How Much Protein Do You Need?

Many players commit themselves to serious and daunting training regimes and then wonder what they need to eat, this includes wondering how much protein they need to eat to stimulate anabolism, the growth of new muscle fibers, also known as protein synthesis.


Protein is the basis of life, it is responsible for 5 key processes in the body:

• To produce antibodies which attach themselves to foreign particles, such as bacteria and viruses, in order to protect the body.
• Some protein are called enzymes which carry out almost all of the thousands of chemical reactions that take place in cells.

Messenger proteins, such as some types of hormones, transmit signals to co-ordinate biological processes between different cells, tissues, and organs.

Structural component proteins provide structure and support for cells. On a larger scale, they also allow the body to move.

They can also be used for transport or storage, the proteins bind and carry atoms and small molecules within cells and throughout the body. 

It has been mentioned on http://www.bodybuilding.com/ that the current RDA for protein is approximately 0.8 grams of protein/kg of body weight/day, however this is just for "healthy males and females of age 19 or older" who only participate in light exercise, as they will be causing less micro-tears in the muscles than people who participate in high intensity exercise.

These micro-tears are where new muscle tissue is grown in order to repair the muscle, however in your body tries to prevent this happening again, this so that it won't have to repair it again (well that's the idea anyways),
in an attempt to do so your body makes the fibers thicker and stronger, this also allows them to put more power out at any one time.

For people participating in power/strength related sport it is recommended that you consume 1.6-2.0 grams of protein/kg of body weight/day, as then their will be more protein then needed for repair and energy allowing for new growth.

A single protein is made up of 21 "amino acids", smaller molecules that bond together in a specific pattern, dependent on their role, to create protein, 9 of which are essential to humans, as they cannot be made inside of the body and must be taken in from food.

 Here is a list of all of the amino acids that make up protein, the ones coloured in red are essential, and the ones coloured in black, non-essential, I've also shown the foods highest in each of these amino acids, you eat all of these amino acids at once to create a "complete protein", incomplete proteins do not contain all of the amino acids, an example would be plants, as most of the time they don't contain all of the amino acids.

       

Amino Acid	Foods highest In these
Isoleucine	Eggs, white
Leucine	Eggs, white
Valine	Eggs, white
Phenylalanine	Pork, ham
Methionine	Eggs, white
Cysteine	Beef
Alanine	Egg, white
Glycine	Pork
Proline	Cheese
Threonine	Water Cress
Serine	Egg, white
Tyrosine	Egg, white
Tryptophan	Crab
Glutamine	Milk, cheese
Asparagine	Beef
Histidine	Ground beef
Glutamic acid	Soup, soy sauce
Aspartic acid	Eggs, white
Lysine	Chicken, Turkey
Arginine	Sesame seeds, Crab, lobster and shrimp

As you can see most foods that are highest in these amino acids are meat or eggs,  over the week, try to vary your meals by consuming different types of meat, unless, of course you're vegan or vegetarian,  which you will have to eat lots of different types of plants that contain these essential amino acids.

If you have any questions, please comment below or email me at Powerskater3@gmail.com