Carbohydrates, Fats, and Protein
When I sit with someone to discuss a strategy to build muscle, they tend to focus on their carbohydrate intake. I’ve had people speak to me in a confessional tone, as if I were their priest, “I know, I know, I need to cut my carbs.” Sugar consumption tends to a problem and is more readily stored. When attacking fat loss, it should be lowered and provides no value for building muscle. In other scenarios, I’ve sat down with people to discuss their fat in-take. I am a fan of increasing fat intake as we age and insulin sensitivity decreases. I educate my studio members on what is a good fat. The macronutrient that gets ignored and usually becomes the last topic discussed is protein. If your goal is to increase lean muscle mass and offset the natural process of aging, it should be priority number one.
Macronutrient Protein Intake
The first thing I want to discuss is how much protein you should consume and the guidelines that have been created. The RDA stands for the recommended dietary allowance. Many people make the incorrect substitution of “daily” instead of dietary. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. That means a male who weighs 200 pounds should consume 160 grams of protein daily. The RDA is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements. Understand that it’s the minimum amount you need to keep from getting sick — not the specific amount you are supposed to eat every day. You should know that if your goal is to build muscle you should be eating more protein, closer to two grams per kilogram of weight. Using the same 200-pound male, after we convert pounds to kilograms, our formula is:
91 x 2gm = 182g.
Protein and Amino Acids
The next common mistake is that we should not think of our protein intake solely, but also our amino acid intake. In that regard, it’s very similar to vitamins and minerals. We don’t have a single vitamin requirement, but a breakdown of dietary recommended vitamin and mineral allowances. During my recent physical, it was determined that I am deficient in vitamin D, which my doctor recommended I take a daily supplement to help improve.
There are nine essential amino acids that the body cannot make and must be obtained from your diet. They are:
1. Phenylalanine. Your body turns this amino acid into the neurotransmitter’s tyrosine, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. It plays an integral role in the structure and function of proteins and enzymes and the production of other amino acids.
2. Valine. This is one of three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) on this list. That means it has a chain branching off from one side of its molecular structure. Valine helps stimulate muscle growth and regeneration and is involved in energy production.
3. Threonine. This is a principal part of structural proteins, such as collagen and elastin, which are important components of your skin and connective tissue. It also plays a role in fat metabolism and immune function.
4. Tryptophan. Often associated with drowsiness, tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates your appetite, sleep, and mood.
5. Methionine. This amino acid plays an important role in metabolism and detoxification. It’s also necessary for tissue growth and the absorption of zinc and selenium, minerals that are vital to your health.
6. Leucine. Like valine, leucine is a BCAA that is critical for protein synthesis and muscle repair. It also helps regulate blood sugar levels, stimulates wound healing, and produces growth hormones.
7. Isoleucine. The last of the three BCAAs, isoleucine is involved in muscle metabolism and is heavily concentrated in muscle tissue. It’s also important for immune function, hemoglobin production, and energy regulation.
8. Lysine. Lysine plays major roles in protein synthesis, calcium absorption, and the production of hormones and enzymes. It’s also important for energy production, immune function, and the production of collagen and elastin.
9. Histidine. Your body uses this amino acid to produce histamine, a neurotransmitter that is vital to immune response, digestion, sexual function, and sleep-wake cycles. It’s critical for maintaining the myelin sheath, a protective barrier that surrounds your nerve cells.
Aminos acids allow the body to synthesize proteins. As cited by the RDA[1]:
Proteins and other nitrogenous compounds are being degraded and resynthesized continuously. Several times more protein is turned over daily within the body than is ordinarily consumed, indicating that reutilization of amino acids is a major feature of the economy of protein metabolism. This process of recapture is not completely efficient, and some amino acids are lost by oxidative catabolism. Metabolic products of amino acids (urea, creatinine, uric acid, and other nitrogenous products) are excreted in the urine; nitrogen is also lost in feces, sweat, and other body secretions and in sloughed skin, hair, and nails. A continuous supply of dietary amino acids is required to replace these losses, even after growth has ceased.
Foods that are rich in both essential and nonessential amino acids are eggs, animal proteins (beef, chicken, turkey), fish, nuts, lentils, soy, and Greek yogurt. To maintain and build lean muscle I think it may be a better approach to prioritize a diet rich in amino acids and use the goal of consuming two grams of protein per kilogram.
I’ll see you at the studio.
J & D Fitness
[1] National Research Council (US) Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances. Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1989. 6, Protein and Amino Acids. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234922/