So I’m not sure if you know this but not all proteins are created equal. Literally, comparing protein sources is like comparing apples to oranges! I’m sure you may have heard whey is the best protein, or is soy a far superior protein, maybe casein? The truth is there is no superior protein. Each protein has different qualities that are beneficial depending on your nutritional needs. For example: whey is a great source of protein, it is easily absorbed and digests relatively quickly. It has what is called a high biological value. Biological value is the amount or percentage of a protein source that is actually utilized by your body. Other proteins, such as protein from wheat, aren’t digested as well and have a low biological value. So going from the easiest usable protein to least usable source of protein would be: whey, milk, eggs, fish, chicken, beef, beans, grains. I know beef is low on the list but it is still a good source of protein, just not as good as chicken. So now that we know that not every source of protein absorbs the same, why not just eat the best absorbing one? Well that’s just one dimension of protein. Your body needs different sources of protein and can benefit from different protein sources at certain times during the day.
First thing when you wake up a good source of protein to take is whey. Your body just went about eight hours without food and needs protein now! Your body will start breaking down muscle to feed itself, if it doesn’t get a source of protein quickly. Since whey is a fast digesting protein this is a perfect source for this need. A lot of people like to eat eggs for breakfast. Eggs are a solid source of quality protein and are great because it is one of the few sources of protein that has a complete essential amino acid profile that your body needs. Essential amino acids are amino acids your body can’t produce naturally and thus you need to get them from other sources. It’s important to get all the amino acids your body needs, because if you’re deficient in one area it can affect other processes in your body in a negative way.
Other sources of protein such as chicken, fish, beef, nuts, beans, and grains are good throughout the day. Your body needs some real food; you can’t just chug down protein shakes all day! These are great protein sources because they provide your body with plenty of vitamins and mineral it will need. A great protein source to have pre and post workout again is whey. Your body needs the amino acids during your workout to feed the muscles and to keep them from going catabolic. You will also need more amino acids to keep your muscles from going catabolic again post workout. If you have the money an even better source of post workout protein is another version of standard whey isolate, hydrolyzed whey! Hydrolyzed whey is a more broken down version of whey making it quicker and easier to digest.
Finally at night you’re going to want protein that is going to help you recover and protein that is going to digest slowly. When you go to sleep at night, this is your body’s time to recover. You will need a slow digesting protein source at night, because your body is going without food for eight hours. During this time your body will start cannibalizing itself, to get the protein it needs to recover if it doesn’t get fed. So you need a protein for recovery and a protein to keep your body from cannibalizing itself. A great recovery protein source is soy isolate. Due to soy isolate’s high glutamic acid content, it is a great protein to have post workout or before bed time. Glutamic acid is the amino acid L-glutamine. L-glutamine is an extremely fantastic amino acid that has amazing recovery capabilities for your body! The protein you want to digest slowly while you sleep is casein. Although soy is a slow digesting protein, casein is definitely slower. Casein is something you will want to ingest right as you’re going to bed, some bodybuilders will even wake up in the middle of the night just to have a casein shake!As you can see each and every protein has its own role in helping your body recover from working out. As I said before there is not one protein that is better than the other. You need to utilize each protein to your advantage to gain the maximum benefit each protein has to offer.
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The Gym Maniac
I hear different advice on eating eggs. You talk briefly about how great eggs are for breakfast but does it matter if it is whole eggs or just whites?
ReplyDeleteWell it really depends on what you want in your diet. A lot of people like to throw out the yolk, because it contains all the fat. What they don't realize is the yolk contains almost all the nutrients in the egg and half the protein. What they also don't realize is that your body will use the fat and cholesterol from the yolk. (You will be able to read about the role of fat and cholesterol in your diet when I post Part 4 shortly)
ReplyDeleteSo what do I do? I like to have an even ratio of whole eggs and egg whites. I usually have three whole eggs and three egg whites when I have eggs for breakfast. I try not to take in a lot of fat, but I always keep a few yolks for the nutrients, fat, and of course protein.
I hope that answers your question!
The Gym Maniac