Understanding Protein
by Sue Gilbert, M.S., Nutritionist
Not counting water, protein makes up three quarters of your body and is found in every cell. Your muscles, organs, some hormones, and certain antibodies and enzymes are all made up of protein. No wonder this incredible substance was named from the Greek root meaning 'of first importance.'

What is Protein?
Proteins are complex compounds that are made up of smaller compounds called amino acids. There are twenty different amino acids that can be combined in an infinite number of ways to make up all the thousands of different proteins your body needs. Of these twenty amino acids, your body can manufacture eleven. The other nine must be supplied by your diet and are therefore called 'the essential amino acids.'

How Does Your Body Use Protein?
When you consume protein, your digestive system will break it down into its component amino acids. These amino acids go into an amino acid 'bank' that your body can draw from to put together the proteins that it needs for tissue building and repair. If your body goes to the bank, and a particular amino acid is overdrawn, or in such short supply that the required protein cannot be built, then your body's tissues begin to break down.

What Foods Contain Protein?
Protein in your diet can come from two sources:

animal products, such as milk, meat and eggs
plant products, suchas legumes, nuts and whole grains.
There is a major difference between these two protein sources however. Animal products contain 'complete proteins' and a single source will supply you with the essential nine amino acids. Plant proteins, on the other hand, are considered 'incomplete proteins,' as they are usually deficient in one or more of the nine. The notable exception to this is soy protein.
In order to get a complete protein from plant sources you need to combine different foods such that their proteins complement and make up for each other's shortages:

peanut butter on whole wheat bread
beans and rice
corn bread and baked beans
tofu and rice.
Incomplete proteins can also be complemented with the use of a small amount of animal protein like macaroni and cheese or milk and cereal. You need not eat complementary proteins at the same time, usually within the same day is enough.

How Much Protein Should You Eat a Day?
Your body can not 'bank' or save a significant amount of the amino acids, so it is important to eat some protein every day. But how much? The recommended protein intake for women is 44 grams a day and for men is 56. Please note: a typical American diet provides almost twice the necessary protein. There are no benefits, and some risks associated with eating too much protein.

What are the Risks of Too Much Protein?
It is important that you consume protein from a VARIETY of sources each day, and not from animal products only. If you get protein solely from animal sources, you risk endangering your heart and blood vessels from an over consumption of fat and cholesterol. Also, diets very high in protein increase the body's excretion of calcium, necessitating a higher intake of that mineral. Finally, too much protein can also cause dehydration, since water is pulled from the body to dilute the nitrogen waste from protein. What is left behind, after your body rids itself of the unnecessary nitrogen, becomes a source of calories. Each gram of protein supplies four calories. If your daily need for calories has been met, then these excess calories from protein will be stored as fat.

What Can You Do Instead of Getting Protein From Animal Sources Alone?
Try getting two thirds of your protein from plant sources, in order to reduce the risk of too much fat and cholesterol while simultaneously increasing your intake of fiber and, other important vitamins and minerals.

What are Some Suggested Foods and Their Protein Amounts?
Here's a list of protein amounts that are found in some foods:
3 ounces of cooked meat, fish or poultry- 21 grams
1/2 cup cooked legumes, dried peas or lentils - 7 grams
**(1/2 cup cooked beans = 1 oz meat)

1 large egg - 7 grams
1 cup milk - 8 grams
1/3 cup peanuts - 12 grams
1 slice of whole wheat bread - 3 grams
**Remember women are aiming for 44 grams of protein a day.

The Quick and Dirty Way To Figure Out How Much Protein You Need
An easy way to be sure you are getting enough protein each day is to follow the simple guideline of including two cups of skim milk or non-fat yogurt plus 3 ounces of lean meat or the equivalent. That amount, combined with the incidental amounts of protein you get from other sources, such as whole grains and vegetables, will meet your need of approximately 44 grams of daily protein.

Summary
Your body's first priority of operation is to meet its energy needs. If you don't eat enough fat and carbohydrate to meet your energy needs your body will begin to break down protein from food or from body tissues. Getting enough energy every day in the form of carbohydrates or fat will spare protein for the work it does best. If you eat more protein than you need for tissue building or to meet energy demands, the surplus is stored as fat.

Tip to Remember:
Proteins are for building and repair. Emphasize plant proteins. You are aiming for 44 grams of protein a day.

I would love to see a third party source from outside the industry complete a thorough study involving weight trainers using AS and without.

When you use AS and by doing so increase protein utilization, how does it not make sense to significantly bump up your protein consumption? That's the whole point. So, yeah, maybe 54 grams of protein per day would suffice some 120lb person performing light weight training. But anyone performing heavy weight training, and especially if using AS, needs to have highly increased protein intake.

Why is this an issue?

Protein, Fats, and Carbs, no matter what the hell they are, they are calories. If you overeat them then they'll store as fat.

quote:

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Originally posted by Will B.Huge:
Most BodyBuilders are bigger than nutritionists.
Will

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Originally posted by roadruler:
I've been taking a nutrition course at my university and my professor said that protien shakes/supplements are a waste of time and money. If you eat pretty good throughout the day your body gets enough gms of protein even if you lift weights. In fact she also said that if you consume too much protein your body will store it as fat. So I wanted a second opinion and I asked another nutritionist that I know and he agreed with her. So I was going to ask you guys what you thought and then I come along this article today at my yahoo home page:

Understanding Protein
by Sue Gilbert, M.S., Nutritionist
Not counting water, protein makes up three quarters of your body and is found in every cell. Your muscles, organs, some hormones, and certain antibodies and enzymes are all made up of protein. No wonder this incredible substance was named from the Greek root meaning 'of first importance.'

What is Protein?
Proteins are complex compounds that are made up of smaller compounds called amino acids. There are twenty different amino acids that can be combined in an infinite number of ways to make up all the thousands of different proteins your body needs. Of these twenty amino acids, your body can manufacture eleven. The other nine must be supplied by your diet and are therefore called 'the essential amino acids.'

How Does Your Body Use Protein?
When you consume protein, your digestive system will break it down into its component amino acids. These amino acids go into an amino acid 'bank' that your body can draw from to put together the proteins that it needs for tissue building and repair. If your body goes to the bank, and a particular amino acid is overdrawn, or in such short supply that the required protein cannot be built, then your body's tissues begin to break down.

What Foods Contain Protein?
Protein in your diet can come from two sources:

animal products, such as milk, meat and eggs
plant products, suchas legumes, nuts and whole grains.
There is a major difference between these two protein sources however. Animal products contain 'complete proteins' and a single source will supply you with the essential nine amino acids. Plant proteins, on the other hand, are considered 'incomplete proteins,' as they are usually deficient in one or more of the nine. The notable exception to this is soy protein.
In order to get a complete protein from plant sources you need to combine different foods such that their proteins complement and make up for each other's shortages:

peanut butter on whole wheat bread
beans and rice
corn bread and baked beans
tofu and rice.
Incomplete proteins can also be complemented with the use of a small amount of animal protein like macaroni and cheese or milk and cereal. You need not eat complementary proteins at the same time, usually within the same day is enough.

How Much Protein Should You Eat a Day?
Your body can not 'bank' or save a significant amount of the amino acids, so it is important to eat some protein every day. But how much? The recommended protein intake for women is 44 grams a day and for men is 56. Please note: a typical American diet provides almost twice the necessary protein. There are no benefits, and some risks associated with eating too much protein.

What are the Risks of Too Much Protein?
It is important that you consume protein from a VARIETY of sources each day, and not from animal products only. If you get protein solely from animal sources, you risk endangering your heart and blood vessels from an over consumption of fat and cholesterol. Also, diets very high in protein increase the body's excretion of calcium, necessitating a higher intake of that mineral. Finally, too much protein can also cause dehydration, since water is pulled from the body to dilute the nitrogen waste from protein. What is left behind, after your body rids itself of the unnecessary nitrogen, becomes a source of calories. Each gram of protein supplies four calories. If your daily need for calories has been met, then these excess calories from protein will be stored as fat.

What Can You Do Instead of Getting Protein From Animal Sources Alone?
Try getting two thirds of your protein from plant sources, in order to reduce the risk of too much fat and cholesterol while simultaneously increasing your intake of fiber and, other important vitamins and minerals.

What are Some Suggested Foods and Their Protein Amounts?
Here's a list of protein amounts that are found in some foods:
3 ounces of cooked meat, fish or poultry- 21 grams
1/2 cup cooked legumes, dried peas or lentils - 7 grams
**(1/2 cup cooked beans = 1 oz meat)

1 large egg - 7 grams
1 cup milk - 8 grams
1/3 cup peanuts - 12 grams
1 slice of whole wheat bread - 3 grams
**Remember women are aiming for 44 grams of protein a day.

The Quick and Dirty Way To Figure Out How Much Protein You Need
An easy way to be sure you are getting enough protein each day is to follow the simple guideline of including two cups of skim milk or non-fat yogurt plus 3 ounces of lean meat or the equivalent. That amount, combined with the incidental amounts of protein you get from other sources, such as whole grains and vegetables, will meet your need of approximately 44 grams of daily protein.

Summary
Your body's first priority of operation is to meet its energy needs. If you don't eat enough fat and carbohydrate to meet your energy needs your body will begin to break down protein from food or from body tissues. Getting enough energy every day in the form of carbohydrates or fat will spare protein for the work it does best. If you eat more protein than you need for tissue building or to meet energy demands, the surplus is stored as fat.

Tip to Remember:
Proteins are for building and repair. Emphasize plant proteins. You are aiming for 44 grams of protein a day.

What do you guys think. 56gms of protein/day seems a bit low to me. Shit I get 52gms in just my shake alone.

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THAT IS FUCKIN BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOUR TEACHER SERIOUSLY SHE DOSENT NO A JACK-SHIT!!!!!!!!

IT IS CLINICALLY PROVEN THAT WEIGHT TRAINING ATHLETES NEED AT LEAST 1 GRAM PER POUND OF BODY WEIGHT FOR BUILDING MUSCLE. `ONE QUESTION DOES YOUR TEACHER LIFT????? OR SHE DOES ONLY AEROBICS???? FUCK HER IN THE ASS!!!!!!!! DONT LISTEN TO HER, I LEARNED THE HARD WAY THAT, MORE PROTEIN = MORE MUSCLE.... PERIOD.

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