Guide to Nutrition and Protein

Trying to control your nutritional intake can be difficult, particularly if you have a busy lifestyle.

It is likely to stay this way until you are aware how different foods will affect your body. Most gym goers are often attracted to protein shakes. But is this really the best way to get the extra nutrients to balance out the extra training?

In my opinion, they are the perfect way to add some extra 'goodness' to your diet. The struggle can be when people drink nothing but shakes, thinking that they contain everything the body needs. The best piece of advice is; don't have supplements and fill in the gaps with real food. In fact, the opposite is true. Most shakes, when mixed with water, are around the 100 calorie mark. This is nowhere near enough to be reliant on and be your main nutritional income. Especially if you are trying to bulk up and gain more muscle mass. Your calorific intake needs to be increased to a safe level, something that can't or at least shouldn't, be remedied with an extra shake.

To be fair, many avid gym goers should know this, and be aware that diet is more important than supplements. This is mainly for people just starting to get fit or planning too. When you see a ripped guy/girl at the gym downing a shake, it is in no way a position that has got him where he is. It's about hard work, dedication and commitment. The shakes just help give the body a little extra lift.

Many personal trainers will also have the knowledge to help and offer advice with nutrition. It will pay to take in this knowledge. Chances are, that it won't be perfect for you. But it is all about tweaking the correct information and making something that works for you which fits into your lifestyle. Whether you are going hardcore at the gym or just using some home fitness equipment, your body always needs enough fuel to function. Especially if you are looking for maximum fat burning, then you have to give the body something to continuously burn, otherwise it will hold on to the fat reserves that it has.

As long as nutrition is treated with the respect that it deserves, then it can be a powerful ally when training. It has the ability to physically affect your body quicker than you would imagine. So when you decide what you are training for then you can make your diet work for you. Have a look at what other people are doing and what resources they are using, which can help you to educate yourself. But don't be afraid to ask for help, your body with thank you for it!

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.