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Build
muscle with work, not expensive supplements
June 19, 2008
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
What’s
the best way to eat to build muscle?
It’s a question I often get from young, sports-minded
men, in particular. But more baby boomers are beginning to
ask as well.
“Everything I read tells me as I age, I lose muscle,”
an old friend from high school – all of us nearing 50
– recently wrote. “My youngest son is pushing
me to start taking protein supplements (because he wants to
take them to build muscle, too). Good, bad?”
The answer may surprise you.
Muscle is primarily protein, so it’s natural to assume
that if you want more muscle, you should eat more protein.
In fact, that’s partly true. We need amino acids, the
building blocks of protein, to repair, maintain and build
muscle.
But we don’t need a lot.
Not more than 10 percent to 15 percent of the calories in
your diet should come from protein. Since meat is muscle,
it’s rich in protein. So are eggs, cheese and milk.
Animal products are concentrated sources of protein, but they
also contain artery-clogging saturated fat and cholesterol,
which most of us get in excess in our diets.
Other good sources include beans, seeds and nuts. Breads,
cereals and vegetables also contain protein, as well as complex
carbohydrates and fiber. These plant sources of protein are
the best for overall good health.
If you want to build stronger or larger muscles, though, there’s
a much more important ingredient: Work.
When you engage in strenuous, weight-bearing exercise, small
tears occur in your muscle tissue. Amino acids from protein
are used to make repairs, and the resulting muscle tissue
is stronger.
Some research shows that muscle-building is more efficient
if there are amino acids available in your system from a protein-containing
meal or snack immediately before or after a workout. A bowl
of cereal, half a sandwich or a cup of nonfat yogurt, for
example, all contain protein. They also contain carbohydrate,
which may boost your energy level and result in a better,
harder workout, too.
It’s very seldom necessary, though, to consciously increase
your protein intake if you want to build muscle. Assuming
you are getting enough calories to meet your energy needs
and are eating a reasonable variety of foods, it’s likely
you’re getting enough.
Most of us need about a half gram of protein per pound of
body weight each day, or a total of 60-80 grams. Athletes
need slightly more than people who are sedentary, but the
extra food they eat to support their activity level typically
gives them all the protein they need.
No need for special – and often expensive – protein
powders, shakes, bars or other supplements.
A peanut butter sandwich provides about 11 grams of protein.
One Taco Bell bean burrito or a cup of nonfat yogurt contains
13.
If you want to check how much protein you’re eating,
keep a food diary for a week, making careful note of the amounts
and types of foods you eat each day. Use an online nutrient
database to tally the grams of protein in your diet. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s is available at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.
It’s not hard to get enough protein, and flooding your
body with extra protein from supplements doesn’t provide
any advantage. In fact, it can cause harm. Byproducts of protein
breakdown have to be filtered from the bloodstream, increasing
the workload on your kidneys.
Skip the supplements, spare the wear and tear on your kidneys,
and save yourself some money, too.
The bottom line: Muscle is made from hard work and food –
nothing fancier than the nutrients found in an everyday diet
that contains a mix of health-supporting foods.
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