The Importance of Protein
The implementation of protein in your diet is extremely important when you’re trying to maintain or build muscle. The reason is the amino acids in different types of proteins, like meats and beans, help repair and maintain muscle tissue. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, the more you consume the better your body can break down and rebuild your muscles to be even stronger.
Protein is most prominently found in meat, seafood, milk and nuts/legumes. Protein re-builds your muscle back up after training and it also keeps you full for longer. You should aim to eat about 0.8-1 gram of protein per ideal body weight. So, if you weight 200 pounds you should aim to get 160-200 grams of protein per day.
You might not be getting enough protein in your diet if your energy is low, your lean muscle mass is low or you’re losing muscle when you’re training. I would also recommend adding in a protein powder, you can easily get in an extra 30-60 grams in per day.
Another thing to note is that not all protein is digested the same way. Lean Meat, Milk and eggs are digested the easiest. Protein is also important for weight loss too; you need the protein to keep you full and to maintain your muscle while losing body fat. Protein is not only important for building muscle, but also for keeping your skin and bones healthy as well.
During digestion proteins are broken down into amino acids. Amino acids are broken up into three different categories, Essential, non-essential and conditional. Essential amino acids are supplied by food. Nonessential amino acids are provided by the body from the breakdown of essential amino acids and proteins. Conditional amino acids are needed in times when you’re sick.
How much protein you need varies, some of the factors that can change how much your body needs is your height, age, gender and activity levels. In general, the more active you are, the more protein you need to consume since you likely have more lean muscle tissue and are burning more calories day to day.