Category — Protein Advice

A lot of people get confused and argue whether to take protein before or after working out. The answer can be both but it depends on what kind of workout you’re doing and/or how much protein you need. Read on to see which is best for you and your fitness regime.

Pre-Work Out Protein Intake

For one, taking protein before work out /gives you the energy to go through your activity. Most people would drink a protein shake or take whey protein before their workout. This is because whey is the easiest protein that can be digested and broken down by the body. Of course this is considering you’re going to start your activity just a few minutes after taking it or even right away.  Otherwise, if you have a lot of time to spare you should try to get your protein through other sources. Here is a simple time table as to what and when you’re going to take before your work out session.

Between 1 and 2 hours. If you have this much time before you exercise or work out it’s safe to eat your usual solid, balanced meal. Your body will have enough time to digest and break it down to protein and the energy to keep up with its activity.

Within 30 minutes or less. This is when people take whey protein or protein shakes. Again, it is the easiest to digest and a half hour is just enough time. Moreover, you can also drink this even if you have eaten an hour prior to your workout especially if you plan to do extra weights or strenuous activities. Note: There are no rules whether you should wait a full 30minutes after drinking your protein shake or energy drink. It’s only the risk of throwing up that you should avoid especially if you’re going to do some hardcore training.

Post-Workout Protein Intake

Taking protein after working out is important to replenish your muscles and tissues. There are a couple of things to consider before taking protein at this time. 1) how long should you wait to eat and 2) where to get your post workout protein.

To answer the first question, you should try to replenish your body with protein right after working out. You don’t have to wait a certain number of minutes or hours (just enough time to catch your breath) before you take protein. This doesn’t mean you need to chow down right at the gym, just make sure you have a protein drink with you. A protein bar wouldn’t hurt either.

What should you eat and where do you get it? Tuna, egg whites and chicken are great sources of protein but while you’re cooking yourself a designer meal, you might want to have some whey protein in the form of a shake to replenish your body. Other than protein, it is important to take carbohydrates too. It will be used by your body to restore muscle glycogen, if you don’t take anything with carbs in it on your post workout meal there’s a risk that your body might break down your muscles to do what the carbs were supposed to.

The answer is NO but it depends on how you take your protein. Read on and find out how a high protein diet can be good and bad for the heart.

High protein diets, being bad for the heart is not exactly a myth. It’s just an outdated finding. Around 2001 the American Heart Association or AHA released a statement that high-protein and low-carb diets are bad for the heart. Why?  High protein diet usually consists of meat, eggs and dairy products. These are high in saturated fats that can eventually make cholesterol clog the arteries. Also, low carbohydrates also mean low fiber. Fibers are basically carbohydrates and these help the digestive system run smoothly by absorbing fats and cholesterol and getting it out of our system.

A 20 year study, however, proved this theory wrong. In 2006, the Harvard Medical School released a study stating that a high protein diet may actually help the heart by lowering down harmful cholesterol and triglycerides thus lowering down the blood pressure. The explanation is very simple. The Atkins diet, developed by Dr. Robert Atkins around 1972 has the usual meat and steak in it and basically stopping or lessening the consumption of refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, flour, and high-fructose corn syrup. Now, there are new diets that include high-protein foods from both animal and plant sources that are lower in saturated fat. It goes with chicken and fish, dietary sources of protein include nuts, beans, whole-grain cereals and fat-free dairy products. We don’t get protein only on animal products, a lot of vegetables like legumes, nuts, soy and even carrots are good sources protein and mixing these two will balance the nutrients your body needs.

Moreover, other studies showed that replacing dietary carbohydrates with the right kind of protein can help decrease the risk of getting ischemic heart disease. And what is an Ischemic Heart Disease? Ischemic Heart Disease, most commonly known as Coronary Artery Disease, is a condition in which fatty deposits accumulate in the cells, lining the wall of the coronary arteries. This process is called atherosclerosis which leads to narrowing or hardening of the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart muscle. This results in ischemia (inability to provide adequate oxygen) to heart muscle and this can cause damage to the heart muscle. Complete obstruction of the blood vessel leads to a heart attack (myocardial infarction). Simply put, Ischemia is the restriction of blood supply in the blood vessels due to and we all know protein is the building block of almost everything in our body and that includes blood.

It all boils down to choosing what we eat. A high protein diet doesn’t mean you have to stuff yourself up with ham and steak. There are a lot of alternatives now that are healthy and more practical. If you’re going on a low carb – high protein diet, balance your intake of meat food and vegetable food. You will find a little bit of adjusting is all it takes.