By Dave Ruel
Protein Label Misconceptions
The very first thing that you need to get straight regarding your protein conception is the fact that labels can be highly misleading. Many people will pick up a food product and look at the nutritional stats.
They see that the food fills up 20% of their daily protein requirement and think it’s going to really help them meet their needs.
Only what they fail to realize is that the 20% listed on the package label is based on those who are not participating in physical activity and don’t have a very lean physique in mind.
These labels are based upon the average individual simply looking to sustain health. For most of you reading this, you want more.
Protein Based On Activity
So how much protein do you need? As someone who’s actively taking part in both strength training and cardiovascular exercise, your protein needs are going to go up. You’ll be breaking down lean muscle mass each day you enter the gym and unless you’re feeding your body the amino acids to repair this tissue, progress will not be seen.
A good guideline to use for how much protein you need is one gram per pound for those who are participating in weight lifting exercise. If you have added cardio activity to that or you’re using a lower calorie diet to help burn off some body fat, you may want to increase this up to 1.0-1.5 grams per pound to be safe. There is a higher chance that your body could start burning up protein for fuel in either of these cases, so you must make sure you have enough.
Those who are not participating in any sort of structured workout program typically only need 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound, so you can easily see the difference exercise makes.
Protein Intake Based On Body Type
Another factor to consider in the protein requirement equation is what type of body you have. Those who are mesomorphs and store body fat easier may want to increase their protein intake slightly higher and reduce their carbohydrate and fat consumption as this can help keep them leaner.
They should use closer to the 1.5 grams per pound range as stated above.
Ectomorphs, on the other hand, who naturally have speedy metabolisms and burn off energy very quickly will want to focus more of their diet on the two energy providing macronutrients, carbs, and fats, so the lower range for protein of one gram per pound should be sufficient.
Mesomorphs who build muscle quite easily will do well simply following the outlines stated above.
Questioning Your Protein Source
Finally, the last thing to note is where you’re getting your protein from. In an ideal world, you would want to get a mix of protein from foods as well as powders as each has their benefits.
Protein powder is digested rapidly and perfect for after a workout, and in addition to this it’s a very high quality source of protein.
Protein from whole foods such as chicken, beef, eggs, and fish are going to supply you with a wealth of additional nutrients, so this can really come in helpful when promoting optimal health.
Other sources that are personal favorites of mine are elk, bison and duck. By getting a good variety, you’ll get the benefits of both worlds.
Aim for about 70-80% of your protein intake to come from whole food and the remaining 20-30% to come from protein powders.