Health Network News

Many people simply do not know how to eat protein the right way. And not knowing how to manage your protein intake is a sure fire way to decreased health and fitness.

The problem here is that there is just too much misinformation out there.

So here is how to optimize your protein intake:

1. Eat carbohydrates: Ironically, eating more protein will not protect your muscle protein stores. On the other hand, eating carbohydrates will allow your body to use more of your dietary protein for recovery and muscle repair.

2. Drink lots of water: Of all the macronutrients, protein requires the most water for digestion. So make sure you drink small quantities of water throughout the day. And if you have a protein heavy meal, increase water intake further to aid digestion.

3. Eat protein with all amino acids: This can be a challenge if you are a vegetarian since animal sources of protein have all the amino acids, plant sources don’t. The main exception here is soy. So make sure you have animal sources of protein or soy sources of protein in your diet.

4. Eat roughage: The more roughage you eat the better off you will be. You see, roughage decreases the rate of digestion of protein. And a slower digesting protein will be absorbed by your body with ease. Just like carbohydrates, slower digestion is better here.

5. Eat frequently: The more frequently you eat the less muscle protein your body will cannibalize. You see, the human body does do a very good job at storing protein for later use. Instead, after the three hour mark, your muscle protein gets broken down for energy.

6. Stick to foods, not supplements: Supplements are just that, supplements. They should never act as substitutes for real food. You see, your body does a much better job at absorbing whole food in comparison to supplemental protein.

Protein is essential for health and fitness. If you do not optimize your intake your results will suffer greatly. So act on this information right now!