How Much Protein Should I Eat?

Why you need protein!

Protein is the ammunition you need for arming your guns. It’s built from amino acids stitched together into long chains, some of which your body can make naturally – known as ‘non-essential’ – and some of which it can’t. These are called ‘essential’ amino acids and you need to source them from food. When you chow down on a chicken breast your body breaks proteins down into their constituent amino acids, which it then uses to build everything from new muscle to organs and hair.

Are you getting enough?

In all likelihood, probably not. The current guidelines recommend you eat 0.8g of protein daily per kg of bodyweight, but that won’t get you Arnie arms. “Elite athletes eat around 2g per kg every day,” says Dr Karen Reid, a sports science nutritionist who’s worked with the Wales rugby team, and the founder of Performance Food. She recommends getting near that level for the first 12 weeks of a new workout programme. “That’s when you’re sore, when you’re breaking down muscle fibres and creating new structures.” And damage plus fuel equals growth. After 12 weeks, if your wallet requires it, you can scale back to between 1.2g and 1.6g per kilo.

But don’t eat too much

Upping your protein intake won’t automatically lead to muscle gain. If you’re not putting the work in at the gym then it’s wasted, and will either be burnt off as fuel or laid down as fat. That’s an expensive way to gain unwanted weight, and could be harmful in the long term. “Nitrogen from the amino acids has to be cleared,” says Reid. “That puts extra strain on your liver and kidneys, which have to filter it all out.” If you notice dark, concentrated urine, up your hydration and feast on bananas and spinach. They’re high in magnesium and potassium and help to reduce protein-associated kidney stones, according to research from the University of Granada.

 

Watch the clock

Timing your protein hits is vital to optimise your gains. Your body can’t process more than 30g of protein per serving, according to research from the University of Texas, so scoffing six steaks at dinner is a waste. “It’s not about having shedloads all at once,” say Reid. Instead, plan five or six small meals throughout the day, stagger your protein hits from morning to night.

Eat around your workout

The most important protein hit is the one after your gym session. “You want that immediate stimulus,” says Reid. “Within the 30-minute window post-workout you’re looking to optimise the repair and regeneration process.” That’s when you want rapidly-absorbed whey protein, either by chugging a shake or a pint of milk. Reid also recommends a skinny latte for a pre-gym boost: “You’ve got the caffeine kick, the protein in the milk and if you try a banana with it, a bit of carbohydrate.” Pairing your protein with carbs is good sense. After exercise your body produces the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which break down proteins, fats and sugars. When they’re coursing through you, you’re not building muscle. “When you get some recovery nutrition in it counters those stress hormones,” says Reid, switching your body back into repair mode and kick starting growth.

Protein for everyone

If you’re looking to pack on muscle then, obviously, you need protein to build it. But if you’re trying to lose weight then upping your intake is equally important. Your body only burns protein after it’s exhausted fat stores, so swapping carbs for meat ensures it’s your spare tyre that gets targeted for energy when you work out. What’s more, simply having muscle (which is, remember, built from protein) increases your calorie burn at rest. Plus there’s the handy fact that protein boosts satiety.

This post is from Macro Man's Main Blog!

Recipe: Protein Cheesecake

Ingredients Base: -2tbsps Almond Butter -1/2 cup of ground almonds -1 tbsp honey Topping: - 1 pot (170g) of 2% Total Greek Yoghurt - 1 pot (250g) of Quark - 1/4 cup of Vanilla Whey (£10.99 for 500g “Whey Protein 80” here) - 1/4 cup Egg Whites Directions Step 1: In a bowl, mix all the base ingredients together. Yeah, the almond butter, the almonds, and the honey (or calorie-free syrup if you want the whole thing to be lower in carbs). Once you have a crumbly mix, press it down into a small springform pan. If you want to use a medium or large pan, just duplicate the amounts for the whole thing. Step 2: After that, blend all your cheesecake ingredients in a bowl. Step 3: Pour the cheesecake filling onto the base. Step 4: Bake at 160 C (320 F) for about 30-45 minutes. Now, this part is important: DO NOT OVER BAKE THIS. You want to remove it from the oven while it's still wobbly inside and feels uncooked. Don't let it cook all the way, you want it wet inside because it sets as it cools. Step 5: Let it cool and then melt some dark chocolate. Melt 2 squares per slice (20 grams) of 90% Lindt and then just artfully drizzle it on top :-) Macros per slice (out of the three you get from the cheesecake above): - 242kcals - 30g Protein - 10g Carbs - 9g Fat

3 Tips For Optimal Health

Public health is a huge concern of almost everyone in one way or another.  Everyone should try to optimise their own health. Nothing frustrates me more than seeing people struggle with their appearance, mood, mental clarity and energy to name but a few. At the same time their body fat levels show that they are borderline morbidly obese. Doesn’t it strike you as coincidental that more often than not it is fat, overweight people who rarely exercise and eat an inordinate amount of crappy unhealthy food are the one’s with appearance, mood, cognitive, energy and libido issues? More often than not it is these people who are chronically fatigued.  We are supposed to live until 100 years old not suffer from inordinate amounts of disease after just 20 years of life; we all need to work on creating an environment for optimal health.

I experienced parenthood for the last two days and I enjoyed it.  Of course I’m not trying to undermine how difficult it must be to rear kids but I will say that being highly active and eating a good, healthy diet played a big role in why my energy wasn’t zapped. Sleeping in is a luxury for parents with kids of school going age and I am under no illusion that the effects of being a real parent may accumulate over time but eating well and fitting in some exercise when you can will have a profound effect on your ability to stay healthy, energetic and keep in good shape.  Most parents health status is far below optimal I would imagine.

Do you wake up and feel groggy every morning?  Do you claim to need a coffee to get you going?  Do you dread the thought of getting out of bed?  If you answered yes to any of these then you need to make a change (Chek, 2009).

More often than not the reasons for these issues are so obvious it will make you sick. You could be eating foods that don’t work well with your body, not sleeping enough, not exercising, not exercising properly or under a lot of stress.  We are not all designed to eat the same types of food.  As an example; different cars take different types of fuel, right?  What makes you any different to a car?  Fill your body with the wrong type of fuel and it will tell you.  Just because you don’t break out in hives doesn’t mean all food is good for your body. Fatigue is the #1 example of how we react badly to different foods. Do you feel a little sluggish after a particular meal?  If so you will be best served to avoid it.  In my case pasta makes me extremely tired almost immediately after eating it.  Large amounts of low fibre carbohydrates in one sitting generally make me feel bloated and sluggish.  These are my body’s way of telling me it doesn’t want these foods (Chek, 2009).

Do You Get Enough Sleep?

Most people underestimate the value of adequate sleep and most people tend not to get enough sleep as it is. For optimal body function you need between 7-9 hours of sleep each night.  You may be saying to yourself you get enough sleep but just because you spend 7-9 hours in bed doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting quality sleep.  Sleep quality is far more important than sleep quantity.  You should not feel groggy after 7-9 hours in bed (Wilson, 2006; Chek, 2009; Holford, 2012).  You should wake up without an alarm and want to get at the day.  Fatigue can induce impaired gluconeogenesis (your body’s ability to use fat and protein for energy), rapid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), sodium loss and potassium retention (Wilson, 2006). What’s interesting about this situation is due to the stress your body is under, despite having low blood sugar, there tends to be rather high levels of blood insulin meaning you are going to become progressively more overweight and at risk of type 2 diabetes. The net result of these is a miserable, tired feeling.  Small things can make an inordinate amount of difference in the quality of your sleep;

1. Turn off all electronics.  Yes this includes your phone.  With the advancements in phones of late almost everybody has some sort of notification waiting for them every morning be it from email, twitter, instagram or your ‘hardcore’ friends posting annoying late night Facebook updates and photos.  If you leave your phone on at night your are more likely to be woken.  Turn it off, whatever it is can wait until the morning.  For those of you that use your phones as alarm clocks Invest in an alarm clock (preferably a battery-powered one) (Gooley et al. 2011;Chek, 2009).
2. Have no lights shining.  That even means covering the red LED from your alarm clock. Get curtains that leave the room in complete darkness.  You may not think it but light from the night sky also affects your sleep quality.  I can never understand how people can sleep without drawing their curtains (I have a few people in mind) (Gooley et al. 2011; Chek, 2009).
3. Stop playing video games or doing anything that gives your brain a lot of stimulation. You should be winding down an hour before bed.  Ever find that your brain won’t stop going when all you want to do is sleep?  Try and read before bed and dump all your work or college thoughts until the next day. Many people worry about what they have to do tomorrow.  A good technique I have starting doing lately is making a list of everything I have to do in order of priority in the evening.  It is often referred to as a ‘brain dump’, it helps you to forget about what has to be done until the morning (Chek, 2009).
4. Have a cool room temperature.  This one might sound a bit ridiculous to some of you.  A cold room is far more conducive to high quality sleep than a warm room.  Your body temperature naturally drops through the night. The cooler your body is the better your sleep will be. Try taking a cold shower before bed. This is ideal for anybody that works out late at night.  And no you shouldn’t be wearing socks and a hoody to bed that’s just downright ridiculous.  Unless you live in a house with below freezing temperatures, then you should wear a hat to bed, I’m speaking from experience here from my poor student days.
5. Eliminate caffeine after 3pm.  I am a culprit for this one myself.  You may think having a coffee after your dinner is not problem as you fall asleep just fine. Again, I come back to the sleep quality issue. You may fall asleep easily but caffeine is a stimulant and will in fact continue to stimulate your central nervous system throughout the night this upsetting your sleep quality (Chek, 2009).
6. Eliminate high carbohydrate meals 3 hours before bedtime. Remember that carbohydrates cause a large spike in blood sugar which in turn gives you a boost in energy.  Try a moderate protein and fat meal is you want to eat close to bedtime (Richards, 2005).
7. Go to bed earlier.  Midnight is not a good time to go to bed.  You should be sound asleep by 10.30 at night (Richards, 2005). 

Exercise

Find me someone who exercises PROPERLY and eats relatively well that doesn’t feel good.  Unless they have some other underlying health issue then you won’t find one. Even if you do think you find someone you will never know unless they change their diet and exercise regime to see if it makes them feel better.With regard to exercise let me clarify from the beginning; walking is not exercise, it’s locomotion, meaning it’s something you have to do for life.  If you feel like crap, are tired don’t think walking will fix your problem. Granted it has it’s place for overall longevity but for health & fitness purposes you may as well just stay in bed if walking if your medicine. For those that are short on time, all you need is 10-15 minutes a few days each week. Everyone has this time; it;s just a matter of allocating it to exercise.  You may feel like you don’t want to exercise but you have to force yourself at the beginning.  Examples of the initial benefits for those with chronic fatigue and health complications include (Wilson, 2003; Harrower HR. 1922);


1. Increased blood flow which helps prevent plaque accumulation in your arteries and stimulates your liver which enables it to perform its 3000+ daily functions more effectively
2. Exercise will also help to normalise cortisol, insulin, blood glucose, growth hormone, thyroid hormones among others
3. Drives oxygen to your brain.
Do some HIIT at home e.g. pick an exercise like burpees, mountain climbers, squat jumps etc, do it as fast as possible for 15-30 seconds, rest for the same time and repeat for 10-12 minutes. Try it out and tell me it was easy.




Diet

Your diet is the overall key.  Reduce or eliminate sugary foods e.g. biscuits, cakes, sweets, ice cream, pastries.  Also eliminate poor carbohydrate sources like pasta, white rice, almost all breakfast cereals and most breads (except spelt or rye for example) (Pollan, 2008). Base your meals around proteins such as; chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel to name but a few, include a large base of vegetables and highly fibrous, slow releasing carbohydrates such as; quinoa, oatmeal, beans, brown rice, basmati rice and cous cous (Taubes, 2009).  If your main meals are in check then you will see and feel amazing improvements. Make small changes at first and build on them over time rather than instantly changing your entire diet.  Remember that you must aim to eat REAL FOOD.  Things with wrappers and more than three ingredients aren’t food rather they are diseases disguised as food (Gussow, 2003).  Check out this recipe site, that shows you how to cook healthy versions of your favourite desserts.



Closing Thoughts

Make some of these changes to your life, you will reap the rewards.  Remember, nobody is asking you to be perfect.  Just make small changes and you will see the benefits.
1. Sleep Better
2. Exercise Smarter
3. Eat Better
4. Eliminate Needless Stressors in Your Life (This basically encompasses every one of the above four points)

9 Ways To Improve Your Diet

Despite what you tell yourself making small tweaks to your diet over the course of a few weeks or months can have a profound effect on how you look and feel.  It isn’t about making one huge change right away.  Although it might help with faster results it is also highly likely you will set yourself up to fail by changing too much at once.  Here are 9 easy tips you can implement to get yourself moving in the right direction and lead a better, healthier lifestyle. #1 Don’t Buy It This is one of the best ways to stay on track and improve your health and overall body. When you do your weekly or bi-weekly grocery shop do not go when you are hungry. Your grocery store is loaded with almost every piece of junk food you can think of and at insanely low prices too; if you’re hungry you are going to find it really difficult not to pick up a shopping cart of chocolate. #2 Don’t Have It In Your House This is similar to the first point.  No matter who you are, if you have bad food in your house you will eat it.  Don’t test your willpower, you will lose.  More often than not you will be perfectly satisfied not eating any of these foods but if they are in the cupboard you will feel them calling.  Give it a try, dump the junk and see if you really want it. #3 Eat More Wholesome Foods I tell my clients to eat more wholesome foods only to be told a few days later they have more energy, feel better and don’t crave sugary foods.  Strange, isn’t it?  Well not really. You have all heard about low blood sugar.  Don’t eat for an extended period of time, you feel light-headed and you say to yourself you must have low blood sugar.  However, if you eat more wholesome foods you provide your body with a sustained release of blood sugar meaning you are getting a steady supply of nutrients throughout the day.  As an example, anybody that needs a mid-morning snack at work isn’t eating wholesome foods.  In essence what has happened is you likely ate a poor breakfast that caused a quick spike and consequently a quick drop in your blood sugars leaving you hungry and fat.  Wholesome foods include; lots of vegetables, beans, lentils, quinoa, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat and fish. #4 Eat More Fats Fats are not your enemy.  People think wrongly about fats.  They are actually an excellent source of nutrients and are essential for a number of functions in your body. Eating more fat will help you to feel fuller for longer, will not spike your blood sugars as much as any of the other rubbish your think is healthy and above all will improve your health and stimulate fat loss. Watch this video for a little on how important fats are. #5 Cut Sugary Carbs This refers back to the previous two points.  Every food you eat is broken down to sugar within your body.  However not all foods are broken down as fast, nor do they cause the same response from insulin within your body .  Carbohydrates cause the biggest spike in blood sugar and poorer sources of carbohydrates cause massive spikes.  When I refer to sugary sources of carbohydrates I refer specifically to chocolate, sweets, ice cream, pasta, white rice, breakfast cereals, milk and energy drinks. #6 Surround Yourself With Others Who Want The Same Thing I was discussing diet with a client of mine this morning.  Firstly, I will say the improvements he has made have been second to none.  It’s incredible what can happen when you are given a better understanding of food.  Anyway, he told me a family member said this weekend he should have a some chocolate, after all it’s only one piece.  Let’s be clear, most of us don’t stop at one piece, it’s all or nothing.  Some of us really do have no ‘off switch’.  The point here is that he was encouraged to make a bad choice because he wasn’t surrounding himself with people with similar interests (he resisted by the way).  Get your family or house mates on board, they will thank you for it and you will thank yourself for it. #7 Let Everyone Know This is important for creating accountability.  If everybody is aware of what your goals are they are likely to call you out if you are eating chocolate.  This may seem contradictory to the previous point but it does help.  My own friends call me out if I try to eat rubbish food because they know of my profession, goals and where I want to be. #8 Use Herbs, Spices and Other Natural Sources of Deliciousness Do you really need ketchup or mayonnaise with your dinner?  All these do are spike your blood sugar and make you sick.  If your taste buds weren’t so blunted by the onslaught of sugar you might actually enjoy the taste of real food.  To spice things up a little add herbs & spices to your meals.  My personal favourites are cumin, turmeric, basil and cinnamon.  For sauces use salsa. guacamole or pesto. #9 Practice Cooking Some people, including myself enjoy eating the same foods over and over again. Simplicity in my opinion is key.  However, not everyone enjoys being mundane especially when it comes to food.  I suggest learning how to cook and trying out lots of different recipes.  Most recipes appear daunting at first but when you try them out once or twice you will see that they are actually really simple. Visit Protein Cookbook for some healthy, protein fuelled desserts!