2500 calories per day and am eating a pretty normal diet of 60% carbs, 15% protein, and 25% fat then I need:

• Carbs: 2500 x .60= 1,500 calories. Or 79kg x 8g = 632g of carbohydrate per day
• Fat: 2500 x .25= 625 calories. Or 79kg x .9g= 71.1g of fat per day.
• Protein: 2500 x .15= 375 calories. Or 79kg x .8g= 63.2g of protein per day

The next question we have after this knowledge is how should we get this protein? I will use the math I did above for my body as a reference point but I need roughly 63g of protein per day if I am eating around 2500 calories. We can get this protein from the foods we eat or we can add in or substitute a protein shake to get the amount of protein we need. According to the Muscle Milk Graham Cracker protein powder gives you roughly 16g of protein in one scoop  (Vitamin Shoppe Muscle Milk Powder). That is around 1/5 of the protein that I need in one day. Now that does not seem like a whole lot of protein but...I will show how you can EASILY get that amount of protein in one day through natural foods and no supplementation.

Breakfast
2 eggs= 14g of protein
1 cup of Milk- 8g of protein

Lunch

2oz of cheddar cheese= 16g of protein
1.75oz turkey breast= 15g of protein

Dinner
4oz hamburger- 28g of protein

Total- 81grams of protein

Choose My Plate Food Groups

So if you eat this simple daily meal you can get around 81g of protein. That is how easy you can get protein in your body. Also this does not account for other things you eat throughout the day that may give you even more protein. So the question is should I take a protein shake?

In my biased opinion, I always tell people that you should strive to consume your macronutrients and calories from natural foods rather than supplements. It can be done pretty easily and personally, I would rather eat those foods than a protein shake. Now if you are looking to bulk up,are training incredibly hard for a marathon, or are a very active individual then supplementing with a protein shake is not always a poor decision. I am just trying to give you the facts about protein so you can make your own choices in regards to your diet. I personally have never taken a protein shake or supplement but I know people  that swear by them. Protein is a very important part of our diet and is something that we should consume every single day.

There are however benefits to a little extra protein and also problems with too much protein. I will cover both of these in my next blog. So stay tuned!

NEXT WEEK: PROTEIN PART 2/ "IF I WORK OUT WITH WEIGHTS, WILL I BULK UP?"