Protein Basics
Proteins are made of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids with 11 non-essential and 9 essential amino acids. Non-essential amino acids mean our body creates them, however, can be supplemented from our food sources. Essential amino acids mean our body cannot create them, thus, need to be provided by food sources. Protein (or amino acids) is important not just to build muscle or strength but to our metabolism, immune system, hormonal balance, and even our blueprint, DNA, is made of amino acids.
For both trainees and non-trainees, protein is non-negotiable nutrient. Even for those who are focusing on weight loss, protein intake should be 1g per lb. of body weight to maintain the muscle mass and adjust fat or carbohydrate intake according to your goal and type of diet you are following.
3 Common Issues with Protein Intake
Although our body needs protein, however, some people do experience negative side effects.
First issue is bloating. This can be due to two things. First, your gut health may not be adequate. According to NIH there are over 60 million people who are affected by some sort of digestive diseases. This number includes abdominal wall hernia, constipation, acid reflux, GI infection and so on. If you are concern about your gut health, or you’re following healthy diet but not seeing any fat loss or muscle gain results, first check with your physician and identify what is going on. Second, source of protein may not be appropriate for you. Although whey protein is a great source of protein supplement, however, if you are lactose intolerant, you will have bloating issue since whey protein is made of milk. You can replace with protein isolate, which has less lactose, or vegan protein. Same thing goes for food source. Some people are ok with beef, and I love beef myself. But my body do better with fish, soy, chicken, pork, eggs and so on. Consume protein source in variation to find what works best for you.
Second issue is body odor. This is mostly due to consuming too much protein per sitting and ammonium starting to accumulate causing the body odor to smell. There are two things you can do. First is to decrease the amount of protein you are consuming in one sitting. Try keeping the protein amount less than 30g per sitting and gradually work your way up to your required amount. Second is to improve the gut health. If the gut health is not at optimal, as mentioned earlier, it is hard to digest any food sources and properly absorb nutrients. Therefore, you can be following healthy diet but may be malnourished because of the gut issue. As mentioned earlier, you should seek medical advice first. From dietary practice you can consume fermented food sources such as pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, natto (fermented soybean) to cultivate gut bacteria. You can also consume food source with water soluble fiber such as oatmeal, beans, peas, apples to feed those gut bacteria. Using probiotic and prebiotic supplements are optional, however, you will need to make sure you are consuming food sources that benefits those gut bacteria.
Third issue is diarrhea. This is common in people who are using protein powder. When consuming protein from food source, absorption rate is steady compared with protein drinks. Because of absorption rate is higher with protein drinks, start off with less protein amount (<30g) and see how your body responds. If you are lactose intolerant, switch the protein sources to whey isolate, soy, pea and so on, which will help ease your digestion. Also, drink slowly. Chugging protein drink may not help for those who are experiencing diarrhea due to protein consumption.
In a Nutshell
Common ground with people who has issues with consuming proteins are mainly due to digestive issues. Things you should be mindful are as follow.
Fix your gut health before increasing protein intake.
Increase the protein intake gradually. 10g increase per 2 weeks should be a good start.
Choose the suitable protein source for you.
Kota Shimada
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