By Andy Kress
“Eat or drink more protein!” This seems to be the motto of every bodybuilder and gym buff on how to get and keep big muscles. They seem to consume protein drinks like a magic elixir with untold powers of gaining and maintaining muscle mass. But does this really work?
It’s certainly true that protein builds muscle. So the more protein we consume, the more muscles we can achieve in the shortest amount of time, right
? Wrong, and I will tell you why. It’s easy to get too much of a good thing.
Health food stores, supermarkets and gyms alike sell thousands and thousands of dollars worth of shakes, smoothies and nutrition bars loaded with protein. A protein bar alone typically contains 20 to 30 grams of the stuff. It seems like a great deal with all of that health in an easy-to-carry chew treat.
Or perhaps you prefer to drink a wonderful smoothie after a hard workout. Twenty grams of protein – ice cold and blended in a cup to carry right out of the gym and into the light of day. Convenience in Styrofoam.
And what could be simpler than a 51-gram protein shake, canned or bottled, to power a workout or chug after an exercise class.
Most people tend to consume these products in about 10-15 minutes. That is a huge dose of protein entering the system that needs to be broken down before it can be utilized. So what happens to this 20-51 grams of protein when it enters your body? To be sure, some of these proteins are going to repair and grow new muscle tissues to those worked muscles. That is what proteins do, of course. They are the building blocks for our muscles.
Yet, as good as they are, proteins cannot be absorbed in unlimited amounts by the body. And therein lies the problem. Whatever your system does not use is going to be ultimately wasted. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the daily requirement for an average man is only 56 grams of protein. Women need even less – 46 grams. Wow! Not a whole lot more than a single smoothie, bar or protein shake.
The body can only break down five to nine grams of that protein in an hour. This means there is a tremendous amount of extra protein that the body cannot absorb. Continually trying to eliminate the excess, the body places unnecessary stress on the kidneys, a pair of organs that tend to be less productive with age. Constantly having to remove excess protein is extremely hard on these organs. Yet that is exactly what you’re doing when you consume shakes, bars and smoothies in short periods of time.
A diet of more than 30% protein consumption is very deleterious to the body. Excess protein builds up toxic ketones within the body, which the kidneys must filter out through the urine, leaving the potential for possible dehydration. Additionally, with the elimination of protein comes loss of calcium. Losing calcium through urine could be potentially harmful for bone turnover, since the body tries to make up for the loss by stripping the bones of the very calcium they need to remain strong.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not against any protein shakes, bars or smoothies, but do your body a favor and pace your protein throughout the day – rather than in massive doses. You will achieve the same effect without the harm or the waste of money. And your body will thank you as your muscles grow.
Andy Kress, CFT, SET, is a nationally certified fitness trainer and nutritional counselor in South Florida.
He may be reached via his email at andyfitnesstrainer@gmail.com or 954-789-3930.
In this week’s Style & Entertainment, Warren Day treats you to a sneak preview of the films being shown at Tampa and Fort Lauderdale’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festivals in Film; Paul Rubio takes us with him to Santorini and Rome with his “Port Highlights” of the Celebrity Silhouette cruise in Travel, and Jean Doherty shows us how to be the chef with a delectable recipe for Chili Con Carne in Recipe.