Picking Your Protein

Vegans! Vegetarians! Bodybuilders! Lend me your ears!

Lately I have had my head buried in the books writing a small project concerning proteins (type, quality, etc) and along with intermittent thoughts of blowing my brains out I realized this definitely would make for a good blog. However, lately whenever I read diet and food related material it seems the world has polarized (like with some many other subjects) into various camps e.g paleo, vegan, raw etc. So when tackling this issue its good to clarify a few points beforehand.

Studying went well........

1. I have no hidden agenda, I'm not trying to sell you anything.

2. I don't care if you are paleo, vegan, vegetarian etc. This is about optimizing your personal diet and making better food choices.

3. This is one aspect of a healthy diet.

4. This blog is written with the idea of GAINING muscle mass, hence the ranges should be seen in that light

Solving The Protein Puzzle.

Proteins are essentially constructed from smaller building blocks called amino acids but like with any building, proteins can vary greatly in size, shape and function and as such require amino acids dependent on these factors. The correct levels of these amino acids present in a molecule will dictate how well they can be incorporated into our body so although hair is a protein I definitely would not recommend starting a hair diet anytime soon. In addition, there are amino acids the body can actually synthesize itself and therefore does not require through the diet, however, there are 9 amino acids which must be ingested as the body cannot make them. These are called essential amino acids and are what determine how "good" a protein source is.

So in relations to foods, this brings up two types of protein Complete Proteins and Incomplete Proteins.

Complete Protein: Contain all 9 essential amino acids in sufficient quantities to meet dietary needs

Incomplete Protein: Is insufficient in one or more of the essential amino acids in adequate quantities, Although virtually all foods contain all essential amino acids if they fail to meet the minimum levels they are considered incomplete.

It's important to understand that quality of proteins that you consume is an integral part of being healthy and that consuming foods which the body can actually utilise in sufficient quantities for your lifestyle is what you should be striving for. If you fail to do so you can suffer a myriad of negative effects such as catabolising lean tissue (DUN, DUN, DUN!!!). Lucky for you guys and gals however there are ways to assess how well your body will utilise the proteins present in foods.

Oh he's solved the protein puzzle....

Protein Quality.
There are many methods to assess protein quality however in today's world there are only two you need to be concerned with.

1 - Biological Value
Biological Value or BV measures the nitrogen of the food and then the nitrogen excreted after consuming the food (as protein is a major source of nitrogen for the body) which gives a value from 1-100 (1 being bad, 100 being perfect) which represents how useful the protein was in the body. This is useful to see how "good" a protein source and is a popular, particularly among supplements however BV is tested under strict conditions and often does not translate well into everyday life when factors such as digestibility, metabolism, age, etc are taken into account.

2 - Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score.
Currently the gold standard of protein quality assessment, its measures how much a certain food provides of amino acid requirements adjusted for digestibility. Giving a value between 0 and 1.0 with 1.0 meaning that 100% of the bodies requirements of amino acids after digestion are met per gram of protein. This generally is a good measure of how well a protein will be incorporated into body tissue and also accounts for digestibility. Some criticisms of this system are its inability to account for anti-nutritional factors (all amino acids are assumed to be digested) and its lack of ability to distinguish between how effective proteins are once they reach 1.0 status e.g quite a few sources reach a 1.0 score but they are not all equal. Regardless it will still give a good overall indication of protein quality.

If you assess your protein sources with either of these two systems (or both) you can be sure to ascertain if it will be effective for your dietary needs.

Sparta doesn't do poor quality protein.

Protein Quantity
Here is where things get decidedly murky as protein recommendations are very hotly debated among various nutritional paradigms and systems. Unfortunately, with all this confusion and arguing the messages being espoused become diluted, so I will attempt to set broad ranges which are dependent on your goals. Please remember this is highly individual based on your goals and your genetics so feel free to experiment and tinker to find out what suits you.

Average trainee: 1-2g per kg of body weight
This seems to be an adequate intake of protein in order to make appreciable gains in the gym, in addition, your waistline will benefit from deriving a greater proportion of your calories from protein. Note you can also go lower than these levels and be perfectly healthy.

Bodybuilders/Strength Athletes: 2g+ per kg of body weight
When in a high volume training period or just looking to pack on some quality mass eating in excess of 2g per kg can be beneficial and support an anabolic environment. If you are trying to add mass make sure you are packing in the protein.

So if we take a 60kg active female who wants to get lean and look toned then shooting for roughly 120g of protein across the day is a good place to start. A 75kg male who is trying to put on lean muscle mass could benefit from having an intake in excess of 150g per day. Please note that these high protein levels aren't for everyone, you should be engaging in vigorous resistance training (weights, plyometrics etc) at least 4+ times a week.

"Ok so that's breakfast sorted..."

Putting it all together.
By now I know (or hope) a lot of you are chomping at the bit to tear into some quality protein! What exactly should you eat though? Well here I am with the Lean, Healthy & Strong (LHS) list of good protein sources! Now, these are sorted along the lines of what is the best to have in a healthy diet, not just accounting for protein content (you may notice many of the sources have good fats or carbs also). This is not a comprehensive list just suggestions on good sources to include, I have not included supplements as these are additions to a diet, not meal replacements.

LHS's good protein source list.
Eggs
BV: 94
PDCAAS: 1.0
100g provides approx 13g of protein.
A powerhouse of fantastic nutrition, eggs provide an excellent protein source that can be utilized fully by the body, add in good fats from the yolk and you have an amazing food.

Grass-Fed Beef
BV: 74.
PDCAAS: .92
100g provides approx 19g of protein
Another excellent protein source, giving high quality protein, try to go for the grass fed variation to get your dose of healthy fats also.

Fish (salmon)
BV: 76
PDCAAS: .96
100g provides approx 20g of protein
These values are for most types of oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines etc) this group of animals is a fantastic addition to include into a diet due to the omega 3 fats they contain. Opt for wild sources if possible.

Chicken (breast)
BV:79
PDCAAS: 1.0
100g provides approx 20g of protein
Chicken breast is a lean source of quality protein, definitely a valuable addition to a healthy diet.

Turkey (breast)
BV: 79
PDCAAS: 1.0
100g provides approx 20g of protein
Similar to chicken, a great lean source of protein.

Quinoa (cooked)
BV: 83
PDCAAS: 1.0
100g provides approx 4g protein
Quinoa is actually a seed that is an excellent carbohydrate source also providing high quality protein just not in large quantities, a great basis for any meal.

Cottage Cheese
BV: 85
PDCAAS: 1.0
100g provides approx 12g protein
An excellent source of casein or slowly digested protein which will give a sustained release of amino acids across several hours, ideal for a snack.

Quark/Skyr
BV: Similar to Cottage Cheese
PDCAAS: Similar to Cottage Cheese
100g provides approx 12g protein
This superb diary product is an ideal choice for high casein protein and low carbohydrate intake, it is similar to greek/natural yoghurt in consistency but has far more protein. Quite hard to locate in UK/Ireland/US, however.

Beans (with rice)
BV: 60-70
PDCAAS: .52-.65
100g provides approx 7g-15g protein
A large range of foods including chickpeas, navy beans, lentils, kidney beans and more that provide protein and a good source of carbohydrates. Can be mixed with rice to increase the effectiveness of the protein as it will boost certain amino acids levels present.

Well, that's it for now, hopefully, you got some ideas on what to add to your diet to support your lifestyle and boost your health. I will potentially expand this list in the future if people find they get some value from it. Happy eating!

Tom