Do Athletes Really Need More Protein?

Picture source: Amazon

Muscle milk. Protein shakes. Protein bars. You see people drink them after their workouts. It's become "the thing" to drink these after workouts as a recovery drink. These drinks also tend to have protein (hence, the name protein shakes and muscle milk).

Picture source: Target

But, do athletes really need more protein? In short, yes, athletes do need more protein than the average person who's inactive BUT they don't necessarily need to consume more than they are right now. Well, why? As it turns out, most Americans already consume twice the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein. Surprising? I think not. The American diet is rich in protein. Think eggs, beef and chicken. There tends to be at least one of those present in a meal. Then, you add legumes (beans), nuts and dairy!

The RDA for protein is  0.8 grams of protein per kg body weight. So, if one person was to weigh 50 kg (110 lbs), they would need 40 grams of protein. If one weighs 70 kg (154 lbs), they would need 56 grams of protein. To convert your weight from pounds to kg, divide your weight by 2.2.

Well, why do athletes need more protein? Exercise increases the transport of oxygen to body tissues, requiring changes in the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. To carry more oxygen, we need to produce more protein that carries oxygen in the blood (hemoglobin). We directly use a very small amount of protein during intense exercise. We also need protein to make glucose to maintain adequate blood glucose levels and to prevent low blood sugar during exercise.

In addition to that, exercise stimulates muscle growth and tissue damage, which must be repaired by protein. Strength athletes need 1.8 to 2 times more protein than the RDA  while endurance athletes need 1.5 to 1.75 times more than the RDA.

Picture source: fineartamerica.com

Strength athletes refer to people such as body builders while endurance athletes refer to people such as distant runners.

Well, even though people may think that protein stimulates or promotes muscle growth but guess what, it doesn't. Sure, they could drink a protein shake but it's not necessary. They already consume enough protein in their diet. There are better sources of protein than just protein shakes anyways, such as chicken or turkey breast or even nonfat Greek yogurt (almond/peanut butter on 100% whole wheat toast if you're vegetarian/vegan).

What's the risk of eating too much protein? For one thing, protein has calories. It contains the same amount of calories per gram as carbohydrates, 4 calories per gram. Eating too much calories for your activity level can lead to weight gain.

Also, depending on the source of protein, it could lead to a higher risk of Cardiovascular diease (CVD). Increased risk of CVD happens if the protein source is also rich in saturated fat (such as beef/steak). Saturated fat, as you guys know, is bad on cardiovascular health.

Picture source: dietandi.com

There are other sources of protein that are better for you and could help those that don't consume meat. Some foods include soy, nuts and legumes. Soymilk, tofu. Almonds, peanuts. Red beans, black beans, garbanzo beans. Those are other sources of protein. Oatmeal and whole wheat/grain products also have protein in them. Quinoa is also a good source (and has all the essential amino acids. Same with soy products).

What I am trying to say is that, yes, protein is very important. But, for the most part, we're consuming enough (or more than enough) protein that we need. Even with elevated activity levels, most of them are consuming enough protein.

My next post will be a vegan quinoa dish that's rich in protein! You guys will enjoy it. Stay tuned.

Do you take protein supplements (protein shakes, protein powder)?
Do you think they're necessary or do you take more natural forms of protein through food?

Chocolate Protein Donuts, Day 2 Health Challenge Update, HoW 3, WIAW Week 1

I love donuts, don't you? Donuts are delicious! However, they're not healthy for you. With all the sugar and fat, it's something that should be consumed rarely (if at all).
However, these donuts are much healthier than the ones from the donut shop. They are made in a mini donut maker and have a much higher protein content, keeping you full longer. I ate these for breakfast and it still pretty much sticks to my meal plan. It makes enough for 2 breakfasts. Here's the recipe. I hope you guys enjoy!



Servings: 18 mini donuts
Calories:~ 25 calories for 1 donut


Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla protein power
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 packets (teaspoons) of stevia
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. 
2. Mix in the wet ingredients. 
3. Preheat your mini donut maker. Spray with nonstick spray (I use PAM Olive Oil). You can also bake these as mini cupcakes or donuts in the oven (preheat to 350 F). 
4. If you're using a mini donut maker, you only need to put in about 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter into each mini donut hole. Coo as directed. 
5. If you're baking them in the oven, bake them for 15 minutes. 
6. Take them out and enjoy. 

You can drizzle these with honey or make a chocolate glaze if you want. It's up to you!

*I liked the taste of these raw better than cooked. It's up to you how you decide to eat it. It's safe to eat raw. *

*By the way, cooking protein powder does not diminish its benefits. The proteins are just denatured, just like cooking egg whites. Either way, before proteins reach your muscles and other parts of the body, it has to be digested. Before even leaving the stomach, the proteins are denatured due to the stomach's acidic environment. Then, it gets broken down to its amino acids. 

I might make a peanut butter frosting with  pb2 when I eat the rest tomorrow. I ordered pb2, BumbleBee Bars and Rise Bars from Amazon 2 days ago and it arrived today! So quick and efficient. I can't wait to try these. The Rise Bars came with:

• 3 Crunchy Cashew Almond
• 3 Crunchy Macadamia Pineapple
• 2 Crunchy Cranberry Pineapple
• 2 Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin
• 2 Crunchy Honey Walnut

So, how did my health challenge go yesterday?

It pretty much went well. I'm happy to report that I didn't eat the sushi. I was really tempted to though! I also substituted tofu instead of eating the boca burger for the nori sushi roll. I ate some sweet potatoes along with the rest of my meal for dinner. I added some cashew clusters to my greek yogurt and I ate some dark chocolate.

Based on my activity level, the amount of calories I ate is just about right and I did do better than yesterday, which is a good thing. I'm hoping that today will be better.

So, here are some pictures for WIAW. It's my first time doing WIAW, What I Ate Wednesday, from Jenn's Blog, Peas and Crayons.


For Breakfast, here are some of my eats: 

My morning snack was an orange (no picture).  My lunches are 2 sushi rolls. The picture is just the ingredients I used. Also, an unpictured avocado salad. 

For afternoon snacks, it's either been almonds, fruit, or carrots+hummus. 

My dinner has been quinoa, salmon (or tofu), and some sort of steamed veggies. 

My night snack has been greek yogurt, stevia, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon and some crushed cashew clusters: 

That concludes WIAW! I love this because it really makes you think what you REALLY eat in a day, or a week. That's also the HoW of the week. Try to track what you eat for a week to see what you really consume. You'd be surprised!

I have one last thing to say. You guys remember that I went to China the past summer, right? I climbed/hiked the Great Wall of China. As it turns out, after you do walk it, you can purchase something that says that you have climbed/hiked up the Great Wall.

Yea. It's in Chinese. But, it's like a scroll thing. It's awesome! I just thought I'd like to share this. 
So, what have your eats been lately?  Do you like donuts?

Almond Nutella Recipe + HoW 2

I love nutella. Who doesn't?

My friend first introduced it to me a few years ago and I've been hooked since. Sweet, chocolatey and creamy, it's delicious!

However, I don't like the fact that it's high in sugar and calories. It's actually really unhealthy. Have you seen the nutrition label?

from the  Nutella Website

It's crazy! There's 21 grams of sugar in just one serving of nutella. On top of that, there is 11 grams of fat, 3.5grams which are saturated. We are suppose to limit our intake of saturated fat. Take a look at the ingredients list: 

from the Nutella Website

 The first ingredient is SUGAR. That's not a good sign. On the ingredients list, the first ingredient is the predominant ingredient and then goes down in descending order. In English, the first ingredient has the most while the last one has the least.

You can learn more about reading nutrition labels from eatright.org and from the FDA website. It's really important to learn how to read nutrition labels so you know what you are putting in your body. 

Anyway, my homemade almond nutella is healthier. Here's the recipe and the nutrition facts. 

Servings: 8

Calories: 120 calories

Sugar: 8.5 grams

Fat: 7.63 grams

Saturated Fat: 0.5 grams (all foods with fat naturally have some saturated fat, some more than others)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup roasted almonds (unsalted preferred)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Pulse the almonds until finely ground.

2. Add in the honey, cocoa powder and water. 

3. Pulse until a creamy texture comes together. 

Unfortunately, my food processor is not strong enough, so it only got to the paste part. The creamy part comes after the paste, once the almonds release their oil.  

And, now, it's ready to be eaten! 

Can't you see? The panda wanted some too! Even though it didn't get to the creamy phase, it still tastes delicious!

By the way, the nutrition label reading is the HoW. 

Also, it's important to have rest days, from personal experience. Your body needs time to recover. I know from personal experience that if you don't have a rest day a week for your body to recover (especially if you do intense workouts), your body will burn out and you'll feel tired doing the workouts you've been doing. 

Your rest day doesn't mean not doing anything. It can be an active rest day. Go for a leisurely walk or bike ride. You can also do yoga, which helps stretch the muscles and destresses you at the same time. 

So, do you like nutella?

What's your favorite nutter butter?

Do you have rest days? If you do, how often and what do you do on rest days?

P.S. Remember to check out my friend's band, Revolt With Reason, =) They're an awesome alternative rock band from the L.A. area. 

HoW (Health of the Week) 1 and Single Serving Chocolate Cake

Hey hey everyone! How was your guys's New Year? I know mines was pretty eventful! I'll talk about it later in the post.
For now, I have some other things to talk about. For one thing, I'm changing Workout Wednesday (WoW) to Health of the Week (HoW). So, It will be more broad on the health spectrum, not just on workouts but also nutrition as well. Also, I have to give you guys the single serving cake recipe. It's absoulety delicious! I'm scared of the calorie count, especially since I decided to eat it with peanut butter on top. However, it's pretty much healthy and it tastes delicious. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3 tablespoon milk
• 3 tsp applesauce
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl. 
2. Microwave for 40 seconds. 
3. Take out and enjoy. I like eating it with peanut butter. 

This is how the cake looks before I put the peanut butter on top: 

Anyway, I have to talk to you guys about my past couple of days. 

For one thing, one of my favorite snacks is this: 

It's nonfat greek yogurt with dark chocolate chips, 1 crushed Nature Valley Granola Thin, and ground cinnamon. It tastes amazing. It's also really healthy. 

We also bought a few groceries from Wal-Mart on New Year's Eve. 

 With the fish, I plan on eating it with quinoa and steamed vegetables. With the cheese, I plan on making a casserole with it.

I also got this at Target:

They were only like 86 cents! They were on sale. It's probably because it's a holiday item. But I can't wait to try this! I love pita chips and I love gingerbread. I hope this tastes good. I'll tell you guys how it tastes when I eat it. 

As you know, one of my New Year's Resolution is to eat healthier. Well, that's been quite a challenge. That's where the HoW comes in. For one thing, we went to McDonald's on New Year's Eve. I ended up ordering this: 

The classic grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo. It's not the healthiest thing in the world (it has transfat and the bun isn't 100% whole wheat) but it is better than ordering other things on the menu. If you can't eat completely healthy, at least choose some of the healthier options. Get grilled chicken instead of the crispy or fried ones. It would have been better if I hadn't eaten the bun but I didn't want to waste it (my parents would scold me). If you're going to order a salad, don't eat the croutons and the bacon. Leave the dressing on the side or choose healthier types of salad dressing. 

Then, on New Years Day, we decided to eat brunch at a local American diner. They had steaks, omelettes, fries, shakes and all of that stuff. I ended up ordering an veggie egg white omelette with cheddar cheese, whole wheat toast, coffee and hashbrowns. 

I didn't eat the hashbrowns. But I did eat the broccoli my sister didn't want. I had to special order the omelette so that they'd use egg whites. I forgot to tell them to not put butter on the whole wheat toast but I guess that's okay. I also ended up seeing one of my old classmates that works there ( I didn't know until yesterday that he worked there). 

Then, we met up with family, took pictures and walked. It was pretty nice. 

Then, my family from SF decided to come over around dinner time. So, we went to Hometown Buffet. You can imagine how hard it was to eat healthy yesterday. I did my best to stick to the healthy stuff. 

My first plate was baked fish, broccoli and green beans. I added some salsa to the beans and broccoli.  I also got the Minutemaid Lemonade that's only 5 calories a serving. Coffee, tea or water would have been better but it's okay. 

My 2nd plate was broccoli, bake chicken and I had half a salmon filet (that's not picutred). My next plate was a fruit plate. I got melon and canned peaches (I assume the peaches were canned). Then, I got a lot of ice cream. The first is the swirl soft serve with some peanuts. The other one is nonfat vanilla froyo with peanuts. I love froyo. 

It was nice spending time with my cousins. We talked, ate and then went back to our place. They also gave us tons of Ghirardelli chocolate. All of it is dark chocolate with either some filling or almonds. The non dark chocolate ones are the peppermint bark. Here's one of them I tried and it was delicious. 

It has sea salt with roasted almonds. Yummy!

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that when eating out, try to make healthy choices, or at least healthier ones. You'll be happy you did. 

Oh yea. I have to add one fitness advice. It doesn't hurt to start strength training. It's good to build muscle when you're younger. It boosts your metabolism because muscle uses energy, unlike fat. Also, if you have more muscle now and maintain it, it will help you once you start again. I plan on incorporating  more strength training into my workouts this year. 

So, how was your New Year?

Do you have any tips on sticking with your New Year's Resolutions?