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PROTEIN
AND AMINO ACIDS |
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We
need protein for building muscle, and also for providing
calories for energy. Amino acids are essential for all
the biochemical processes that take place in our bodies,
antibodies, enzymes, hormones and you also need them
to build muscle.
As well as being the building blocks of protein, amino
acids have important functions on their own, including:
- as neurotransmitteurs for the brain
- regulating appetite and mood
- burning fat. |
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Protein
can be split into 2 types, essential and non-essential.
Essential protein can't be produced by the body.
The only way to get them is by eating quality protein.
Non-essential protein is produced in the body.
Not all protein-rich foods contain the right amount
of essential amino acids in the right quantities.
Protein-rich foods can be classed in the following order
(for quality and effectiveness):
- Egg whites
- Fish
- White meat (poultry)
- Red meat
- Whole milk protein
- Vegetable protein (eg soy). |
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Meat
and fish are excellent sources of protein but they can
also be high in calories because they generally contain
fair amounts of (hidden) fat. What's more, they contain
saturated fat which is dangerous for health if you eat
too much of it. Red meat generally contains a lot of
hidden fat, for example 1 fillet of beef contains around
10g fat per 100g "lean" meat! Be aware of
the fat content of your meat intake. Avoid cooked meats
which are high in fat, except in winter when you need
more calories to fight keep the cold at bay!
Fish and seafood, however, contain less saturated fat
and more unsaturated fat, so go for fish to reduce your
risk of cardiovascular illness. Fish is thought of as
being lower in fat than meat, which isn't always true,
because some types of meat are very lean and a lot of
fish has a fat content of more than 15%.
Nutritionists recommend you eat 1g of protein per kilo
of body weight. The quantity of whole protein that can
be abosrbed by the body per meal and used to build muscle
is between 30 and 40g ( 0.5g per kilo of body weight).
You need to spread out your protein intake throughout
the day (and night!) so that you increase your body's
muscle mass, and so that you don't store protein as
fat by eating too much of it at once.
Our basic protein requirements are quite low, but they
go up a lot if you do a lot of intense exercise. |
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Healthy eating: protein and amino acids
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