Nutrient Timing; Protein
Hey everyone,
To go along with my last Nutrient Timing Post . I wanted to highlight some great stuff from the last edition of Men’s Health magazine in an article, The Truth about Protein by Adina Steiman.
“Timing is Everything”
Jeffrey Volek, Ph.D., R.D. states; “At any given moment, even at rest, your body is breaking down and building protein.”
The article later reads, “But think about it: When do you eat most of your protein? At dinner, right? That means you could be fueling muscle growth for only a few hours a day, and breaking down muscle the rest of the time.”
This is could not be more spot on. Of all the issues I find when reviewing clients’ diets lack of protein, especially during the morning and day, might be the most prominent. This includes both male and female clients. I find this to be the case for many reasons;
- Protein is not always convenient or portable (think meat, eggs, etc, must be refrigerated)
- People believe protein only comes from a few sources; chicken, tuna, burgers, eggs. Think outside the box. Try turkey, scallops, whey powder, greek yogurt, cheese, many beans, pork, lamb, soy, milk, lean beef, bison, squid, ostrich, fish, etc.
- People (women especially) often think of protein as fattening. I think this upsets me the most. Protein is the last macro-nutrient to be used as energy. What does that mean? When we consume energy through food and it is not used it is stored as FAT!! Protein is the least likely macro-nutrient to be stored as FAT and it’s avoided???? But everyone will eat salads with creamy dressings? It’s just a lack of education.
My first step to fix a low protein diet (for building muscle and fat loss, yes, I said fat loss) is to throw in some convenient, portable, and cheap protein, via whey protein shakes. (Read more about my thoughts on whey protein)
The article mentioned above echoes my thoughts, “powders are for everyone. Everyone–not just muscleheads–can benefit from the quick hit of amino acids provided by a protein supplement.”
In health,
Josh
