The human body is a living and breathing manifestation of the glory and marvel of science. It has been doing nothing but achieving equilibrium. This is not mere happenstance, as the body has been battling for balance since the day we were born – maintaining an upright position, keeping us in the ideal weight, and of course, gaining the appropriate strength output for our needs. However, although this seems to be a natural course for the human body, the attempt at homeostasis is often derailed by many factors, more often than not caused by our own actions and genetics. Such factors include genetic predisposition to sickness. Examples of these could be the diseases we inherit from our family like, say, hypertension or diabetes. Epidemics and disease scares such as SARS, anthrax, or the dreaded swine flu may contribute to such factors. Another factor that plays a major factor in our health is the reckless activities we take part in and or the unfortunate events leading to serious accidents. Nonetheless, we are responsible for the actions that cause the failure of the body to be in tip-top shape.
There are a hundred and one, maybe even a thousand ways to be healthy. However, all roads to good health go down on only one avenue – exercise. Yes, the key to good posture, to reduce body fat and to gain muscle strength is through exercise. Just look at the following scenarios – weight exercises increase bone density, a cardio workout burns fat and muscle training builds muscle strength. Simply put, exercise is your bridge to good health.
However, muscle building does not come easily, nor is it available in ready-to-drink sachets. There is no instant way to build muscle. Muscle building and training is a conscious, long time effort. Just as cement build roads, in order to build muscle you will need its building blocks – protein. Just as important as carbohydrates and fats, protein is a vital component in the regeneration and repair of the body – skin, muscle, hair, organs, even your fingernails. A high carb or high-fat diet, or packing up with too much bread, pasta, rice or sweets may result in overproduction of insulin which ultimately disrupts the balance of sugar in the body. As a series of events, too much insulin triggers sweet tooth and thus, weight gain. Protein in the body, on the other hand, helps maintain a balanced level of sugar in the system. Now we know how protein helps the body, what we need to know is how protein is obtained. Amino acids build protein. Unfortunately, the human body cannot just make up amino acids; hence we obtain it through food. Where do we get the most protein from? Meat, of course! Well, organic meat products, the unprocessed kind, free from all preservatives and chemicals.
To the vegetarians reading this please do not get this wrong at all. It's not that I am advising people not to sink their teeth to those green leafy goodies, it's just that animal food, animal meat in particular provides the most complete proteins packed with almost all of the essential amino acids to sustain the daily needs of the body, especially when working out. These amino acids supply the body with sufficient energy for proper build, proper growth and proper strengthening. Those leafy stalks do supply certain amounts of protein, but are still found to be incomplete for proper muscle growth. As a matter of fact, plants are essential too, as I will be advising meat eaters to only eat organic meat, from grass feeding animals. Always remember the saying you are what you eat. Eat natural, organic foods and you'll live longer. Eat chemically bombarded foods, and, well, you know what will happen. In a nutshell, eat healthier and you'll be healthier.
Now we know what type of food has the most protein. The question that stands now is: how much protein should we be taking in our system? There is just one answer – it really depends. The amount of protein to eat depends on the individual's body chemistry, his needs for the protein and even his work-out lifestyle. Sometimes, a couch potato may eat more protein than the tri-athlete, which will of course hurt the system's chances of equilibrium. In an ideal situation, however, it is best to consume protein as well as carbs within an hour after your workout. Why? Tiny tears in the muscle and leaks and "cracks" in the muscle cells appear after an intense workout. in most cases you feel the "burn" of a workout. By consuming protein and carbohydrates, you increase the likelihood of the repair and regeneration of the muscle tears. Watch out, though, too much protein may cause dull moments, excessive body fat, bulky guts and even liver and kidney problems. The most scientific, and probably the most effective way to find out how much protein you need to eat is by undergoing metabolic typing. Metabolic typing will help you identify the proper amounts of food, not just protein, but fats and carbs, too, you should eat for you to attain your optimum performance and peak shape.
