There have been countless discussions on this topic of Protein, particularly in regard to Whole natural foods vs Powders. For the purpose of this article I will be focussing on the whole foods and we’ll have a look at what your body needs in respect to building muscle.
We all know the importance of protein in muscle growth and repair, but do we really need as much as the Supplement companies are telling us? Or is this another case of drug companies pushing their product?

Let’s take a look at what muscles need first and work back to what can provide a solution to that need.

The Muscle building process –

It’s no secret that in order to build muscle, you first need to push the muscle harder than it’s used to, it’s a simple system of putting strain on it, feeding it what it needs to recover, and letting it recover with the appropriate time of rest. It makes sense that the more strain you put on the muscle, the more time you will need to allow it to recover. We can also take from this that the more recovery it needs, the more nutrition it needs to 1) grow to the optimum level and 2) recover in the fastest possible time.

Is all Protein the Same?

In short the answer is No. It can basically be divided up into 2 forms – Complete and Incomplete protein. The basic understanding of this is that complete protein has all the 8 essential amino acids included, whereas Incomplete protein is usually missing one or more amino acids. The general rule here is to mix and match different protein sources throughout the day to get a balanced ‘Complete’ protein source.

How much protein does your body need?

The recommended intake for protein (for people doing any major physical activity) is anywhere between 1 – 2 grams per Kilo of body weight, so if you’re 80kg you would need 80 – 160 grams per day. It’s up to you which side of the scale you want to aim for, but if you’re eating mostly whole natural foods then it doesn’t hurt to aim for the higher amount, but anything over this is overkill and will have no benefit, you may as well save your money.

What foods can I eat to achieve the required amount for muscle growth?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a clue as to where to start with your protein sources in natural foods.

• Eggs (1 Medium Size) = 6 gms – A good source of  ‘Complete’ protein
• Milk (1 Glass) = 6.3 gms (Milk however is not as good for you as people believe; I’ll cover more on that in another article).
• Soya Milk (200 ml) = 6 gms
• Low Fat Plain Yoghurt (150gms) = 8 gms
• Fish (Deep sea is best – 100g) = 21 gms
• Meats (Most meats like chicken/ beef) = 25 – 28 gms (Meat just like milk will be covered in a later article)
• Most nuts, seeds, beans and Soy products are fairly good protein sources – especially almonds, and here’s one you may not know about, Broccoli comes in at 45% protein!

There is however one that food that contains every identified mineral and trace mineral including Calcium/ Sodium/ Potassium/ Magnesium, , has more Iron per volume than spinach, and averages approximately 25% protein – Wheatgrass. This one food alone will provide your body with more of what it needs than most other foods on the planet combined! You can buy it in juice form or powder (the powder still retains the nutritional value of this food), and with the addition of some of the other protein sources mentioned, will give you more than enough of what you need.

As a general rule, if you make sure you get about 70-80% whole natural foods in your diet, and as much of that as you can in its raw uncooked state (When natural food is eaten raw, it contains the essential amino acids in the form of enzymes – some of this is removed when cooked). You will always be giving your body what it needs – even with extreme training. If you feel you need a protein powder even after reading this, then look at the label for yourself and work out if it’s what you need (without the harmful additives) – education is the key, and not being swayed by advertising or the peer pressure in the gym.

Train hard, rest well & eat well – get results… it’s that easy!

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