15/06/2016
Protein is important for building muscle, but other nutrients play an important role, too.
If you were to ask most people what it takes to build muscle, they’ll probably say that you just need to eat protein, protein and more protein. Protein is important, to be sure. After all, your muscles are made of protein, and so your body does require adequate protein in the diet in order to have the building blocks it needs to build up muscle mass. But, protein alone won’t do – you need to pay attention to the rest of your diet, too.
Related Article: What are carbohydrates and how many ‘carbs’ do you need?
A lot of men who are trying to bulk up are also trying to lose body fat at the same time, but sometimes the approaches they use to meet those goals are at odds with each other. They’ll take in plenty of protein, which, when coupled with a strength training routine, should lead to more lean mass. But, they may also cut their total calories back too far in an effort to get “shredded.”
And that can be a problem because if you cut your calories too much, some of the protein that you eat is going to be burned for fuel, rather than being used to support muscle development. So, to effectively build muscle mass, you want to ensure that you have enough calories to support your activity, and the right balance of nutrients, too.
Carbohydrates: Many bodybuilders see carbs as the enemy, and that can be a mistake. Yes, highly refined carbohydrates and sweets hardly do the body good, but the right carbohydrates (found in whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables) help to fuel activity, including working muscles. Without adequate carbohydrate to fuel your exercise, some of the protein you’re eating might get burned for fuel. So, to avoid “burning the candle at both ends,” make sure to include enough high-quality carbs in your diet.
Fat: Dietary fat is sometimes underappreciated by some athletes and, like carbs, fats may have an undeserved bad reputation. Small amounts of the right kinds of fats are really important. That’s because certain fatty acids – the building blocks of dietary fats – are essential because the body can’t make them. Fatty acids are a vital structural component of every cell membrane (including muscle cells) and the body relies on fat to fuel moderate intensity, longer-term exercise, just the type of exercise that might be coupled with a strength-training regimen to build mass and lose body fat. Focus on the “good” sources – like nuts, seeds, fish, olive oil and avocado.
Protein: Eating the right amount of protein is important for stimulating muscle development, but so is the timing of protein intake. The process of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is stimulated by strength training activity, but it is also stimulated when you eat protein, too. This is one reason that strength-training athletes should aim to spread their protein intake fairly evenly over meals and snacks throughout the day. MPS is greater under these conditions than it is under a more typical pattern in which little protein is consumed in the morning, a bit more a lunch and then a large amount at dinner. And, a bedtime snack containing about 25g of protein can help to stimulate MPS during the night.
Both plant and animal sources provide the necessary building blocks for MPS; “fast-digesting” proteins are high in the amino acid leucine – found in a range of both plant and animal proteins, including soy, poultry, fish, nuts, seeds and beans – which stimulates MPS, while more slowly digested proteins, such as egg and milk proteins, may help to prolong the MPS process.
At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that “fast” proteins are better than “slow” proteins (or vice versa) – what’s more important to know is that protein needs can be met from both plant and animal sources. With careful planning and attention to total intake, even vegetarians or vegans can consume enough protein to support muscle development.
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, FAND
Nutrition expert Susan Bowerman | www.DiscoverGoodNutrition from Herbalife. Susan is a Registered Dietitian and a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics. Since 2003, Susan has brought her wide-ranging expertise in nutrition and her enthusiasm for healthy cooking to Herbalife – and helps to spread the word that good health and delicious food go hand-in-hand. Susan majored in Biology at the University of Colorado with thoughts of going into Medicine, but the draw of nutrition – which brought together her interests in food and human health – was stronger. So after graduation, she earned a Master’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition from Colorado State University, and completed her internship at the University of Kansas. Above all, Susan has spent much of her career as an educator – in settings ranging from a hospital dialysis unit to the University classroom to the training camp of the Los Angeles Raiders football team. She honed her writing skills during the two years she spent as a contributing columnist for the ‘Health’ section of the Los Angeles Times and wrote the menu plans and recipes for “What Color is Your Diet?” and “The L.A. Shape Diet” by Dr. David Heber. Susan and her husband, Kurt, live in Los Angeles near their two grown children, and also have a small farm nearby where they maintain a vegetable garden, fruit orchard and vineyard. When she’s not working, you’re likely to find Susan in the garden, at her local farmer’s market or in the kitchen.
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