The Best Protein Sources

The best protein sources

The best foods for maximum protein with minimum fat and cholesterol Lean protein is a key part of any healthy diet. Your body needs protein in order to build and maintain muscle, but many protein sources like eggs, some red meats and cheese are high in fat and cholesterol, which spells trouble for your heart and waistline.

Beans

The best way to get your daily allotment of lean protein is to eat at least one meal that includes a dish made with beans. Beans are an important part of a healthy diet because they’re high protein and high fiber, which is great for your metabolism, and they’re very low in fat and cholesterol, which is great for your heart. Plus, beans are inexpensive, so they make it possible to get plenty of lean protein even if you’re eating on a tight budget. However, not every way to prepare beans is part of a healthy diet. Healthy ways to prepare beans are light on fats like oil or butter, so skip refried beans and avoid dressings. Likewise, avoid any bean dish that is high in sugar, so skip the baked beans simmered in a sweet, molasses-based sauce. For a main dish, great ways to get your beans include classic Mexican dishes like chili or enchiladas (light on the cheese, if any at all), bean soups and stews. For a quick snack, try some hummus or black bean dip. To get an extra splash of lean protein at dinner, throw a handful of chickpeas or kidney beans into your green salad. For variety, try some peas, which contain the same kind of lean protein as beans!

Tofu

This soy-based product may taste light in your mouth, but in reality it is heavy on the lean protein, which makes it a great part of a healthy diet. Tofu is a low-fat, low-calorie food that leaves you feeling full and satisfied, and loads your system up with the lean protein you need to stay strong and healthy. For health-conscious preparation, avoid crunchy deep-fried tofu and opt instead for tofu that’s been steeped in a low-calorie, low-sodium marinade and then stir-fried with mixed vegetables. Tofu is one of the most versatile lean protein sources, because it takes on the flavor of whatever is around it. Since tofu can be used in any cuisine, it’s easy to make tofu part of your healthy diet.

Meats

Meats are a slightly trickier lean protein source than beans or tofu, because many cuts of meat are high-calorie and fatty. However, if you learn to make smart choices, meat can be an excellent source of lean protein, and a great staple of a healthy diet. Round steaks and roasts are good beef cuts for lean protein, and the best pork options are pork loin, tenderloin, and center loin. Poultry is the best lean protein source among meats, but with this condition: always go skinless. Skinless chicken breasts, or turkey cutlets, are excellent sources of lean protein so long as you trim all the visible fat away before cooking, and choose a low-fat cooking method. Smart ways to cook meat include broiling or boiling, grilling, poaching, or roasting. Avoid deep-frying or pan-frying meat, and skip any cooking method that requires breading. Remember that no healthy diet includes a dish drenched in a fat-laden gravy or sauce, so skinless chicken breast swimming in gravy or any dressings doesn’t count as a lean protein!

Types of protein

This is an area that people ask about quite often. I'll start by saying there ere are many different companies selling protein in powder and bar form. So which protien is right for you?

First of all its important to mention that meats and dairy products are called complete protein foods as they carry all of the nine essential amino acids the body needs. Vegetable food types on the other hand are classed as incomplete protein foods as they lack one or more of the nine essential amino acids.

These different types of proteins have different digestion rates, this means that understanding the protein types and how long it takes to digest can really help your training.


The main protien types are

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• Whey - A protein found as a by product of the manufacture of cheese and milk products.

• Casein - A protein that makes up 80% of the proteins in most dairy products.

• Egg albumin - A protein found in egg whites.

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You will here these protein type mentioned alot by bodybuilders who really know their stuff, the reason for this is because they understand how each of these protein types will support your muscle growth if eaten the right way.

Whey

Whey protein is found in the protein shakes that you can buy from GNC or any other vitamin store. The reason why whey protein is used alot in protein powder shakes is because it is ingested in to the body very quickly, in fact it can take as little as 30 minutes.

The fact that it only takes around thirty minutes for the body to start feeling the benefits of whey protein means that it is the perfect after workout supplement. By taking a protein shake right after the gym it will really help your body to start its repair and rebuild process.

How much whey protein do you need

Training athletes often consume 50 - 75 grams of whey protein per day. Bodybuilders who want serious gains, generally consume 150 grams per day. Extremely high doses of whey protein is not recommended, as this will cause the body's liver to be overloaded and you won't get the same benefits as with a consistent lower amount taken thess to five times per day.

Casein

Casein takes the longest of all the proteins to digest. For this reason many bodybuilders take casein just before going to bed so the body can get a slow release of proteins over a period of two to seven hours to aid it with the repair and rebuild process.

To get that casein fix before bed many bodybuilders take a simple glass of milk. 80% of the proteins found in milk are casein and with roughly 11 grams of protein per 250 ml a big glass before bed will really support your body.

Egg albumin

Egg albumin, known as egg protein for short, is found in egg whites and is used as a great supplement to meals to increase protein intake. The idea is that at every meal you want to take at least 40 grams of protein in, this can be difficult at time so bodybuilders tend to remove yolks from eggs and just eat egg whites.

Egg albumin takes between one and a half to three hours to digest so makes the perfect protein to start your day with your breakfast.