I want to begin this section by discussing and listing foods that contain what is called COMPLETE PROTEIN-which is, they provide all the amino acids necessary to produce usable protein. Examples of these foods are milk, eggs, meat, fish, and various vegetable products, such as soybeans. You must understand that these foods contain differing amounts of usable protein per weight. For instance, even though a food might contain 10 grams of protein, you body may be able to use only a certain percentage of it- only 7 or 8.5 grams.
The following is a chart that shows the percentage of protein in various foods and what percentage of protein your body is actually able to use for building muscle.
Eggs- 12% Protein by Weight/94% Net Protein Utilization
Milk- 4% Protein by Weight/82% Net Protein Utilization
Fish- 18-25% Protein by Weight/80% Net Protein Utilization
Cheese- 22-36% Protein by Weight/70% Net Protein Utilization
Brown Rice- 8% Protein by Weight/70% Net Protein Utilization
Meat and Fowl- 19-31% Protein by Weight/68% Net Protein Utilization
Soybean Flour- 42% Protein by Weight/61% Net Protein Utilization
For example, an egg contains only 12% protein by weight, but because of the specific balance of amino acids present in the protein, 94 percent of it can be used by your body. And then if you look at soybean flour, 42 percent of it is protein, but the makeup of that protein is such that your body is able to use only 61 percent of it. So it is important that you understand that there is a big difference between how much protein a food contains and how much of that protein you can actually use to build muscle.
I am now going to list good sources of protein and the protein rating of these foods.
Eggs (whole)- 100 (Protein Rating)
Fish- 70
Lean Beef- 69
Cow's Milk- 60
Brown Rice- 57
Soybeans- 47
Whole-grain wheat- 44
Peanuts- 43
Dry Beans- 34
On this list, you can see that the value of whole eggs are given. You want to continue to eat your egg whites but try to include a couple of egg yolks in your scrambled egg dish. The yolk actually contains as much protein as the egg white, as well as the majority of the vitamins and minerals. You also may notice that rice, wheat, and beans give you less usable protein than eggs or fish. The reason for this is that they have some of the essential amino acids that are required for complete protein. But, you could combine two or more sources of this low-quality protein to obtain high-quality complete protein. It is the combination that will give you the right amount of amino acids that you need. Understand that you need to assemble a complete "team" of amino acids, which means that by adding just a small amount of the right food to you your eatin plan you can make a big difference. You will need to be very specific in your food combinations in orer to end up with complete protein.
Below, I am going to give you some recommended protein sources that you want to consider including in your nutrition plan.
Fish- few types of fish are high in fat. Shellfish is low in fat, but high in cholesterol. Salmon and trout are actually beneficial to eat occasionally because of their oils. Canned Tuna packed in water, not oil.
Chicken/Turkey- remove skin, which is high in fat.
Eggs-egg whites are lower in calories, but whole eggs have more protein and are much more nutritious.
Nonfat Milk (instead of low-fat)- non-fat milk is 50 percent protein and 50 percent carbohydrate, whereas about 2% of low-fat milk is fat.
Milk/Egg/Whey Protein Powder- supplementation that I will be discussing later in this action plan. Good source of protein that can be included between your meals and before/after workouts.
Beef- stick to lean cuts...eye of round steak or lean ground beef.
Pork- lean cuts only; avoid pork foods like sausage and bacon.
Cheese-you will need to check a food guide for lower-fat cheese.
Dobbins, B. The New Encyclopedia..ppgs. 706-708; ppgs. 744-745.
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