How do you find the balance between muscle protein breakdown and muscle protein synthesis? I am always going to error on the side of too much protein because the majority of people, and I mean the HEAVY majority, do not consume nearly enough protein.
The number one stressor when talking about getting lean, building muscle, burning fat and all other health related things is to get enough protein. The RDA and most mainstream recommendations are flat out too low. To keep it simple I merely recommend a 1:1 protein to bodyweight ratio. 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of bodyweight. The exception to this ratio begins when individuals reach above 275lb bodyweight, at which time I expire the ratio and beginning factoring in their height and body-fat percentage much more. However, even for that situation, a 1:1 ratio can still be applicable.
The issue people have is finding a way to increase protein consumption without eating meat all of the time, which I do! Meat is a complete protein with high amounts of the Essential Amino Acid (EAA), Leucine. Leucine is key for protein synthesis, which means your body can be anabolic and grow! This is necessary for fat loss, muscle gain, and more… However, not everyone is a huge fan of eating a ton of meat and grass-fed meat, which is what you should eat, can be pricy. Here are a few other snack tips that could help you with your protein needs:
Eggs…
Eggs have a complete protein breakdown for essential amino acid and provide you with essential healthy fats, which are great for hormones!!! When thinking about ways to eat eggs, particularly with snacks, choose to make hard-boiled eggs ahead of time. In fact, hard-boiled eggs have a 90% digestion value, meaning you will use almost all of the protein in the body to help with protein synthesis. Hard-boiled eggs have been shown to have higher digestibility then other methods of cooking them (1).
When choosing eggs I always like to choose pasture raised organic eggs, whenever possible. You get more omega-3 fatty acids and less omega-6 fatty acids when you select eggs from a healthier animal. Local eggs from small farmers are definitely something you should seek out too. The fresher healthier egg yolks always seem to have a bright orange-like color and not pail yellow.
Spirulina…
Spirulina his has a high level of vitamin A, vitamin B, and it has a full EAA profile. It is compared to eggs, when looking at the macro EAA breakdown, while it has been spouted as a powerful healer. The Aztecs used Spirulina to prevent and cure disease (5). The downside with spirulina as a major way to boost protein consumption is… the body can only use about 15g per day, so you will need to pick when you get this in wisely!! Try adding this in a shake, smoothie or even oatmeal if you eat oatmeal. The bitter taste can be unpleasant so you will need to mask the flavor. There are plenty of smoothie and other recipes online that can be helpful.
Greek Yogurt…
Before I even get in to the benefits, I find it imperative that mention how important, when selecting a Greek Yogurt to eat, that you choose an Organic Whole Milk version (preferably grass-fed). This will give you the probiotics in additional to CLA’s, which can be a powerful fat burner!
Greek Yogurt is a blend between casein and whey protein, which provides you with different digestion rates. Casein protein is really helpful with usable calcium in the body as well. Regulating calcium is really important, as well, because if you consume too much calcium then this will affect the parathyroid (3) which will release the calcium from the bones to be stored as additional fat. Eating too little of calcium leads to further bone decay, which is also detrimental. Greek Yogurt can add high quality protein while providing you with some calcium too.
Casein frequently gets a bad rap because some struggle with digestion. I have found, from experience with clients and myself, that most of this reaction happens with powders, not as much from the Yogurt.
Pumpkin seeds…
These mighty seeds are packed with all sorts of good stuff, which is why I threw them in the mix. They have numerous health benefits and disease fighting properties. They can help with urinary tract infections, diabetes, fiber requirements, blood pressure, kidney stones, worms and more… The nutritional breakdown for a ¼ cup is roughly 3 grams of fat to 3 grams of protein to 3 grams of fiber. (4) This is one main reason why they are in the mix! The other…
They’re super packed with zinc and magnesium, their fat content is also all omega-3‘s. These omega-3‘s are ALA not the same as salmon oil or fat from animal meats. Additionally, there’s been some studies that show some glucose lowering affects, which is probably due to its magnesium content (2). Magnesium allows the cells to respond to insulin more readily, which is essential in diabetes / fat loss.
Figuring out ways to slip protein in can be difficult, sometimes, if you do not meal prep or plan ahead. If you plan ahead this will be easy to do. These tips are exactly that, tips! Tips that do not include meals or meat, which the MOST essential way to get protein in to your diet. Add these foods in to your diet as snacks or add-ons to your dinners to uptick your protein count to meet your daily requirements!
Thank you for reading and watching. If you have any questions regarding nutrition email me at FMFark@gmail.com
MY GO TO SNACK PROTEIN POWDER...
DEFINITIONS
Parathyroid glands produce parathyroid hormone, which plays a key role in the regulation of calcium levels in the blood. Precise calcium levels are important in the human body, since small changes can cause muscle and nerve problems. The parathyroid glands are two pairs of small, oval-shaped glands. They are located next to the two thyroid gland lobes in the neck. Each gland is usually about the size of a pea.
SOURCES
1. Evenepoel P, Geypens B, Luypaerts A, Hiele M, Ghoos Y, Rutgeerts P. Digestibility of cooked and raw egg protein in humans as assessed by stable isotope techniques. J Nutr. 1998 Oct;128(10):1716-22. doi: 10.1093/jn/128.10.1716. PMID: 9772141.
2. Lopez-Ridaura R, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Liu S, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Hu FB. Magnesium intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women. Diabetes Care. 2004 Jan;27(1):134-40. doi: 10.2337/diacare.27.1.134. PMID: 14693979.
3. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/the-parathyroid-glands
4. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-pumpkin-seeds
5. https://www.webmd.com/diet/spirulina-health-benefits