Everything You Need to Know About Protein

by Bob Calvin

Overview

Along with carbohydrate and fat, protein is one of the three main classifications of food (macronutrients). Found in many foods such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, your body breaks down protein to produce amino acids, the building blocks of lean muscle.

Strengths

Protein builds, maintains and restores muscle. It's responsible for healthy blood cells, key enzymes and strengthening the immune system.

Weaknesses

In order to build muscle, protein must be consumed with enough carbohydrate calories to provide the body with energy. Otherwise your body will tap into the protein for energy. And if you're avoid saturated fats, you'll want to avoid certain forms of animal proteins such as heavily marbled beef.

Sources

Upon hearing you should include a source of protein in every meal, you might think this means you have to eat beef several times a day, but that's not the case. Here is a short list of plant and animal protein sources:

1. Animal Protein

• Fish (anchovies, calamari, cod, flounder, grouper, halibut, mackerel, mahi mahi, salmon, sardines, swordfish, tuna canned in water, tuna steak, sushi)
• Shellfish (clams/mussels, crab, lobster, oysters, shrimp/prawn)
• Poultry and other meat (chicken, turkey, buffalo, filet mignon, flank steak, lean ground beef, fat-free ham, London broil, lean pork loin, top and bottom round of beef, venison
• Dairy (milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese)
• Eggs
• Supplements (whey, casein)

2. Plant Protein

• Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, soybeans)
• Vegetables
• Grains
• Cereals
• Nuts & seeds

Supplements

Whey protein contains many essential amino acids that boost the immune system and promote overall good health. You can find it in food, but also as a supplement in powdered form or in pre-made post-workout recovery mixes. The flavored powder tastes great sprinkled on oatmeal or mixed with milk, water or juice.

Whey is quickly digested, which makes it great for eating around workouts. Many protein shakes combine whey protein with another type of slow-releasing protein, casein. This mixture provides a combination of fast and slow releasing proteins, which allows for complete coverage over two-and-a-half to three hour window between meals.

Protein shakes accelerate workout recovery. You can buy shakes in a ready-to-drink container, or easily make them yourself by mixing water with a scoop or packet of powder, so they’re a quick and easy snack that’s rich in lean protein but devoid of bad fats.

Whey vs Casein

Most protein supplements are made from either whey protein, casein protein, or a mixture of the two. The major difference between these two milk proteins is the rate of absorption:

• Whey protein is rapidly absorbed helping to induce muscle-protein synthesis following a training session.
• Casein protein is slowly absorbed providing a long steady flow of amino acids, helping to prevent muscle-protein degradation.

Post-training supplements containing a mixture of both fast and slow proteins are superior to their individual counterparts because they not only induce muscle-protein synthesis but they also help to prevent muscle-protein degradation.

Protein Quality

Fewer Legs, Better Protein

The fewer legs something has—or at least had when it was alive—the better its ratio of protein to healthy fat.

• Fish, for instance, have no legs, and fish is a tremendously healthy source of protein. Fish also provides omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which promote cardiovascular health. Shellfish (crab, lobster shrimp and prawns) is the exception to this rule. Although they have many legs, they are better for you than red meat.
• Chickens have two legs and are also a wonderful source of protein.
• Meat from four-legged creatures can be good, too, provided it’s a lean cut—that’s the key distinction. Red meat gets a bad rap, some of which is deserved since the heavily marbled meats are more tender and often have more flavor. But lean red meat is a tremendous source of important nutrients such as iron and phosphorous.
• Pork, the so-called “other white meat,” also gets a bad rap, but if you ask your butcher for a lean cut with little marbling, you’ll have a tasty and nutritious protein.

Complete Proteins Vs Incomplete Proteins

When choosing a protein, consider quality. Proteins can be divided into two categories: complete and incomplete.

1. Complete proteins contain the appropriate amounts of all essential amino acids (amino acids the body cannot produce). Included in this category are animal/soy proteins.
2. Incomplete proteins lack the appropriate amount of one or more essential amino acids. Included in this category are plant proteins (excluding soy).

Generally speaking, complete proteins are of better quality than incomplete proteins. But you can also create complementary proteins to form a complete protein to ensure that your body gets all the amino acids it needs. Examples:

• Grains and legumes (rice and beans)
• Grains and dairy (oatmeal and milk)
• Nuts/seeds and legumes (hummus, chickpeas and sesame seeds)

How Much Protein?

Depending on your goals, you should aim to consume 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh, say, 180 pounds, you would want to shoot for between 108 to 144 grams of protein per day. Generally speaking, the leaner and more active you are, the higher your protein intake should be on that scale. That might sound like a lot, but consider how much protein is in common foods such as the ones listed below:

• Chicken (4 ounces, skinless, size of a deck of cards): 35 grams
• Tuna (6 ounces, packed in water): 40 grams
• Fish (6 ounces of cod or salmon): 40 grams
• Lean red meat (4 ounces): 35 grams
• Lean pork (4 ounces): 35 grams
• Reduced-fat tofu: 30 grams
• Cottage cheese (1 cup, 1% or 2% fat): 28 grams
• Milk (1 cup of 1%, 2%, or fat-free): 8 grams
• Pre- or post-workout recovery meal: 20 to 45 grams

Original Source: http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/nutrition/protein.html

Whey protein builds lean muscle

by Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., R.D.

Research has clearly shown that the number one factor responsible for increasing the formation of new muscle proteins is an adequate supply of essential amino acids. This is precisely why protein supplements are encouraged after exercise. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Although many athletes have a “more is better” philosophy regarding protein intake, recent research suggests there may be a limit to the benefit that can be obtained from ingesting protein.

Researchers from the United Kingdom hypothesized that there is a extent to how much protein synthesis can be elevated, even when blood levels of essential amino acids remain elevated.

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They measured the time course of increased muscle protein synthesis after the ingestion of 45g of whey protein isolate. Blood levels of essential amino acids, particularly leucine, peaked after 60 minutes, and remained elevated three hours after ingestion.

Rates of muscle protein synthesis lagged slightly behind the increase in blood leucine, peaking at about 90 minutes after ingestion to levels that were three-fold higher than before the whey ingestion. After this peak, rates of protein synthesis rapidly returned to baseline despite continued availability of leucine inside the muscle.

The results clearly show that a serving of whey protein results in a marked but transient increase in protein synthesis.

The decline in protein synthesis in the face of increased plasma and muscle levels of leucine and other essential amino acids suggests that there may be a limit to the increase in muscle protein synthesis possible with a single serving of protein.

The results lead one to speculate that taking whey protein in multiple servings is a better strategy than taking just a single serving, although this has not been tested yet. 

Original Source: http://www.nutritionexpress.com/showarticle.aspx?articleid=1358

Beginners Guide to Protein

When it comes to supporting lean muscle, protein is a nutrient that will make or break your results. If you're confused about how much protein you need, which type of protein is best, or when you should eat it, our protein Q&A will help you separate protein fact from protein fiction.

How much protein do I need?

The UK Food Standards Agency recommends that adults take in around 55 grams of protein per day or 0.8g per kg of body weight. Guidelines for active individuals, however, such as that supplied by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or English Institute of Sport (EIS) recommend between 1 and 2 grams per kilogram a person weighs and are a more accurate reference for anyone that’s active. Protein is constantly turned over in the body and ideally losses should equal intake. Activity increases your need for protein, as it also accelerates these losses. To work out how much protein meets your needs, multiply your body weight in kilograms by 1 to 2 grams.

When's the best time to drink a protein shake?

A protein shake is ideal for immediately after training where it can help with muscle recovery, but protein shakes can be handy at any time of the day where you might be struggling to find a good quality convenient source of protein.

Can protein help me lose fat?

Protein won’t directly help you lose fat, but the long term effects of meeting your protein needs means you are more likely to maintain or grow (depending on your calorie intake) your muscle mass. As muscle is metabolically active it makes sense to maintain this calorie burning engine. Studies have suggested that increasing protein intake up to 2g.kg.bw also reduces muscle loss whilst following a calorie controlled diet designed for weight loss.

What happens if I don't eat enough protein?

An occasional low-protein day will not affect muscle maintenance or growth. But if you don't get enough protein in your diet on a regular basis, then you will find it harder to maintain or build muscle mass. Protein is essential for survival and supports the structural tissues in your body such as muscle, bone, hair, skin, nails so it makes sense to ensure you are meeting your needs on a daily basis.

What are the best sources of protein?

As far as your body is concerned, there are two different types of amino acids: essential and non-essential. Non-essential amino acids are amino acids that your body can create by itself. Essential amino acids cannot be created, and therefore the only way to get them is through food.

Many foods, including nuts and beans, can provide a good dose of protein but these are incomplete proteins which need to be carefully combined to achieve a full complement of essential amino acids. Complete proteins such as eggs, lean meats, poultry, fish, milk, casein and whey contain a complete profile.

What are the benefits of whey protein?

Whey is one of the two major proteins found in milk, the other being casein. It's one of the most popular sources of protein with athletes and gym users wanting to burn fat and build muscle.

• A typical serving of whey contains the same amount of protein found in a chicken breast, but can also be low in both fat and carbohydrate.
• A naturally complete protein, whey is often referred to as a "fast" protein.
• Whey has a higher biological value than many foods, including fish, beef and soya.
• Whey contains high levels of essential amino acids and BCAAs.
• Whey is also naturally high in the amino acids glutamine and leucine.

What should I look for in a protein shake?

When you're selecting a protein shake to support your hard training, ideally check it has at least 20g protein to support muscle maintenance, growth and recovery. Check it for the ‘informed sport’ logo to give reassurance that your product has been screened against the banned list of substances and that it comes from a reputable company with stringent quality control. Check it has the protein in that it claims to have and is not giving you a value for protein that includes you adding milk. A good quality product should be mixed with water. Maximuscle’s most popular products such as Cyclone, Promax, Progain and Promax Lean contain a high quality proprietary protein blend, Biomax, to support your training goals and are simply mixed with water in a shaker. Look for a company that offers a variety of flavours as taste will likely effect your commitment to use these shakes regularly. Select added support ingredients dependant on your goal.

Original Source: https://www.lafitness.co.uk/fitness-hq/protein-beginners/

Lean Muscle Weight Gainer Supplements And Products For Men And Women

by Elvira Filinovich

Lean muscle weight gainer supplements and products for men and women are designed to increase lean muscle mass in the body to maintain healthy weight, strength and higher energy levels. Lean muscle mass gets converted into muscles which improves a person's strength, stamina and muscle mass. People trying to increase muscle mass gets benefited by using supplements which have been prepared to increase effects of nourishing diet and exercises to produce lean muscles. Sportsperson, athletes and bodybuilders use these supplements for gaining maximum muscles in short time and also to increase energy and endurance level of muscles to perform long strenuous exercises and physical activity.

People following a healthy diet and exercising regimen do gain lean muscles but these measures alone are slow in bringing positive changes, in some people who have slow and sluggish internal systems these are ineffective and cannot build lean muscle mass. If diet and exercises are complimented with muscle weight gainer supplements and products for men and women, results can be surprisingly much better and can be achieved in much lesser duration.
Fat, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and amino acids all are vital and crucial for growth of muscle mass in human body. These vital nutrients shall be consumed regularly and in proper balance everyday and supported by exercises for building muscles. Even if a person can consume a proper diet which supplements all the above said nutrients and exercises regularly due to slowness of digestive or circulatory system or poor lifestyle these nutrients may not get absorbed in the body and muscles may not get sufficiently nourished. This can stop lean muscles from forming and weaken the muscular system of the body. Lean muscle weight gainer supplements and products for men and women like FitOfat capsules not only supply all the nutrients in right doses but also ensure their absorption in the body to provide nourishment to muscles, this promotes growth of muscle mass and paves way for healthy weight gain.

FitOfat capsules, muscle mass weight gainer supplement and products for men and women, is purely herbal product prepared by using rich and powerful herbs and is very effective and safe. This has been made without using any synthetic or artificial material which makes its effects natural and suitable to both men and women and people of all ages. FitOfat capsules have been made by using herbs which are so effective that these are capable of resolving the problems like under-weight and debility as single treatment; their use along with many other strong herbs makes FitOfat one of the most effective muscle weight gainer supplement and product for men and women.
Herbs like Withania Somnifera, Asparagus Racemosus, Asparagus Adscendens, Swarna Bhang, Saffron, Zingiber officinale, Phyllus Embilica and Paniculates aromaticus are chief ingredients of FitOfat capsules which supplement the body with all the vital nutrients, ensure proper absorption of nutrients, increase appetite, strengthen digestive, nervous and excretory system and promote healthy blood flow to energize and nourish muscles. All of these effects of FitOfat capsules promote healthy weight gain and build lean muscles in a short time to increase overall muscle mass in men and women.

Original Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Lean-Muscle-Weight-Gainer-Supplements-And-Products-For-Men-And-Women/6584179/

How to gain muscle for skinny guys

By Ben Greenfield

I used to be skinny. Really skinny. In high school and up to my first year of college, I was a complete stick -- until I made the decision in my freshman year that I needed to put some muscle on.

Eventually, by my senior year of college, I went from just “putting on muscle” to actually becoming a bodybuilder – standing on stage and posing 35 pounds of muscle above my original starting point.

If you were born skinny, you may not have the potential to gain the bulk of an NFL lineman, but it’s completely possible for a skinny guy to put on muscle. The bonus for you is that your body fat levels are naturally low, so when you do gain muscle, you’ll be able to achieve a very ripped look, which bigger, bulky guys often envy!

Here are seven things I learned from my own journey.

Supplements

Normally, you can get from food all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that you need. But if you’re trying to put on significant size and you’re exercising at a level that is constantly stripping your body of fuel, you’ll need help from supplements.

For calories and upping your protein intake, a protein powder is important. If you don’t want the typical gut distress that comes from eating protein powders, don’t just settle for any version of protein powder. Try to choose one without added soy and corn, with no artificial sweeteners, and with added digestive aids such as digestive enzymes and probiotics.

Other supplements that can effectively help a skinny guy gain muscle are:

• Creatine: 0.3 g/kg bodyweight for 5-7 days followed by 5 g/day.
• Carnitine: 750 mg, 2,000 mg/day, in 2 doses.
• Citrulline: 6-8 g, 30-60 minutes before exercise.
• Beta-Alanine: 2-5 g, 30-60 minutes before exercise.

None of these supplements are a substitute for lifting frequently and lifting heavy, but they will certainly help to enhance results.

Eat Frequently

Strength training is very glycolytic, which means it burns a high amount of carbohydrates. Because of this, you shouldn't go into any muscle building workout without having eaten about 300-600 calories of a carbohydrate-containing meal two to three hours prior. This meal can include sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice or any other healthy carbohydrate source. If you eat another similar meal after your workout, you’ll be able to put on size more quickly, as your muscles will rapidly absorb the sugars more quickly after a workout.

In addition, timing your protein intake with several small 20-25-gram portions split up through the day will be far more effective for gaining muscle, compared to a giant protein shake at the beginning and end of the day.

Ultimately, a skinny guy trying to put on muscle should be aiming to consume a pre-workout meal, a post-workout meal and at least four to five additional meals. This may seem like a lot of eating and food, but this is what it takes to build significant muscle if you’re skinny.

Use Amino Acids

A big secret among bodybuilders and strength training enthusiasts is a type of supplement called “branched chain amino acids” (BCAAs). These are special protein-building blocks that are rapidly absorbed and easily used by muscles during exercise. They’re cheap, easy to find and can be consumed without stomach distress both before, during and immediately after your workout, and can significantly increase muscle gain.

You should not train for size without amino acids in your bloodstream, and since digesting a steak can be tough during a hard workout, BCAAs are a good way to go. To gain muscle more rapidly, you should aim for 10-20 grams of BCAAs, consumed before, and then every 60-90 minutes during, your weight-training workouts.

Eat Meat

Skinny guys who are vegans or vegetarians may cringe at this advice, but meat is muscle fiber, and it’s chock full of fats, proteins and hormonal precursors that help you to put on size more quickly. While you certainly can get adequate proteins from plants, it’s far more difficult to go the vegetarian route, and the volume of food you must eat is going to be very daunting and a bit distressing to your gut.

To maintain muscle, you need to eat about 0.55 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and to build muscle, you need about 0.7 grams per pound. In addition, you’ll need to eat an extra 500-1000 calories each day over and above your basal metabolic rate. This high volume of food and protein should include foods that naturally increase testosterone, including grass-fed beef, eggs and seafood (other lower-calorie testosterone-supporting foods include garlic and broccoli).

Mix It Up

The advice to mix it up should not be misinterpreted. I don’t mean you should change up your workout every day (which is actually good for fat loss but not very effective for gaining muscle). Instead, you should stick to the same workouts each week for three to five weeks, but you should use different types of strategies during your sets to challenge your muscles. These strategies can include bouncing, explosions, quarter reps, ladder reps, stripping, supersets, super slow reps, forced reps, negatives and cheating.

Lift Heavy

Most skinny guys do not lift adequately heavy weights to build significant muscle. This is one reason why having a personal trainer or workout buddy at the gym will help you put on muscle faster -- you can lift more weight when someone is there to help you if the weight gets too heavy for you to safely handle.

While lifting with slightly higher sets (like 4-6 sets) and higher repetitions (like 10-12 reps) will help you build muscle faster than using low sets and low repetitions (which are better for power or brute strength), you still need to use weights that completely exhaust your muscles by the end of a set. For example, if you’re going to be doing 5 sets of 10 repetitions of a barbell squat, you should barely be able to stand for the last 3 repetitions. That is the kind of tough stimulus a skinny guy needs to build muscle.

Lift Frequently

Once you put it on, muscle is much easier to maintain than big lungs or good endurance. A runner begins to lose oxygen capacity within about three days of laying off workouts. But muscle only requires one workout a week for maintenance.

However, muscle is hard to put on initially, and for skinny guys typically requires 4-6 workouts per muscle group to build (you can build even faster if you lift twice a day, but if you do that, you’ll need to take a full recovery day at least once a week, and allow at least four hours between workouts).

So what does it look like to lift frequently? One popular split that works very well is to exercise your chest and back on day one, your shoulders, biceps and triceps on day two, your legs and core on day three, then take one day of rest, and repeat.

Reference: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/20/how-to-gain-muscle-for-skinny-guys/

Eating for Building Muscle Mass

When it comes to building muscle it isn`t always about lifting weight and going to the gym. The fact is that for those how will want to get bigger alimentation is what they will need to first take a look at. The main thing people will need to eat is proteins and they can be found in many of the foods we can eat on a daily basis. Proteins also have amino acids which are vital for the human body’s healthy development, yet a balanced intake of carbohydrates is also necessary. For instance simple carbohydrates like those found in potatoes and white bread have a high glycemic index and are very good for your body. Whole wheat bread and oatmeal have complex carbohydrates and are thus recommended for those who are working out in order to develop their muscles.

So if you are eating for building muscle mass then you will need to be very selective with the foods you are eating. Only this way you will be able to achieve your goal of getting pumped up and looking good, of course, through training and not by eating alone. Below you will find a lot of the seven foods that you can consider if you want to grow larger through training.

1. Eggs: Eggs are recommended because they contain proteins that have a high biological value and the good news is those proteins can be easily absorbed by the human body. On top of the fact they contain proteins, eggs also have many vitamins like Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin E.

2. Next is tuna fish which is a highly popular food: This fish is very rich in proteins and it is perfect if you are training and need as many proteins as you can get. You can eat it uncooked right out of the tin or if you want you can add it to your salad or make a sandwich out of it. Everyone decides the way they want to eat it.

3. Milk: As a baby we eat milk because it`s rich in vitamins, calcium and minerals and thus we strengthen our bones. People who are training should drink around one litre of milk per day in order to strengthen their bones and protect them while they are working out. Skimmed milk is recommended against any other type of milk out there.

4. Lean meat: This type of meat is very rich in proteins and on top of that it also contains B vitamins and iron. It`s one of the most protein dense foods you can eat so you shouldn`t disregard it when training. You need to remember that overcooking it is not recommended, because if you will do so you will actually reduce the number of nutrients.

5. Turkey breasts or chicken breasts: If you remove the skin of these breasts you will have a very protein dense food. On top of that they don’t contain any fat.

6. Cottage cheese: For those who want to eat something before they go to bed this is the perfect food they should eat. It`s very slow digesting and provides an excellent source of proteins.

7. Nuts: If you want to get Vitamin E, fibre, magnesium, zinc and potassium, then you will certainly need to make sure that you will eat macadamias, almonds and peanuts. They are very healthy and will help you with gaining muscle through your training routines.

The fact is that eating for building muscle mass is very much recommended, but foods alone will not help you gain muscle. You will need to have a well define physical training routine in order to get the best out of those foods. On top of that you will need to eat these foods every two to three hours per day. Don`t forget to also drink a lot of water, at least two to three litres per day, depending on the intensity of your training. And last but not least, remember that eating is very important and if you will not eat enough, your body will resort to breaking up muscle tissue in order to repair itself. I guess that is not what you want, especially when you put so much effort into your training sessions.

Orignal Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Eating-for-Building-Muscle-Mass/7622151/

Weight Lifting Diet - Eat Right, Get Huge, Period

If the question is asked - what do you need in your diet to gain muscle and at the same time, lose fat, then the answer is almost always the same. Protein!

The fact is that protein consumption can add muscle bulk. Protein consumption also means you reduce your appetite, thus no need to stack up on the calories.

In reality however, protein is only one part of the puzzle. A diet for weight lifters and people in general begs a comprehensive intake of more than just a lot of protein.

According to scientific studies, the level of testosterone in men within the western world has dropped by 20% in the last 20 years.

Here are some nutritional basics you should understand in order to craft a hormonal balance that is worthy of a true alpha status male.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are very often the focus for diets, particularly the fat-loss diets. Ever since Doctor Atkins decided that we should not indulge in eating doughnuts any longer, carbs have taken a huge beating. Before Mr Atkins got involved, doughnuts were an accepted form of nutrition, but it had to be the reduced fat type. So, if we decided to partake in the lower fat version, we felt a lot better about ourselves.

Doughnuts aside, carbs tend to get a bad rap - much worse than they deserve. They come to us in a variety of forms - some are not so good, where others are much more beneficial.

The bad carbs come in the form of highly processed foods. In reality, they should not really be considered as foods, other than the fact that they are edible. For some people, they are delicious, but fact of the matter is that they've undergone some crazy scientific process.

Obviously, if you process the good stuff out of our food, then there's a point where it's not healthy any longer.

Getting down to basics, carbohydrates are merely a collection of sugar molecules. Once consumed, your body attempts to break this down into a source of fuel. Fiber, sugars, and starches are all basic forms of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are made up from two main types: simple as well as complex. There is another type, and that is fibrous carbs. Fibrous carbs come from green vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, peppers, and more besides. Nevertheless, for this discussion, we will not focus on fibrous carbohydrates.

Simple Carbs

What are simple carbs? Well, simple carbs include foods such as syrup, sweetened soda, table sugar. In an ideal world, it's best to avoid these types of carbs, other than on the "cheat" days whereby some may indulge themselves.

This type of carb is the "bad" carb that the fitness pros talk about on a regular basis. Included on this list are things like beer, cookies, puppies, snuggles, cakes, candy...

So, for most people, the very idea of fun eating is now off-limits.

So what is allowed, you may be wondering?

Complex carbohydrates such as apples, peas, oatmeal.

A Slightly-More "Complex' Point of View

For a long while most people considered that complex carbs were far better, but now we've changed over to believing that simple carbs are often the ones to fit the bill.

But it's not so much about healthy hormones and healthy metabolism that matters. It is about how quickly the body breaks the carbs down and also about how much the carb intake will spike your blood's glucose levels.

A more sophisticated way to qualify carbohydrate quality is by using the glycemic index (GI).

What the GI does is that it attempts to classify foods in terms of how fast they break down and also by how high they boost sugar levels within the blood.

For some time, people would argue that you could maintain insulin levels at a lower rate even if you eat a lot of carbs.

Well, for sure, this in some ways is true, the fact remains that there will not be too much difference to the size of your waistline if you stick to eating French fries instead of potatoes.

Both low-carb diets as well as low-GI diets are not going to provide a magic pill in order to lose weight. The idea though is that you eat the right amount of the "right" foods, in order to fuel your metabolism.

What's more however, you do need to consume carbohydrates, regardless of what some dieting gurus will tell you. If you don't consume carbs then your body will turn to breaking down muscle tissue in order to fuel your energy needs.

As a general rule, the ideal is to avoid simple carbs and high-GI foods.

The worst thing to do is to eat carbs on their own. Eating carbs with protein will slow down the rate of digestion of the carbs, and also lowers the glycemic or insulin response, as well as off-setting a number of the negative connotations that comes with the consumption of too many carbohydrates.

Fats

For a very long time, fats have been blamed for every food-related health problem you can think of. For almost 20 years in recent times, low-fat was regarded as being healthy. It's how many people determine if food is safe or not - if it's low fat, then it surely has to be good for you. Or, if there's no saturated fat content, then that's about okay.

Oddly enough, within North America, as the word spread around about the "fact" that fats were bad for us, and as the consumption of fats decreased drastically, the rates of obesity increased.

There's no single reason to be piling the blame on here, but there are some reasons that do stand out. Higher frequency of snacks and meals. Larger food portions. Too much sugar consumption - regularly in the form of "low fat" foods and drinks.

What's the bottom line though?

Fat is a necessary part of our diet, and it's very possible that you are not consuming enough fats. Fat in general is good! It's good for the heart, it's good for testosterone production, and it's also good for building muscle.

But these things aside, fat also plays a very important role in your overall body functions. It coats the nerve tissues, thereby making them more "productive" and efficient. Fat also serves as a substrate for a group of hormones termed as "eicosanoids". Eicosanoids help to regulate functions such as blood pressure, blood clotting, and inflammation. Fat is a requirement for basic human physiology, so it's a most thoroughly necessary constituent of our daily dietary needs!

What's more however, not all fats are the same. So here's some info about the different types of fats, and why they should be a part of your diet, with the exception of one - the trans fats.

Good Fat - Monounsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated fats are to be found in nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, and also in high-fat fruits like avocados. It's also found in olive oil.

This type of fat helps to raise good cholesterol while lowering the levels of bad cholesterol. They're said to also be beneficial in helping to lessen weight gain.

Good Fat - Polyunsaturated Fat

Similar to monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated help to fight against bad cholesterol. They can be found in foods like sunflower oil, various seeds, fish oil, and salmon. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are also termed as essential fatty acids, or EFA's.

EFA's have to be ingested because our bodies are unable to manufacture them. The body requires these nutrients in order to remain healthy and function optimally.

Good Fat - Saturated Fat

Saturated fats are one of the most misunderstood substances that we consume. And this is partly because a number of studies linked saturated fat to heart disease.

Nevertheless, in more recent times, it's been concluded that the findings of those early studies were in fact flawed and there is no link between heart disease and saturated fats.

There are several more recent studies conducted on hunter-gatherer tribes that gained 50-70 percent of their daily diets from saturated fats, but yet they did not suffer any health issues. Oddly enough, when the original studies were conducted, these tribes people were totally ignored.

After a 20-year review, the chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard - Walter Willett, publicly claimed that saturated fats have no link to heart disease and are not responsible for the high rates of obesity currently seen in North America and beyond.

Saturated fats are one of the very best sources of energy that your body can get, and that is why carbohydrates are stored naturally in the form of saturated fats.

Research has shown that foods that are higher in saturated fats are often the ones that are actually lower in total calories. And what's more, saturated fats have the ability to boost testosterone levels.

So, assuming that you are not vegetarian or vegan, you should make sure you eat lots of red meat, dairy products, as well as eggs in order to get enough saturated fats in your diet.

Bad Fat -Trans Fats

Trans fats are the only bad fat available for consumption. They are in fact one of the worst types of food that can be consumed. They are found in foods such as potato chips, French fries, in addition to a variety of other fried foods.

You will find trace amounts of trans fats in meats and some other foods - they occur naturally. However, most trans fats to be found are not naturally occurring at all. They are man-made so to speak, and they are manufactured through a process called hydrogenation. What happens is that a good monounsaturated fat, in the form of liquid oil, is packed full with hydrogen atoms, and thus the original oil is converted to a solid fat.

It possesses a high melting point as well as a smooth texture, and may be reused over and over in the deep-fat frying process. And this is what makes it an ideal product for the food industry.

So, the main concept behind trans fats is that they are over-processed foods which offer the vendor and consumer an oil that has a long shelf-life. In reality, you should try to avoid these oils as much as you possibly can. The health risks far outweigh any benefits.

Nevertheless, if you must partake in consuming junk food, then so be it. After all, most of us like the occasional binge on our junk food. And in which case, it's best to also make sure that overall your diet is good, and that you also achieve a good amount of regular exercise.

Protein The Alpha-Macro

Both fats and carbohydrates have been rated as number one and number two in terms of the public enemy, whereas protein has enjoyed a slow and steady rise up the charts and now sits prominently right at the very top.

Definitely a favorite among bodybuilders, and pretty much everyone who is involved in fitness and health in some way, protein is used within the body to repair damaged tissue - muscle, hair, teeth, bone. It has other functions too of course - you can think of it as mortar for which to lay bricks upon - a foundation, in a sense. Without protein, your body will begin to break down.

Protein is also good in aiding fat loss and building muscle. It helps to create an anabolic hormonal environment, and provides "materials" in order to build muscle bulk.

Protein is made from amino acids. From the 22 standard amino acids, only nine can be obtained through the consumption of food, and the body manufactures the remaining 13. The ones that have to be ingested are called "essential amino acids", and these include:

• Threonin
• Methionine
• Valine
• Leucine
• Tryptophan
• Lysine
• Phenylalanine
• Isoleucine
• Histidine

A whole or complete protein will contain some amount of each of these essential amino acids, whereas an incomplete protein lacks one or perhaps more essential amino acids.

Amino acids play another role - they help with the creation of hormones within the body. These hormones aid in the regulation of blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels, which is, in turn, responsible for muscular growth and metabolic rate. Thus, proteins are immensely important, particularly those to be found in eggs, cheese, fish, red meat, and poultry.

In Conclusion

As something of a brief conclusion, do you, if you read through this article, sense some sort of trend going on here? Processed foods that are sold with the words "healthy" or "natural" printed on the side of the packaging - well, it's pretty much downright lies being told here!

Getting back to nature is the way that we should proceed, so it's far better to build your diet (and your health) around nature's own food - whole foods that are unprocessed. Although, the addition of something like whey-protein is not such a bad thing either.

Reference: http://ezinearticles.com/?Weight-Lifting-Diet---Eat-Right,-Get-Huge,-Period&id=7712481