protein

How to time your protein consumption for optimal performanceJust as there's a limit to total protein consumption in a day, there’s a max to how much protein your muscles can absorb at one sitting. Senecal says it’s typically thought to cap at 20 grams (equivalent to about three ounces of chicken) though other experts say up to 40 grams.Protein pacing is something Arciero has studied in depth. His take: “Ideal timing is consuming protein about every three hours throughout the day, beginning within 60 minutes of waking and ending within two hours of going to bed,” Arciero says. He advises aiming for 20 to 40 grams of protein per meal with four to six meals per day (that’s .25 g/kg per meal, and .5 g/kg at your dinner, he adds). Arciero says this way of eating will benefit athletes in all types of sports (and both genders) and also maximize body composition, enhance physical performance (like muscular power), increase strength and endurance, and increase aerobic power and flexibility.As for the idea that you need to pack your protein in right after you finish exercising, there is a window in the two hours after you work out in which your muscles are able to synthesize protein more efficiently, Arciero says. But it’s not as crucial as it may seem. The window stays open (though less so) for roughly 24 hours, says that <a href=http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-9-40>meta-analysis in</a><a href=http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-9-40>Nutrition &amp Metabolism</a>. Timing your pre- and post-exercise meals to be within three to four hours of one another is more important to muscle growth and recovery than any post-workout window alone, according to a<a href=http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5>2013 meta-analysis in the</a><a href=http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5>Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition</a>. Having a stock of amino acids already in your system allows your body to capitalize on every second of that "window" of muscle protein synthesis as soon as it opens—that is, the second you start doing damage to your muscles. Senecal recommends snacking on a mix of carbs and protein two to three hours before your workout to “preload” protein for recovery and top off glycogen stores in the muscles for energy.What kind of protein is bestAim to get the majority of your protein from real food. “For omnivores, animal protein is the most bioavailable source,” Senecal says. The protein in animal products is considered "complete," containing all needed amino acids and thus is easier for the body to use, she explains. Opt for foods such as poultry, fish, yogurt, and eggs. For vegetarians and vegans, she recommends nuts and nut butters, tofu/soy protein, legumes like beans and lentils, seeds (like chia, pumpkin, flax) and whole grains (like wheat, quinoa, and brown rice). For reference, just one egg has about seven grams of protein and one cup of lentils has 18 grams, according to the USDA.Both experts agree that when it comes to protein powders (to be used only to supplement what you're not able to get from real food), whey still reigns king. “It’s well established that whey protein is superior to all other proteins for improving body composition and muscle performance because it contains the most leucine, which is the strongest stimulus to increase protein synthesis,” Arciero says. The best plant-based option is soy or a brown rice/pea blend, both of which have the closest complete amino acid profile. <style>
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The athlete's guide to protein

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