By: MuscleSports.net
In the bodybuilding world, supplements have been a mandatory staple for some time now. Ever since the 60's when Leo Blair first introduced people to his protein powders, people have been gulping down protein drinks by the can and now bucket load. Over the last 10 years th e market has exploded with new supplements and brands, of which many products were just useless crap. Some scams used beautiful graphs and illustration just to get buyer to except their wild claims. Some were even counter productive to your health. However, as supplements grew by leaps and bounds so did our understanding of fueling the human machine. Lots of bodybuilders stuck to buying the natural selections of products that work for them in the past and found that the protein they had come to like had gotten better along with their vitamins and drinks. Most still had the question of which was working the magic the most, was it their improved eating practices or the improvement in their supplements.
Whey Protein: Whey protein is a high quality protein powder from cow's milk. Milk has two proteins: Casein (approximately 80%) and Whey Protein (approximately 20%). Whey protein is more soluble than casein and also has a higher quality rating. It is often referred to as the "Gold Standard" of protein as it is the most nutritious protein available.
Whey protein is very, very important for bodybuilders, dieters, and shoot, just about everybody! Since athletes and bodybuilders work out often, protein levels become depleted. By being a direct precursor to building muscle and essential amino acids, such as glutamine (a muscle enhancer, endurance builder, and muscle deterioration reducer), the content from high quality whey protein not only can, but will help one's muscles recover and grow faster by bring up the levels of protein. With dieting and those wishing to lose some extra fat, whey protein can be very useful because a good intake of protein balances blood sugar levels, while carbohydrates cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate. When the blood sugar levels stay balanced, one is not as prone to rampant eating and has more energy and greater fat loss. Whey protein allows a person to control his or her diet effectively. Most people who want to change their body for the better could benefit from whey protein supplementation; however, since protein is naturally found in many food items deficiency is usually not a problem(remember this last peice folks).
Creatine Monohydrate: (Yeah we know about the others, but without the orignal they wouldn't even be here - besides most aren't beter) Creatine Monohydrate is the most popular and effective bodybuilding supplement on the market. Everyone consistently using creatine is making HUGE, AMAZING gains! Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine. However, the very best source of creatine by far is creatine monohydrate because it contains more creatine per weight of material than any other source. Pro-Athlete.net sells only high quality 99.9% pure pharmaceutical-grade creatine monohydrate. Oheay creatine has been tested up the you know what is has always passed with flying colors.
Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are complex chemical compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (CH2O). Carbohydrates are the key source of energy (fuel) in the human body. Carbs contribute 4 kilocalories (kcal) per gram by weight. Carbs can be converted in the body into either glucose (desirable) or fat (undesirable).
Your body requires carbohydrates to burn fat. You typically store about 200 grams of carbohydrates in the muscles and another 90 grams in the liver. Your liver stores are used as fuel for the brain and typically remain untouched during times of muscular distress. So you need those glucose polymers that are added to your protein drinks to burn fat and build muscle.
Multivitamin And Minerals: Yep even your good old Flintstone vitamins have gotten a modern face lift. For the human body to perform at its maximum potential, it must be fed a vast and complex array of vital nutrients. Becoming deficient in just one of these essential vitamins or minerals breaks down the metabolic pathway that produces optimum efficiency and performance declines. Not good! Daily consumption of a high-potency multivitamin/multimineral formula may help ensure the presence of essential cofactors necessary for thousands of metabolic reactions.
Todays multi pack are balanced in a complete array of vitamins and minerals. Most are put together in 30 day packets for convenience. They are formulated to insure that deficiencies are plugged and imbalances are corrected so that you stay healthy. Remember that todays colds are different from yesterdays because just like science has advanced so have today illnesses.
Protein: Protein is the single most important nutrient to a aspiring bodybuilder. You can Afford to have a diffency of all other nutriet catagories for acertain period of time and still not fell its ill effects, but with protein its like a car with no wheels, you ain;t going nowhere. Proteins makes and maintains most of the stuff in our bodies. Proteins are differently arranged strands of amino acids, and protein can be a short article, aminos are a different ball-game all together. It's also a different article all together.
Proteins contain over twenty amino acids In their molecular structure. Basically, these amino acids may be considered essential or non- essential: non-essential amino acids may be formed by the human body, while the essential amino acids must be ingested daily. The essential amino acid which limits the efficiency of a particular dietary protein in the vast majority of case. is Methionine, which contains sulfur. Proteins low in Methionine, such as soy products, are much less efficient than egg and milk products. Also, the protein derived from soy products is less efficient than red meat or fish. And, almost every protein may be enhanced on an efficiency basis if Methionine Is ingested during the meal, however, exact scientific support for this is lacking at this time.
Chicken seems to hold some kind of all-mighty status in bodybuilding circles, it's actually red meat that yields better results. Several studies have shown that people consuming red meat gained more mass than those consuming the two favorites in the sport: chicken and tuna. That doesn't mean you need to dismiss the other two, but personally I'm sick of chicken and I'm not a big fan of tuna. Nonetheless both sources are prime nutrition when dieting. Tuna and the white part of chicken are low-fat and high-protein. Plus they are more easily transformed into tasty snacks you can carry around anywhere. But that big juicy steak will still give you better gains.
Carbohydrates: Complex carbs with lots of fiber should be consumed in proper proportion for maximum health and vitality. Complex carbs with lots of fiber are rich sources of necessary vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes when in the raw state. The problem happens when carbohydrates are altered by processes which provide empty calories stripped of much of their original food value. This involves over cooking in many canning processes, so eat fresh as much as possible.
The most healthy form of sugar is the complex carbohydrates present in high-fiber vegetables; however, it is certainly acceptable to spice up your diet in moderation with simple sugars in the form of whole fruits — unless, of course, you are trying to avoid mucus formation. Eat your fruits, do not juice them and drink them. Eating the whole fruit results in the inclusion of natural fiber, which allows proper absorption of sugars. If you must have juice, dilute it with twice the recommended amount of water, so as to get the taste without overdosing on simple sugars.
IMPORTANT: Excess carbohydrates also causes generalized vascular disease. The high-carbohydrate diet which is now so popular in our society today, causes the pancreas to produce large amounts of insulin, and if this happens for many years in a genetically predisposed person, the insulin receptors throughout the body become resistant to insulin. Because insulin's action is to drive glucose into the cells, this results in chronic hyperglycemia, also called "high blood sugar." A large portion of this sugar is stored as fat resulting in obesity. Excess insulin also causes hypertension and helps initiate the sequence of events in the arterial wall which leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Adult onset diabetes is known to be greatly benefited by the adoption of a low carbohydrate diet, moderate in fat, which stresses the importance of a regular intake of sufficient protein. You will not hear this advice from the American Diabetes Association, (or from most doctors) since they are still operating on the research as it was twenty years ago.
Most athlete follow such stingent eating plans that excessive fat in their diet is not a problem but deficienty. People have been on this low fat craze since tha mid 80's and even today. Hey folks you need fat in your diet. Healthy fats that is. these fat help with an array of hormonal functional throughout your body.
Healthy fats ar unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Both men and women, in the two studies mentioned above, who ate the most unsaturated fat had the lowest mortality from heart disease. These fats are protective and come primarily from vegetable oils. Examples of healthy fats include olive, Canola, and soy oils. While these fats include the essential fatty acids, they are still high in calories so should be used moderately.
The best sources of unsaturated fats are those found in whole foods such as nuts, unprocessed nut butters, seeds, olives, and avocados. These foods are naturally rich in unsaturated fats but also contribute vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.
Fats to aviod are Saturated Fats and Trans Fatty Acids. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. They come primarily from animal sources such as fatty meats, whole fat dairy products, lard, and shortening. These are the kinds of fats you need to avoid for good heart health. Trans Fatty Acids are a third group of fats that are rare in unprocessed foods but are formed when vegetable oils are "hydrogenated" or turned into a solid fat such as hard stick margarine, shortening, many deep fat frying oils, and most processed or convenience foods. Trans fatty acids have a double detrimental affect on the health. They raise blood cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol) and lower the protective HDL particles in the blood. Even small amounts can significantly increase the rate of heart attacks. Aviod at all cost.
Think of your daily food as that stupid pyramid you read about in grade school. Of your daily 6-7 meals, at least 4 should be solid food, preferably protein-rich and moderate in fat. This is the base of your pyramid, which should never ever screw with your base. The extra calories/protein that comes from drinks 2-3 times a day is more flexible. They're definitely a great aid for your body to build muscle, but they're still not as crucial as the foundation. Finally you have the top - where you can experiment with various supplements. Even though you have a few things that you know work, it's a good thing to be able to try new supplements and see if they work. And this is the beauty of it - even though you're having bad luck and got your hands on some total crap, you're STILL doing well - thanks to a sound base of food and protein drinks!
Tags: Athlete Nutrition Supplements General Health Whole Foods
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