Protein and Fat: Brief Overview

My last post talked about strictly Carbohydrates. However along with Carbs, there are 2 other macronutrients your body needs, which are PROTEIN and FAT.

PROTEIN

Protein is your muscles best friend. It serves numerous benefits when implemented in ones diet.

 

 So What Does Protein do?

•  Builds new Muscle Tissue (Protein Synthesis)
•  Assists in Muscle Recovery
•  Can help preserve lean muscle
•  Keeps you feeling full and satisfies hunger.

What are some good sources for protein?

• Lean Meat (chicken, Fish, beef etc..)
• Protein Powder
• Greek Yogurt

*NOTE*

It is so important to keep in mind that even though your body uses as Carbs as its number one source for fuel, it CAN breakdown protein and convert it to glucose as energy AS WELL. Remember, your body’s first priority isn’t to get into shape, it is to SURVIVE. So if it is energy depleted and has no Carbs for fuel it CAN breakdown the amino Acids in Protein and use it for energy INSTEAD of recovery.

FAT

People have a major misconception of this macronutrient. Fats are an essential part of the diet and no, eating fats will NOT make you fat! Fat is the most energy dense nutrient out of the 3 macronutrients. 1 gram of fat has more calories then one gram of protein OR 1 gram of Carbs! Since Fat is so calorie dense our body doesn’t need a whole lot of it, BUT it DOES need it.

 

So what does including Fats in your Diet do?

• Balances and promotes Hormones that will help you build muscle and burn fat
• Improves Brain Function
• Calorie Dense
• Reduces Stress

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What are some good sources of healthy fat?

• Nuts
• Avocado
•  Natural Peanut butter

*NOTE*

Not ALL fats are healthy! If you want some nice clogged arteries and heart disease go ahead and eat all the trans fat and saturated fat you can! But if you want to make some GAINS I would suggest you stick to monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3’s.

By now you should have a decent understanding of the 3 macronutrients Carbs, Proteins and Fats. The most important piece of information I want you to take away from this is to remember, even though your body will use Carbs for fuel, it CAN convert both Fats, and Proteins into energy as well! The idea is that you want your body to use each of these nutrients for what it is intended for.

Think of a construction crew that is responsible for building a house in the winter. The crew has gloves to keep them warm and wood to build the house. However, if the construction crew does not use the gloves to keep them warm and instead uses the wood to build a fire, yes they will stay warm. But the wood was not INTENDED to keep them warm because now they don’t have the necessary materials to build the house! This is why it is so important to understand that although your body can convert all 3 of these nutrient into energy you DON’T want it to. You want to make sure your body uses Carbs for energy, and Protein for recovery. Once it starts converting protein into energy your muscle will not get the nutrients they need to build and recover. As a result your body will break down existing muscle tissue to repair the damaged muscle, which needless to say would be counterproductive regardless of what your fitness goals are.

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