Did you know that protein is made up of amino acids?
Everyone needs protein whether you are working out or not. It is used to help us grow properly, repair and maintain our body.
Essentials
When protein or a protein supplement contains all essential amino acids,
(I’ll refer to these as essentials) it is referred to as a complete protein.
Essentials cannot be synthesized by our body. They are instead, obtained from food or supplements. Many foods are incomplete proteins because they lack one or more of the essentials.
An essential means that one must eat those acids daily from supplements or foods. The others are produced in our body.
Nitrogen Balance
Amino acids are the building blocks for muscle Protein contains carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. We as human beings keep nitrogen in our bodies, the more nitrogen the stronger and healthier we become.
When we eat enough protein in our daily diets and no more, we experience something called a nitrogen equilibrium.
When we achieve less than our daily needs it is called a negative nitrogen balance.
If we achieve more than our daily need of protein it is called a positive nitrogen balance.
People who maintain a nitrogen equilibrium stay about the same strength despite working out.
That is why it is important to eat the right amount of essentials to achieve a positive nitrogen balance.
Negative nitrogen balance on the other hand can lead to catabolism. This means the body eats its own muscle tissue.
Having a positive nitrogen balance is best. This is because you have an opportunity to gain more muscle and don’t have to worry about catabolism.
That is why it is important to watch and maintain a healthy diet to live a healthy lifestyle.
People also trying to build muscle mass should take a protein supplement.
The Essentials
The list of essentials are:
# Isoleucine
# Leucine
# Lysine
# Threonine
# Tryptophan
# Methionine
# Histidine
# Valine
# Phenylalanine
The Non-Essentials
The list of non-essentials are:
# Alanine
# Arginine
# Asparagine
# Aspartic Acid
# Cysteine
# Glutamic Acid
# Glutamine
# Glycine
# Proline
# Serine
# Tyrosine
Supplements
There are some supplements to help you achieve a positive nitrogen balance when working out without over eating, these will help you gain more lean muscle mass.
I suggest taking one if you find you aren’t getting enough amino acids in your diet.
Overview
As you can now see nutrition in general plays a vital role in your goals, whether it getting in better shape or building muscle.
So make sure you maintain a positive nitrogen balance. It is hard sometimes, but in the long run it is worth it.
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