Muscle growth is Enhanced by a Pre-sleep dose of Protein!!

Protein Shake Before Bed Helps Builds Muscles!! New Scientific Proof!

A new study has given those of us who enjoy our protein shakes a valid reason to have another one right before bed!

From the actual article published in the Library Of Medicine National Institutes of Health:

Muscle strength increased after resistance exercise training to a significantly greater extent in the protein-supplemented (PRO) group than in the placebo-supplemented (PLA) group (+164 ± 11 kg and +130 ± 9 kg, respectively; P < 0.001). In addition, quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area increased in both groups over time (P < 0.001), with a greater increase in the PRO group than in the PLA group (+8.4 ± 1.1 cm(2) vs. +4.8 ± 0.8 cm(2), respectively; P < 0.05). Both type I and type II muscle fiber size increased after exercise training (P < 0.001), with a greater increase in type II muscle fiber size in the PRO group (+2319 ± 368 μm(2)) than in the PLA group (+1017 ± 353 μm(2); P < 0.05).

To Read the Scientific Article Look HERE

And to Read the Runner's World Article Look HERE

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Protein Powders-Where Does Your Rate??

There are an incredible amount of Protein Powders available these days. "Labdoor" recently put 73 different Protein Powders to various tests and rated them from A to F. Where does your end up???
Some of the key findings:

PROTEIN | LABEL ACCURACY:

The average variance for protein content was 5.6%. The average variance for sodium content was 91.7%. 

PROTEIN | PRODUCT PURITY:

All fifty protein powders tested in this batch passed heavy metals screens for arsenic, lead, cadmium, bismuth, antimony, and silver (below 1 part per million). 

PROTEIN | NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

RTD (Ready-To-Drink) products ranked significantly worse than their powdered forms, due to increased fat, sodium, and preservative content.  

PROTEIN | INGREDIENT SAFETY:

63 inactive ingredients and 147 active ingredients were identified in at least one protein supplement analyzed. 

 PROTEIN | PROJECTED EFFICACY:

13 forms of protein were utilized in these 73 products, lead by whey protein isolate (35/73) and whey protein concentrate (29/73). 

 Read the entire article here

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Robb Wolf Reiterates "Say No to Protein Powder"

I have noticed that one of the most searched posts has been the Robb Wolf post about protein powders and why they are not the best choice for post workout nutrition. In the following article Wolf reiterates that REAL FOOD is always the best choice.

"There seems to have been a ‘bit’ of resistance to my recent post about the use of protein powders and liquid nutrition.  If you missed that whole show let me give you a quick recap.  Amy said: “Real food is always the best option and protein powders aren’t necessary.”  This kind of ‘crazy talk’ brought out every shaker bottle owner, supplement junkie and powder pusher in cyber world.  As Robb so eloquently put it – I “kicked their puppies”.  Now, I’m going to warn you right off – this post is not going to tell you that I changed my mind on the subject – nope, no endorsements here…
One of the MAJOR hang-ups that many readers had was; “real food isn’t convenient”.  Okay, I agree it takes a little more thought to put together a ‘real food’ post workout meal; but I assure you it isn’t going to take HOURS, it’s definitely not rocket science and you can do it!  I have clients that travel, have kids, work full time, are constantly on the go and guess what?  They are 100% powder free!!  I kid you not – and you know what else?  They are seeing results, recovering awesomely, and they aren’t complaining about the lack of convenience either.  I’m telling you – it can be done!!  Yes, you may have to turn the TV off 10-15 minutes earlier than usual and pick up a few extra things at the grocery store, but ultimately your body is going to thank you.  Now, I’m not telling you that you HAVE to ditch your shaker bottle – I mean if you are REALLY that attached to it – have at it.  Your ‘relationships’ are your choice and I’m not going to judge you.  However, if you aren’t getting the results you think you should – don’t complain until you’ve ended your affair with the scoop and powder.
Okay, back to the task at hand.  I’m going to help you all out and make this ‘transition’ a little less bumpy.  Now this is not a post telling you what your post workout meal should look like.  Remember, the composition (carbs, protein, fat) will depend on YOUR goals, needs, activity, and health.  There is no ‘one size fits all’.  This is a post to give you some CONVENIENT, throw in your gym bag or in a container in the fridge, ideas for quick post workout meals that don’t require a shaker bottle.
Protein Options:

• Packets or easy-open cans of water-packed tuna, salmon and/or sardines
• Hard boiled eggs
• Pre-cooked steak or chicken sliced into easy to eat strips
• Mini paleo meatloaves (make your meatloaf in muffin pans)
• Jerky (get the good stuff – Slim Jim’s are NOT the ‘good stuff’)
• Pre-cooked frozen shrimp (just run them under water to thaw and they’re ready to eat!)

Carbohydrate Options: (consider your goals here!!!!)

• Pre-cooked sweet potatoes (baked, roasted, etc) – these are even good cold!!
• Packets of baby food sweet potatoes and/or squash blends (there are lots of them out there!!!)
• Cans of sweet potatoes, squash and/or pumpkin (unsweetened)
• Fresh fruit (this is not the best choice – but can work in a pinch!)

Fat Options: (again, consider your goals!!!!)

• Unsweetened Coconut chips/flakes
• Raw coconut meat
• Medium Chain Triglyceride oil (MCT oil)
• Nuts and/or olives (not the best choices – but can work in a pinch)

There are some quick, convenient options for you to play with.  Will it require a little prep and thought?  Yeah, a little – but once you start ‘chewing it’ you won’t look back and during the transition we’ll all be here to support you.  You can ‘chew’ it!!!
Are you ready to ‘break-up’ with your shaker bottle?"

**http://robbwolf.com/2012/05/31/11524/

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"Top 11 Biggest Lies of Mainstream Nutrition"

This is an excellent article that I found on Facebook, thanks to a friend. It is really worth a thorough read. It helps dispel a lot of the misinformation that a lot of us were brought up believing.  I can also attest, through personal eating experience and experimentation, that when I eat (for the most part) as this article suggests, I feel SO MUCH BETTER!! My personal struggle is with number 10.

The entire article can be found right here at "AuthorityNutrition.com"

A brief synopsis can be found below:

1. Eggs Are Unhealthy        

Bottom Line: Eggs do not cause heart disease and are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Eggs for breakfast can help you lose weight.

2. Saturated Fat is Bad For You

Bottom Line: Newer studies have proven that saturated fat does not cause heart disease. Natural foods that are high in saturated fat are good for you.  

3. Everybody Should be Eating Grains

Bottom Line: Grains are relatively low in nutrients compared to other real foods like vegetables. The gluten grains in particular may lead to a variety of health problems. 

4. Eating a Lot of Protein is Bad For Your Bones and Kidneys

Bottom Line: Eating a high protein diet is associated with improved bone health and a lower risk of fracture. High protein also lowers blood pressure and improves diabetes symptoms, which should lower the risk of kidney failure.

5. Low-Fat Foods Are Good For You

Bottom Line: Low-fat foods are usually highly processed products loaded with sugar, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. They are extremely unhealthy.

7. Carbs Should Be Your Biggest Source of Calories

Bottom Line: The low-fat, high-carb diet is a miserable failure and has been proven repeatedly to be vastly inferior to lower-carb, higher-fat diets.

8. High Omega-6 Seed and Vegetable Oils Are Good For You

Bottom Line: Humans need to get Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats in a certain ratio. Eating excess Omega-6 from seed oils raises your risk of disease.

9. Low Carb Diets Are Dangerous

Bottom Line: Low-carb diets are the healthiest, easiest and most effective way to lose weight and reverse metabolic disease. It is a scientific fact.

10. Sugar is Unhealthy Because it Contains “Empty” Calories

Bottom Line: The harmful effects of sugar go way beyond empty calories. Sugar wreaks havoc on our metabolism and sets us up for weight gain and many serious diseases.

11. High Fat Foods Will Make You Fat

In fact, diets that are high in fat (and low in carbs) cause much greater fat loss than diets that are low in fat

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"Whey Protein Doesn't Help Build Muscle"

This article title definitely caught my eye when it popped into my email mailbox. I have faithfully consumed my protein shakes after my tougher workouts, envisioning my muscle fibers getting stronger with every sip! Luckily after reading the article I was reassured that I hadn't been pouring
needless calories into my body after every workout. To summarize, some of the main points were:

*...........workout supplementation of protein isn’t magical. You still need to eat a caloric excess of what you burn each day in order to build muscle.

**The other problem here is that nutrition and exercise research has become a major media spectacle, and the results of new research are plastered all over web sites and magazines as if that one study is the definitive work on a given topic

***This is usually not the case!!!

****So what’s your conclusion? Don’t ditch your pre-workout protein shakes. They are important for jumpstarting protein synthesis and increasing blood flow (leading to increased nutrient delivery) to working muscles

 

Read the entire article here

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