Nutrition for the Athlete

When considering nutrition for the athlete, protein comes up as a topic. This is because, during exercise, 15% of the energy used can come from protein. First the body burns carbohydrates, and then, if the exercise is long enough, the body burns lipids and protein.

Protein is what muscles are made of, and the muscles are continually being renewed. During exercise, however, muscle synthesis is reduced greatly. Instead of proteins going to build up muscles, the proteins are broken down into their components parts - amino acids, and put into the bloodstream. One particular class of amino acids is called branched chain amino acids (BCAA's). This class is comprised of leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

Muscles use the amino acids for fuel in two different ways. First, the BCAA's are taken from the bloodstream by the muscles and used directly as fuel. Second, the BCAA's are taken by the muscles and nitrogen is removed. Then, with a muscle compound called pyruvate, the amino acids are converted to alanine. The alanaine goes to the liver where it is converted to glucose and put back into the bloodstream. The glucose can then be used as fuel.

It is widely believed that supplementing an athlete's diet with BCAA's can improve endurance, reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness, and improve recovery. Some sources suggest that BCAA's be taken before and after exercising.

One of the best sources of BCAA's is whey protein, specifically whey protein isolate (WPI). In fact, whey proteins contain the highest concentration of BCAA's available from any natural food protein source.

Make a Nutrition Plan to Build Muscle

Nutrition and diet are very important to building muscle. It is told by experts that the process of building muscle is only 20% lifting weights, but more importantly 80% the correct diet. Learning how to build muscle is an actual science and this is why you will need a good nutrition plan.

This is not to say that you should start eating huge amounts of food. Yes you will need to eat protein and healthy carbs, but you don't want to overload your system with any one food group. Eating in this fashion will only lead to health problems in the future. Just look what happened to Arnold Schwarzenegger after eating huge amounts of protein for years!

When adding protein to your diet, you will want to give yourself a 6 ounce portion. Add to this whole wheat pasta, potatoes and brown rice. Then fill up on fresh vegetables, broccoli and carrots are great choices here. Also be sure to drink milk as this helps in building muscle fast. Chocolate milk works really well here and tastes good to boot.

You will want to be eating at least 3,000 calories for muscle growth to work efficiently. Some weight lifters will eat up to 5,000 calories depending upon their starting weight and body size.

You should aim to eat 3 good meals per day along with 2-3 snacks. Try to plan your meals so that you are eating roughly every three hours. One great tip here to keep your nutrition plan for building muscle on track, is to stock your cupboards with food. Along with this you can actually create a menu plan for the entire week. This way you know exactly what you are going to eat at each meal and it will be easy to just grab the ingredients and prepare them.

When it comes to snacking, eating a handful of nuts is a good choice. Almonds are great and full of nutritional value. Other snack ideas for building muscle include having a banana along with a glass of milk. Fruit always makes a good option and berries, melons, oranges and apples are all good picks for building muscle. If you happen to be a vegetarian use tofu instead of meat and use more nuts in your nutrition plan.

Nutrition of Weight Loss Food Programs

Some weight loss food programs are better for you than others are. Some companies are masters at marketing while limiting the actual quality of the foods they put into those pretty boxes. Others give you nothing but nutrition but it tastes so bad that you cannot enjoy it. When it comes to finding meals that are right for you, both your goal to lose the pounds and your desire to eat something good, it is important to look at the nutrition included in each meal. Is this the best possible product for you?

The Importance of Protein

One of the key nutritional elements you need any weight loss food programs to offer is a good source of protein. It is the building block of muscles. As you begin to work out to enhance your dieting success, your body will develop firmer, leaner muscle mass. In fact, this leaner mass will burn through stored fat faster than any other cell mass in your body. However, to become strong, muscles need a good source of protein. It will give you the tools to build a strong body that is burning fat quickly.

You Need Vitamins and Minerals

Though most individuals should still take a multi-vitamin, you can and should invest in products packed with nutrition. You need nutrients that are going to add to your energy reserves so that you can exercise and go through your day. If you are eating just low calorie foods all of the time, this simply will not work. You could just eat celery every day if you wanted that. This does not give your body enough energy, though, to get through your day. Every system, including your immune system, requires a source of energy from nutrition.