Proteins are to body builders what oxygen is to life forms. They are as essential to the body as the sun is to sustain life on earth. Proteins are body builders and are essential for the building of muscle tissue; important to every body builder and athlete. It is advised that your food intake should range between 5-8 meals a day with each meal containing lean protein and some complex carbohydrate.

The advantage that protein has over the rest of the food groups is the variety with which they come. Whoever said a diet has to be boring and flat had better guess again. Sources come from both plants and animals. It’s not efficient to measure it in grams as this may not tell you much about how effective the protein is and its quality. We measure it in Biological Value (BV) which gives us information as to how well the body can absorb, utilize and retain it. The higher the BV a protein has the better it is for your body.

There is a wide array of nutritious and delicious sources of protein which range from chicken breast, beef steak, eggs, milk, freshly fried fish, beans among others. Just listing them down made me salivate! Note to self: don’t write down a list of your favorite dishes when you’re aiming at reducing weight. Chances of you ordering a large pizza are fat! If you want to gain more lean muscles, supply your body with proteins that have a high BV.

Eggs have a BV of 100 second to whey which has the highest. Nothing starts a day better than fried eggs; sunny side up. Whey protein is a product that is highly recommended by the best of athletes. It comes in two forms; isolates and concentrates. Isolates are absorbed more rapidly by the body. It is recommended for use after working out because the body needs amino acids now more than before working out. When used during the day, the body will not require all the amino acids that are released; it will thus use it in the production of energy instead of muscle building. For during the day use, whey concentrate is your best pick.

Egg protein is a slower released protein than whey and hence is perfect for use during the day. Combination of eggs and whey will give you the best protein burst ever.

Milk proteins also have a high BV after eggs. Calcium caseinate which is just the regular protein found in milk and its products. Miscellar casein is also found in milk and can be separated from it by ultra filtration.

Beef proteins have an average BV of 80. This type of protein has a lot of iron required for producing blood. Soy proteins are the vegetarians’ main source of protein second to milk and eggs. They have a relatively high BV and soy has the advantage of coming in different forms. From soy tea to soy meat! Soy reduces risk of cancers like breast and prostate which are as a result to hormonal malfunctions.

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