Is A High Protein Diet Necessary To Build Muscles?
The simple answer to that would be a yes, but with a healthy balance of carbohydrates. You need a high intake of proteins if you are desiring a good muscle mass, but it’s a misconception that a high protein diet alone is sufficient to build muscles. The truth is that your body needs energy to function, and in the absence of balanced carbohydrate intake, there will be a lack of energy reserves, which will cause your body to start breaking down the muscles.
What’s the right amount of protein for you body? – So what is the right amount of protein intake for people interested in increasing their muscle mass? According to recent researches, it has been concluded that your protein intake, in grams, should be equivalent to your body weight in pounds. So if you weigh close to 160 pounds, you should be ingesting 160 to 200 gms of proteins everday in order to maintain and increase your muscle mass. This intake should increase as your weight increments.
What are the food sources that contain complete proteins? - It’s also important to be clear about the food sources that provide the right type of proteins. Eggs, cheese, meat, fish, milk and other animal products are known to be rich sources of complete proteins, while plant, and raw plant products, usually contain incomplete protein. So vegetarians who want to build muscles should look to consider diary products like milk, curd and cheese as vital supplements to their normal diet.
Are high protein supplements safe for building muscles? – Many serious weight trainers indulge in protein supplements in the form of Whey and soy protein powders. It’s has been found that high protein intake, in the form of supplements, can be straining on the liver and kidneys.
Protein powders are not easy to digest, and thus they strain the liver, and the kidneys need to flush out the byproducts of protein digestion which strain their functioning. It’s advisable to drink copious amounts of water, when you are taking protein supplements, to ensure that your system is able to flush out the negative byproducts of protein digestion.
How can I balance my carbohydrate intake along with proteins? – There are many people who over do their protein intake, while reducing their carb intake. This is can be dangerous to the functioning of the body as a whole simply because carbohydrates act as the fuel for body, it’s like petrol for the body.
If you are into weight training, but you eat a low carb diet, your body will be strained to look for energy reserves to support your heavy activity and hence will start breaking down your muscles and also lead to body fatigue. Be sure to each plenty of fruits (raw or juiced), and other high fiber carbohydrate sources like whole wheat and brown rice. This should balance your carbohydrate requirements.
In conclusion, it’s important that you measure you protein intake if you are serious about building muscles. Your everyday intake (in gms) should be at least equivalent to your body weight; there are many protein calculators available on the internet which give you and approximate count of protein in a particular food. If you must take supplements, just be sure to monitor the side effects and drink plenty of water. Most importantly balance your protein intake with your carbohydrate intake to ensure a healthy body function.
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