The Truth About Protein

Here's a great article from Men's Health written by Adina Steiman.

 

If you are what you eat, what does that make a vegan? A string-bean, milquetoast kind of a guy? Of course not—and renowned strength coach Robert dos Remedios, a vegan, is strong evidence to the contrary. Really strong.

But most men eat animal products. And we really do become what we eat. Our skin, bones, hair, and nails are composed mostly of protein. Plus, animal products fuel the muscle-growing process called protein synthesis. That's why Rocky chugged eggs before his a.m. runs. Since those days, nutrition scientists have done plenty of research. Read up before you chow down.

You Need More

Think big. Most adults would benefit from eating more than the recommended daily intake of 56 grams, says Donald Layman, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois. The benefit goes beyond muscles, he says: Protein dulls hunger and can help prevent obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

How much do you need? Step on a scale and be honest with yourself about your workout regimen. According to Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., who studies exercise and nutrition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, highly trained athletes thrive on 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That's 139 grams for a 180-pound man.

Men who work out 5 or more days a week for an hour or longer need 0.55 gram per pound. And men who work out 3 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound. So a 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day.

Now, if you're trying to lose weight, protein is still crucial. The fewer calories you consume, the more calories should come from protein, says Layman. You need to boost your protein intake to between 0.45 and 0.68 gram per pound to preserve calorie-burning muscle mass.

And no, that extra protein won't wreck your kidneys: "Taking in more than the recommended dose won't confer more benefit. It won't hurt you, but you'll just burn it off as extra energy," Dr. Tarnopolsky says.

It's Not All the Same

Many foods, including nuts and beans, can provide a good dose of protein. But the best sources are dairy products, eggs, meat, and fish, Layman says. Animal protein is complete—it contains the right proportions of the essential amino acids your body can't synthesize on its own.

It's possible to build complete protein from plant-based foods by combining legumes, nuts, and grains at one meal or over the course of a day. But you'll need to consume 20 to 25 percent more plant-based protein to reap the benefits that animal-derived sources provide, says Dr. Tarnopolsky. And beans and legumes have carbs that make it harder to lose weight.

So if protein can help keep weight off, is a chicken wing dipped in blue-cheese dressing a diet secret? Not quite: Total calories still count. Scale down your fat and carbohydrate intake to make room for lean protein: eggs, low-fat milk, yogurt, lean meat, and fish.

But remember, if you're struggling with your weight, fat itself is not the culprit; carbs are the likely problem. Fat will help keep you full, while carbs can put you on a blood-sugar roller coaster that leaves you hungry later.

Timing is Everything

"At any given moment, even at rest, your body is breaking down and building protein," says Jeffrey Volek, Ph.D., R.D., a nutrition and exercise researcher at the University of Connecticut. Every time you eat at least 30 grams of protein, Layman says, you trigger a burst of protein synthesis that lasts about 3 hours.

But think about it: When do you eat most of your protein? At dinner, right? That means you could be fueling muscle growth for only a few hours a day, and breaking down muscle the rest of the time, Layman says. Instead, you should spread out your protein intake.

Your body can process only so much protein in a single sitting. A recent study from the University of Texas found that consuming 90 grams of protein at one meal provides the same benefit as eating 30 grams. It's like a gas tank, says study author Douglas Paddon-Jones, Ph.D.: "There's only so much you can put in to maximize performance; the rest is spillover."

Eating protein at all three meals—plus snacking two or three times a day on proteins such as cheese, jerky, and milk—will help you eat less overall. People who start the day with a protein-rich breakfast consume 200 fewer calories a day than those who chow down on a carb-heavy breakfast, like a jam-smeared bagel. Ending the day with a steak dinner doesn't have the same appetite-quenching effect, Layman says.

Workouts Require Fuel

Every guy in the gym knows he should consume some protein after a workout. But how much, and when? "When you work out, your muscles are primed to respond to protein," Volek says, "and you have a window of opportunity to promote muscle growth."

Volek recommends splitting your dose of protein, eating half 30 minutes before the workout and the other half 30 minutes after. A total of 10 to 20 grams of protein is ideal, he says. And wrap a piece of bread around that turkey, because carbs can raise insulin; this slows protein breakdown, which speeds muscle growth after your workout. Moreover, you won't use your stored protein for energy; you'll rely instead on the carbs to replenish you.

One study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, pinpointed 20 grams as the best amount of postworkout protein to maximize muscle growth. (See 5 Perfect Protein-Packed Gym Snacks.)

You're doing this because resistance exercise breaks down muscle. This requires a fresh infusion of amino acids to repair and build it. "If you're lifting weights and you don't consume protein, it's almost counterproductive," says Volek. Protein also helps build enzymes that allow your body to adapt to endurance sports like running and biking.

Powders are for Everyone

Everyone—not just muscleheads—can benefit from the quick hit of amino acids provided by a protein supplement, bar, or shake. Your best bet is a fast-absorbing, high-quality kind like whey protein powder (derived from milk): "It appears in your bloodstream 15 minutes after you consume it," Volek says.

Whey protein is also the best source of leucine, an amino acid that behaves more like a hormone in your body: "It's more than a building block of protein—it actually activates protein synthesis," Volek says. Whey contains 10 percent leucine while other animal-based proteins have as little as 5 percent.

Casein, another milk protein sold in supplement form, provides a slower-absorbing but more sustained source of amino acids, making it a great choice for a snack before you hit the sack. "Casein should help you maintain a positive protein balance during the night," says Volek. Building muscle while you sleep? Thanks to protein, anything's possible.

The Power of a Dream

Here's a presentation I made a few weeks ago about the power of a dream!
Dropbox - Darvis Simms.mp4

10, One Handed Pullups

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Decreasing Health Risks with Fitness

Great guest post by Kishana Sainte

Aging is something that happens to us all. As we grow older our organs, muscles, bones and ligaments lose their vibrancy, but there is one thing we can do for ourselves to combat the negative effects of aging. Exercise!

Especially for people in society that are over the age of 40, staying true to an effective fitness regime is mandatory for improving and keeping a high quality of life. There are a variety of different ways that exercising and staying fit can help a person. Here are a few examples.

Reducing the chances of cancer: A definite concern as we age is the risk of cancer. It is a devastating disease that no one wants to face. Studies have proven that working out and staying fit are your best bet in fighting the evil C. For example, experts say that a committed fitness plan can reduce the chances of colon, breast and prostate cancer, some as much as 50%. In addition, a regular fitness routine has shown to be effective in lowering the rate of pre and post-menopausal women developing cancer by nearly 30%. According to studies done by both the American Cancer Society and the Nurse’s Health Study, exercise done at a mellow level can reduce the possibility of cancer reoccurrence. Not only is exercise showing to be beneficial for people avoiding cancer, but it is also positively affective for patients undergoing chemotherapy as it assists with fatigue.

Increasing the capacity of the aging mind: Another issue that becomes evident with age is the slowing down of the mental capabilities and memory loss. Exercise has proven to be beneficial for both increased retention of energy as well as reaction time. Being fit and active has also proven to be beneficial in fighting Alzheimer’s. Experts and doctors agree that low intensity exercise for patients of Alzheimer’s helps with patient depression as well as better mobility. Sticking to a fitness plan has also been shown to be positive for patients of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. Not only does it help in lubricating the joints and avoiding becoming stiff, but it also helps with muscle loss.

Keeping a positive attitude: Aging can be depressing at times. It is proven in a variety of studies that staying fit and exercising is mandatory for staying happy as we age. Doing activities such as yoga, meditation, running, and bike riding have all shown themselves to be beneficial in reducing stress, depression, and anxiety. Especially for aging people, staying fit is demonstrating a healing ability where antidepressants have failed.

Bio

Kishana Sainte writes on health & fitness topics, including weight loss, diet and lifestyle articles on behalf of MyDocHub.com, a trusted online patient recommendation and medical information website.

Dr. Jeffrey Lord Welcome

See what a well known Bariatric Surgeon has to say about Qivana's Metaboliq weight management system.

http://youtu.be/VSuE1Fgtl_I

Bad Cholesterol - Not Really

Another great article by Dr. Donald K. Layman

Cholesterol may be the most misunderstood molecule in the body. For years, the public was told that cholesterol was hazardous to health. Dietary guidelines recommended lowering cholesterol intake for heart health … and Americans did. From 1980 to 2000, Americans lowered daily cholesterol intake from about 700 mg (milligrams) to less than 300 mg and it had NO EFFECT AT ALL on risk of heart disease. Oops! It’s time to consider the rest of the story.

Everyone has heard about cholesterol and most adults know their cholesterol numbers including total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol"), and HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol").  Most physicians will tell you that TC should be less than 200 mg/dl and LDL less than 130mg/dl (or even 45mg/dl). However, just using these numbers ignores the true facts about the roles of cholesterol in the body.

Cholesterol is absolutely essential for health. We need about 1000 mg of cholesterol everyday. Cholesterol is essential to build and repair cell walls; it’s the starting point to make steroid hormones such as estrogen and testosterone; it’s required to form bile for digestion of dietary fats; and it’s a major part of the insulation (ie. myelin sheath) that surrounds and protects every nerve in the body. Cholesterol is so critical to life that it would be an essential nutrient just like vitamins or amino acids except that we make it.

Our bodies make cholesterol in the liver and then send it out to every organ and cell throughout the body. Since cholesterol is a type of fat, it is not soluble in water and it has to be carried by proteins to move through the blood. LDL and HDL are the cholesterol carriers. These cholesterol transporters are called lipoproteins. LDL (low density lipoprotein) serves to carry cholesterol from the liver out to the cells. To be sure that every cell gets enough cholesterol, we produce more total cholesterol and more LDL than necessary. Because we must always have more than we need, the body created HDL (high density lipoprotein) as the return system. The extra cholesterol on LDL not needed by cells is picked up by HDL and returned to the liver. The liver sees the returning HDL and recognizes it made too much so it slows down LDL production. So the amounts of LDL and HDL in the blood represent a constantly changing balance of cholesterol production and removal. 

The common statement that LDL is “bad cholesterol” could not be further from the truth. Without LDL you would die within weeks. That is one of the reasons why low LDL (and low TC) relates to increase risk of stroke and risk of muscle pains. These are facts that pharmaceutical companies and physicians list in the fine print when they prescribe statin drugs that decrease normal liver production of cholesterol. 

The more important cholesterol number is the balance between LDL and HDL or the LDL/HDL ratio. Ideally this ratio should be 70 and have no risk of heart disease. 

There is one more important fact about LDL that your doctor never mentions and that’s LDL size. All LDL’s are not alike. Some are large and buoyant and others are small and dense. The large buoyant LDL’s are easy for the body to handle and rapidly removed by HDL, while the small dense LDL’s are difficult to handle, tend to hang around a long time in the blood, and are easy to oxidize. The oxidized LDL’s are the ones that can cause damage to the lining of blood vessels and lead to heart disease. This means you can have an LDL of 135 with large LDL particles and be totally healthy or an LDL of 135 with small dense LDL and be at risk. Unfortunately LDL size is not a test most doctors or clinics can measure, but you should always get your LDL/HDL ratio.

Okay, then what’s the relationship of diet to blood cholesterol? Well, it’s not what you might expect. Contrary to what you’ve heard, LDL and HDL have almost no relationship to dietary cholesterol or fat, but are heavily influenced by carbohydrates. For cholesterol, most Americans eat about 300 mg of cholesterol each day and only about half of that gets absorbed. The liver sees about 150 mg coming in from the diet but still needs a total of 1000 mg, so the liver knows to make the additional 850 mg to get the required daily total. Dietary intake is balanced with liver production. 

The real risk factors are dietary carbohydrates and insulin. Insulin is the problem because it disrupts the liver regulation of cholesterol production and LDL size. When you are 25 years old and physically active you can handle diets that are high in carbohydrates, but as we get older and less physically active the extra carbohydrates lead to excess insulin. The high insulin increases the key enzyme in cholesterol production (the enzyme is called HMG CoA reductase) and disrupts the liver’s ability to balance daily cholesterol needs. The high Carb diet becomes worse if it is also low in protein because that leads to reductions in the ratio of LDL/HDL and increases the small dense LDL’s. So the worse possible health situation is a diet with high Carbs and low protein and a lifestyle with low physical activity. 

These are the metabolic corrections of the METABOLIQ Lifestyle. METABOLIQ is great for weight loss, but it’s also perfect for adult health because it optimizes your LDL and HDL cholesterol system. METABOLIQ corrects the carbohydrate and protein problems and creates the metabolic balance that your body needs for long-term health. We always emphasize that Qivana is about systems approach to health and balancing the LDL-HDL system is yet another example of the amazing science behind the Qivana products.

For your health,
Dr. Donald K. Layman
Qivana, CSO


Dr. Donald K. Layman is Professor Emeritus of Nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois. With more than 33 years of teaching and research experience, Dr. Layman has numerous awards and recognitions, including awards from the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, the National Institutes of Health and the Nutrition and Metabolism Society.

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I Eat a Healthy Breakfast

I was meeting with a new client for the first time last week, and I ask the him what he typically ate for breakfast to which his reply was, "I eat a healthy breakfast which consist of bran cereal with skim milk, a piece of fruit, and a glass on orange juice."  I dare to say that if you asked most people they would probably think my client was eating a very healthy breakfast each morning.

So, I pointed out to my client that while he thought he had eaten a well rounded healthy breakfast, his meal was missing something very important, protein.  "Why is protein so important," he asked?  Then I explained that everything he had eaten that morning except for the skim milk was all carbohydrates and it would all be converted into blood sugar in his body and thus cause a rise in his insulin level to store most of what he had eaten as body fat.  I further explained importance of having protein in his breakfast to balance this insulin response, to vitalize his lean muscle mass, and cause his body to burn body fat rather than store it.

Unfortunately, most people eat a very high carbohydrate based breakfast and put their bodies in fat storage mode first thing in the morning.  Eating this way not only causes spikes in your insulin level, it also causes crashes in your energy level, and leads to craving more high carbohydrate foods.  It's what I call the vicious carb cycle.

On the other hand, a balanced breakfast of about 30 grams of protein, and 30 grams of complex carbohydrates starts your morning by stabilizing your blood sugar and vitalizing lean muscle to burn body fat.  Eating this way causes you to feel energized and satisfied until your next meal.  I recently found the perfeclyt balanced breakfast called Metaboliq created by Dr. Donald K. Layman, a world-renowned expert in obesity, diabetes, and sports nutrition.

Until I found the Metaboliq system, I made my own shake for breakfast which consisted of whey protein, fresh berries, and flax seed oil.  About 18 months ago I tried the Metaboliq shake for breakfast and I have been using them every since.  The first thing I noticed about the Metaboliq shake was the increase in my energy level. Then, after about 3 months I noticed that my waist was getting smaller and I was getting leaner without changing anything else in my diet or my workouts.

I started recommending the Metaboliq system to my clients and they have seen similar results.  So, as you have always heard; "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Healthy Muscles for Healthy Adults

Here is another great blog by Dr. Donald K. Layman.

Muscle size and strength are usually associated with body builders and athletes, but the latest research is proving that healthy muscles are critical for adult health. Average life expectancy continues to increase, but along with the blessing of longer life comes the risk of age-related diseases. The risks for obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancers increase with advancing age. Excluding individuals who die early in life from an accident, injury or acute illness, we all expect to live healthy and robust lives well into our 80’s or beyond. For adults over the age of 65, the real risks for loss of health relate to muscle function and mobility. The measure of functional mobility is defined as the ability to perform activities of daily living or ADL. ADL is a measure of independent living and directly predicts morbidity and mortality – how healthy will you be? … and how long will you live?

A few years ago, a colleague, Dr. Robert Wolfe, wrote an article entitled The Underappreciate Role of Muscle in Health and Disease. The article highlighted the importance of skeletal muscle in adult health. Dr. Wolfe looked at healthy aging, acute illnesses, chronic diseases, and recovery from surgery or falls and the common factor for recovery and even survival from each of these conditions was skeletal muscle health. If your muscles are healthy, then your odds of avoiding or recovering from illnesses improve greatly. Dr. Wolfe reported some eye-opening facts – women over the age of 65 who fall and break a hip, over 50% never walk again; recovery from cancer and chemotherapy is directly related to muscle mass at initial diagnosis; and risk of developing diabetes is inversely related to muscle metabolic health. Dr. Steve Blair at the Cooper Institute coined the concept of Fit and Fat to reflect that many people can be overweight and still healthy – as long as they have good muscle health. The list of examples goes on but the point is clear, healthy muscles equal healthy adults.

The importance of muscle health highlights a critical difference among weight loss diets. There are many fad diets and so-called nutrition companies that make claims about rapid weight loss or cures for obesity, but the secret they want to hide is they also cause muscle loss. That’s a critical factor when you evaluate a weight loss program. People tend to ask “how much weight can I lose in the shortest period of time?” These quick fix fad diets may work for spring break when you’re 18 to 22, but it’s a dangerous practice for any adult over 30. The correct questions are “is it a proven weight loss program, and what are the proportions of fat and muscle lost?” Be sure that the so-called miracle diet PROVES that it only causes loss of body fat and not muscle. Loss of muscle means you have damaged your metabolic flexibility and your functional mobility and virtually guaranteed the weight will return (note: research shows 93% of weight is regained within one year with these fad diets); and even worse the weight that returns will be all body fat increasing the risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. If you lose muscle during weight loss, the muscle loss will be permanent increasing your metabolic risks and accelerating aging.

Muscle health is so important that medical experts in gerontology are debating whether adults over 60 should EVER lose weight. Skeletal muscles have obvious importance for posture and mobility. When we’re young our muscles are strong and flexible. The same is true for metabolism. Young muscles have high metabolic flexibility. Teenagers seldom get muscle soreness and usually recover rapidly after an exercise challenge. As we get older, we observe changes in physical strength and flexibility, and there are changes in metabolic flexibility that we can’t see. As we get older, muscle health and metabolic flexibility requires more attention.

To maintain muscle health, you need healthy behaviors and a healthy lifestyle. Two major components of a healthy lifestyle are physical activity and nutrition, and specifically the physical activity needs to involve stretching and resistance and the nutrition needs to control protein and Carbs. These are fundamental principles in the METABOLIQ Lifestyle.

Don’t be fooled by the claims of the latest fad diet. Look for the research. METABOLIQ was developed and tested to protect skeletal muscles and the results are published in the leading nutrition research journals. We’ve done the research with young adults and with adults over 65. METABOLIQ allows for natural loss of body fat while protecting active muscles for everyone. Remember, muscles are the foundation of adult health and the METABOLIQ Lifestyle delivers on the promise of energizing muscles and creating a natural and healthy weight loss.

For your health,
Dr. Donald K. Layman
CSO, Qivana


Dr. Donald K. Layman is Professor Emeritus of Nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois. With more than 33 years of teaching and research experience, Dr. Layman has numerous awards and recognitions, including awards from the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, the National Institutes of Health and the Nutrition and Metabolism Society

Please follow this link to find out to purchase the Metaboliq System and other amazing natural nutritional products, Qivana

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Why Qivana

I’m a personal trainer, published author, and fitness blogger with over 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry. Over that time, I’ve been approached by many nutritional companies to represent their products and recommend them to my clients and followers. I’m always open to new opportunities, and I have tried many of the products, for I feel obligated to my clients and followers to recommend only products that are beneficial in improving their health and wellness, and are of the highest of quality. A little over a year ago I tried some natural nutritional products from a company called Qivana and I found them to be head and shoulders above any other products in the natural nutritional arena that I have experienced.

Over the years I've seen fads in both exercise and nutrition come and go. I've found that most of the so called latest and greatest natural nutritional products are either some single cure all elixir, or a confusing mall of products. However, the product systems Qivana has put together to address weight management, cardiovascular health, digestive health, and immune system health are revolutionary in today’s market. I'm going to highlight each of Qivana's natural health systems in a series of posts.

In this post I'll talk about Qivana's Metaboliq Weight Management System and what makes it so different from anything else in today's market.  First, the Metaboliq System was created by one of the most well respected experts in metabolic research, Dr. Donald K. Layman.  The first time I heard Dr. Layman speak, he told his audience the same thing I have been telling my clients for years about weight loss.  He said "losing weight is more than just calorie restriction, it's about losing body fat and maintaining lean muscle mass." The Metaboliq System is designed to do just that.

The Metabloiq Weight Management System is based on a macrobalance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat designed to vitalize muscle, and stabilize blood sugar thus, causing your body to burn body fat.  I know from my years as a competitive natural bodybuilder, if you balance the protein, carbohydrates, and fats correctly in your diet you can force your body to burn body fat. Dr. Layman has perfected this formula in his system based on years of research working with world class athletes.

The Metaboliq System is built around a macrobalance of getting the right amount of protein in your diet, and then balancing that protein with the right kind and amount of carbohydrates. The system calls for a one to one ratio of carbohydrates to protein in your meals.  When you eat this way two important things happen. First, you get enough protein to build and maintain healthy muscle mass, and second, you stabilize your blood sugar level, thus controlling the insulin level in your bloodstream.

Building and maintaining your muscle mass is important to weight loss because muscle is that active component of your body that burns the majority of the calories that you consume.  Your muscles are burning calories even when you are resting and asleep.

Stabilizing your blood sugar level is important to weight loss because spikes in the insulin level in your blood causes increased body fat storage, hunger pains, and cravings for more sugary foods.  Thus, leading to a vicious cycle of eating carbohydrates.  You've probably experienced this if you've only eaten cereal for breakfast and about two hours later you feel like you are starving.

The Metaboliq Weight Management System is an easy to follow combination of precisely macrobalanced shakes and bars.  What I like about the system as a personal trainer is it teaches you how to transition from the shakes and bars into eating correctly balanced regular meals.  The system teaches long-term healthy habits and this is the best solution to long-term weight management that I have ever seen.

 Please click on the following link to find out more about the Metaboliq System and Qivana's other natural health systems : Qivana