Easter Sunday 16/04/2017 - Rest Day at Blue Lake CrossFit...
HAPPY EASTER to ALL!!
From all of us at Blue Lake CrossFit we want to wish everybody a Happy Easter!! We hope you enjoy your extended break and relax & have fun with family & friends. If you are working over the weekend we hope work is quiet and stress free for you!
Box is CLOSED Easter Monday - Classes resume Tuesday.
Protein
What is Protein?
Proteins are amino acids that are essential for many functions in our bodies. They are the building blocks of our body tissue and can also be used as a fuel source.
Why do we need it?
Protein is most commonly known for helping us build and repair our muscles. They are also used for biochemical reactions, cell function & structure, fixing and replicating DNA and a multitude of other things.
How much should I have?
As for Carbohydrates – the required amount of protein that an individual needs is still a subject of debate. From the sources I have read the "advice" is to consume somewhere between 1 to 2 g/kg of body weight for an active person. Individual requirements differ for each person due to the following factors: Body weight, physical activity levels, the presence of illness or injury, pregnancy & breastfeeding, childhood growth and development and the list goes on. One thing that can be agreed on if you don’t consume enough energy through your diet – the body will use protein from muscle mass to get it’s energy which leads to muscle wasting. If you don’t consume enough protein to serve your body’s needs muscles will also waste as it breaks down the muscle proteins for more vital cell processes.
On the other side of the coin you can also consume too much protein which starts to get a bit more complicated. Just think that like Carbohydrate – Protein has 4 Calories for every gram consumed so at the end of the day we just want to be consuming what our body requires.
So this comes back to “Where are you relative to where you want to be?
Are you a highly active person training for a specific sporting goal? Are you a relatively sedentary person just looking to improve overall health? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you recovering from illness or injury? No matter what your goal is – it is really important that you are consuming enough protein to suit your requirements otherwise your body won’t be functioning at it’s best.
What foods do I get it from?
The most well known protein sources are from animal based food products such as meat, eggs & fish as well as products made from milk, and soy. Other sources of protein include legumes, nuts, seeds and fruits as well as whole grains and cereals although these tend to be limited in some amino acids compared to other protein sources so aren’t considered a complete protein source.
What is a complete protein source? This is a source that gives you all the nine essential amino acids that the body needs. Well known complete protein sources are meat, fish, eggs, milk products, quinoa or soybean as well as some other plant products. I am not going to get into the Animal protein VS Plant Protein debate here as I don’t want hate mail – let’s just say that if you consume enough variety of either animal proteins or plant proteins or a mix of both – you should be able to get the protein requirements your body needs – when in doubt you can always refer to a dietician who can give you more specific individual advice.
Check out my video for some examples of proteins where I will also talk about how much protein you get from certain protein sources as well as other macro & micronutrients.
If you have any questions - please post a message in the private Facebook group or send me an email - adamandeve@bluelakecrossfit.com.au and I will get back to you asap.
References:
Simple Nutrition Part 1 to 5 by E.C. Synkowski – CrossFit Journal – Videos, Level 1 Certificate Course – Supporting Content, Nutrition
Body Works - Physics & Chemistry for Nurses by Paul Strube
CrossFit Level 1 Training Guide
Internet Source: Wikipedia – Protein (nutrient)