The simple concept of muscle growth is "the tissue of the muscles is damaged through weight training, and then the muscles are repaired through protein. During the process of damage and repair, the muscles will slowly grow." There are many fitness programs on the market. Magazines or books will more or less mention the need to replenish "protein" in a timely manner after exercising, but the question arises?
How much protein should be supplemented?
There are also books or fitness instructors stating that "protein" is not important, and that consuming too much protein will damage your kidneys? These issues about how much protein to consume are still being debated to this day. For example, some fitness instructors recommend that the protein intake is "body weight (pounds) x 3~4" grams. In other words, if you weigh 160 pounds, you need to consume 480 to 640 grams of protein. In fact, medical institutions believe that this intake exceeds the needs of the human body!
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that the daily protein intake per person is "body weight (pounds) x 0.36" grams, which converted into a familiar formula is "body weight (kg) x 0.792" grams. So if you weigh 160 pounds, the recommended daily intake of protein is about 58 grams; if you weigh 70 kilograms, the recommended daily intake is 56 grams.
The above data is for Americans, and the recommendation for Asians (yellow people) is "weight (kg) x 1" grams.
In fact, the above suggestions are not suitable for everyone and are not true enough. For example, the USDA recommends that the average protein intake per person is sufficient for most healthy people (97% to 98%). Basically, if you meet this intake, you won't die.
You can also refer to the protein calculator provided by muscle.com.
But everyone’s living conditions, metabolic patterns, and goals are different. The advice we really need is to define a standard based on each person’s needs and goals. The author calls it “(mostGuidelines for optimal intake).
In the book "The Complete Book of Metabolic Type Diet" by William Lin W. Cote (click to go to Taobao to buy), there is an accurate description of metabolic types: protein type, carbohydrate type and mixed type.
■ Protein: Find your optimal intake
If you want to lose weight, it means you should follow some simple guidelines to "reduce sugar intake." Actual research results also point out that "eating more protein" can help you achieve your weight loss goals while maintaining your muscle mass.
But according to the above study, anti-proteinists say, "Don't eat all protein that will harm your cardiovascular system. It will clog your arteries."
The researcher conducted research based on the views raised by the anti-proteinists above. In fact, the experimental group that consumed higher amounts of protein (those with high blood pressure and cholesterol) were healthier, with significantly lower blood pressure, bad LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. In addition, compared with the experimental group with lower protein intake, the occurrence of heart disease can be reduced.
So for people who want to lose weight, based on scientific data, 30% of the calories (calories) you eat should come from protein, so you don’t have to worry about not eating enough calories. At the same time, consuming enough protein can not only help with weight loss, but also improve your heart health. Therefore, including some protein in every meal or snack you have will make it easier to achieve your weight loss goals.
■ Protein and energy
Let’s talk about “blood sugar” first. When you eat a meal, your body will break down carbohydrates into sugar and send them into the blood. At this time, the blood sugar index will rise. These sugars are your body’s source of power. The human body is very particular about blood sugar. The body tries to keep your blood sugar index between 70 and 99.
When you eat too much (carbohydrates), your body will secrete a large amount of insulin, causing your blood sugar to drop, making you feel tired and hungry, and making you want to eat again. Protein can replace these carbohydrates and form the amino acids of protein units. Compared with high-carbohydrate foods, amino acids can greatly reduce the insulin response and will not cause drastic changes in blood sugar.
Protein also triggers the release of glucagon, which allows your fat cells to release stored fat into the bloodstream, providing energy to muscles, brain, and any other part of the body that needs fuel. Therefore, of any type of food you eat, protein is the most efficient for your body, and controlling your insulin also helps burn fat.
In "protein", "carbohydrate" and ""Fat" requires different energy consumption during consumption and processing. Just like exercise of different intensities burns different calories. Scientists call this metabolic cost the "thermic effect of food (TEF)".
Compared with carbohydrates and fats, protein has a higher TEF, which means that when you eat more protein, your body needs to consume more calories in the process of digesting protein. In some cases, when consuming double protein content, it will increase your daily energy expenditure. For this reason, eating protein can help you lose weight.
■ Grow muscles
When the body digests protein, the body breaks the protein into amino acids. The body uses amino acids in different ways and combines them, just like a child building Lego toys and castles. The castle is the tissue of your muscles. To build these castles, you need more abundant sources.
In the process of building a castle, the most important amino acid is "leucine", which can be found in the protein-containing foods you eat every day. But in order for leucine to convert protein into muscle to achieve its maximum effect, the body must reach a certain protein content, called the "protein threshold." Scientists estimate the threshold at 30 grams. If you want to build muscle, a dose of 30 grams is ideal.
For those of you who are drinking high-protein or whey, most of the ingredients in whey are elements that make up protein, such as the amino acids, leucine, etc. mentioned above. Since some of them are artificially synthesized during the refining process and are not ingested from natural foods, how much of these synthetic ingredients can the human body absorb? This depends on the quality of each brand and the absorption status of the human body.
Once muscles grow, they also start metabolism. When you are resting, they can consume more energy (calories) than fat. You have more muscle and can burn more fat more efficiently during your daily activities.
In addition, someone asked whether eating too much or drinking too much whey would put a burden on the "kidneys". The answer is "yes". In addition to affecting the kidneys, it also increases the chance of getting gout. Supplement protein in an appropriate amount.