How To Optimize Your Protein Intake
Protein is one of those macronutrients that is grossly misunderstood. And if you aren't optimizing your protein intake, you are missing out big time.
The main problem here, however, is that unless you have a PhD in nutrition it can be very hard to figure out what the truth is.
So, without further ado, here is how to make sure your protein intake isn't holding you back:
1. Eat carbohydrates: Ironically, eating more protein will not protect your muscle protein stores. On the other hand, eating carbohydrates will allow your body to use more of your dietary protein for recovery and muscle repair.
2. Drink lots of water: Of all the macronutrients, protein requires the most water for digestion. So make sure you drink small quantities of water throughout the day. And if you have a protein heavy meal, increase water intake further to aid digestion.
3. Make sure at least half of your intake comes from complete sources: A complete protein has all twenty amino acids. The reason you want all twenty is so that your body can digest the protein with ease. Animal sources of protein have all twenty amino acids.
4. Eat roughage: The more roughage you eat the better off you will be. You see, roughage decreases the rate of digestion of protein. And a slower digesting protein will be absorbed by your body with ease. Just like carbohydrates, slower digestion is better here.
5. Eat every 3 hours: Unfortunately, the human body does not have a good reserve of extra protein. So if you go more than 3 hours between meals your body will start to break down muscle protein for energy. Thus, eating smaller meals throughout the day is far better here.
6. Avoid supplements as much as possible: You see, your body did not evolve to digest supplements. Instead, stick to whole sources of protein as much as possible here for best results. Unfortunately, supplements digest too quickly.
Protein is critical for proper recovery and healthy functioning. So make sure you don't sit on this information, act on it as soon as you can!
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