The muscles are the organs that are between the bones and skin, are responsible for producing body movement. They are the most flexible organs of the human body, they can contract and relax without breaking. This also allows us to develop and strengthen them by exercising. Protein helps to improve muscles.
Proteins are the ones in charge of giving energy to our muscles and the ones that maintain the muscular mass in an optimal way. Proteins are essential nutrients, we need them to live. They are macromolecules and are made up of smaller molecules called amino acids.
The functions of proteins are several, the main one is to build tissue, especially muscle, hence the importance of their consumption to have strong and healthy muscles. In addition to repairing tissue or organs when we have a wound.
They also help to regulate and synthesize other essential elements such as hormones.
Some proteins cannot be produced by the human body so we need to get them through food. By eating these foods, our body breaks down and disintegrates amino acids to make its own proteins.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about proteins to help you have strong, healthy muscles.
How Much Protein Do We Need?
The amount of protein we need varies according to various criteria such as age, sex and the physical condition of each person. In addition, pregnant or breastfeeding women have a special need. Here’s how to find out how much you generally need:
For a healthy adult, the WHO recommends eating between 0.8 and 1 gram of protein per day for each kilogram of a person’s weight. For those who exercise daily and want to regenerate muscles, this amount can be raised.
Babies need between 1.5 and 1.85 grams per kilo depending on the months they are old. Children range from 1’15 to 0’95 grams per kilo of weight.
Pregnant women can eat the same amount of protein during the first trimester of pregnancy, however, during the second and third trimesters should increase it to help the creation of new tissues. During lactation should also be increased. A doctor will be able to tell you the amounts you need depending on your particular case.
If you have any doubt about the exact amount depending on your state of health, it is better to consult with a doctor who will know how to tell you the daily amount of protein you need.
Where Can We Get Protein From?
Since proteins are the essential element for regeneration and muscle formation, increasing their intake is one of the first things that people who want to gain muscle mass do.
Proteins are found in a large amount of food, but not all provide the same percentage of protein or the same type of protein. This is why in order to achieve the best results you have to combine these foods with each other.
Meat is one of the foods that have more protein. It is worth mentioning that chicken or turkey, apart from having little fat, have a large amount of protein.
Fish is also a natural source of protein. We will highlight the salmon and natural tuna for their large amounts of protein.
The proteins of vegetable origin can be found in nuts and seeds mainly, since most of them have large quantities. For example, almonds, tofu, quinoa, soya, chickpeas, lentils or rice.
Vegetarians should look among the latter group for foods that have more protein to compensate for those that do not get through meat. If you prepare a complete diet, you will not need complements to reach the number of daily proteins that you need. Once you know what foods they are, you will see that it is not complicated.
Too Much Protein Is Not Good
Like everything else in life, protein excesses are good. We must find the right measure and ingest the daily amount we need.
Eating too much protein, especially animal protein, can cause a number of health problems. Since meat usually has a lot of saturated fat, it can cause cardiovascular problems, increasing cholesterol levels. The fat from the meat will accumulate in our organism which will make us gain weight, with risk of suffering obesity.
We can also overload our body by making it difficult to eliminate the substances we have too much. In addition, it can cause the opposite effect, hindering the absorption of other elements that we need such as calcium.
It has been demonstrated that the excess of proteins of animal origin is related to some types of cancer.
In order to regulate the intake of proteins and ensure that the amounts we eat each day are adequate, you can consult a nutritionist who will know how to develop a diet adapted to your body.
Keep in mind that only with the increase in protein intake you will not gain more muscle mass, you must accompany it with specific daily exercise that allows you to have more muscle.