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Boot Camp Blast

Week 4 - Protein WISE

Introduction: Arguably, protein (PRO) is the most renowned macronutrient, known for its essential function in building muscle and keen ability to suppress appetites. However, did you know PRO performs other important roles which are essential to life and physical performance? Proteins are enzymatic catalysts which speed up chemical reactions in the body, antibodies which serve as our immune defenders, regulators of fluid and acid/base balance and transporters of oxygen, waste products, fats, some vitamins and electrolytes. Quite frankly, protein is GOAT! In this module, participants will learn about high biological value protein foods and how much to consume each day for optimal performance.  

Background: Carbohydrates and fats are the body’s primary sources of fuel. For this reason, we address those nutrients first so you are familiar with the amount of energy your body needs from these nutrients. Protein is not meant to be a primary source of fuel rather it is utilized for building muscle and serving other more important purposes in the body. Consuming more protein than your body uses will NOT result in larger muscles but larger body fat stores. This is why the amount of protein consumed each day is specific to your body composition, age, and activity performed.

PRO Basics: Proteins are organic compounds which are made from amino acids (AA’s). There are 22 proteinogenic (protein-building) AA’s which form a variety of different and complex protein chains called peptides. The body is made up of 100,000 different proteins and there can be 100 to 10,000 AA’s in a protein sequence. It is estimated that our bodies turn over approximately 200 grams of protein each day. However, most people should NOT eat 200 grams of protein/day because our bodies make a good portion of the AA necessary to construct proteins. These AA’s are referred to as non-essential (NEAA) because they don’t come from food. Essential AA’s (EAA) must come from food because our body can’t make them from other compounds. There are 9 EAA, the rest are NEAA or “conditionally” essential. Conditionally refers to a NEAA which is turned over at a higher rate during stress and illness. Athletes often supplement glutamine which is a conditionally NEAA to enhance muscle glycogen resynthesis. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support that glutamine supplementation is effective.  

Protein comes from both animal and plant food sources however, the amount that is digested and turned over in the body for utilization differs according to the food consumed. The most common measure of protein quality used today is the Protein digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). Foods are measured on a scale of 1 (highest) to 0 (lowest) in terms of EAA utilization. A list of these foods has been provided at the end of this module.  

Week Four Summary

Focus:

  • Review PRO results from week 1 food log and compare results to recommendations

(We encourage participants to continue to log food into the USDA SuperTracker 3 to 4 days each week to evaluate changes and make adjustments)

  • Calculate PRO fueling needs based on individual sport/activity

  • Learn about HBV protein food sources

Challenge:

  • Meet PRO goal within 5 to 10% of recommended range

Connect:

  • To connect with us, follow us on Instagram. Direct message (DM) us for general questions about the Nutrition Basic Training program.  .  

Coach:

  • Individual coaching is available upon completion of this Nutrition Basic Training Program. Please eMail a brief note regarding the coaching or culinary service you are requesting.

Communications

Protein WISE Detailed Instruction

This week each participant will complete 4 steps. First you will detect imbalances in PRO (g)

then begin to modify diet based based on SportFit recommendations.

Week 4 Tip: Use the information in this module to improve your nutritional fitness. You might find our protein recommends are higher or lower than your usual intake. Trust us and the research! You might just discover changes in your performance you had not imagined were possible.

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