Just like fat and carbohydrates, protein is a commonly misunderstood nutrient. And protein is critical for proper recovery and optimal functioning.
The problem here is that there is just too much misinformation out there.
So, without further ado, here is how to make sure your protein intake isn’t holding you back:
1. Eat in moderation: Paradoxically, eating too much protein stimulates your body into burning more muscle protein, not a good scenario. Instead, make sure you have ample amounts of carbohydrates in your diet so you can preserve muscle protein.
2. Drink lots of water: Of all the macronutrients, protein requires the most water for digestion. So make sure you drink small quantities of water throughout the day. And if you have a protein heavy meal, increase water intake further to aid digestion.
3. Eat protein with all amino acids: This can be a challenge if you are a vegetarian since animal sources of protein have all the amino acids, plant sources don’t. The main exception here is soy. So make sure you have animal sources of protein or soy sources of protein in your diet.
4. Have your veggies: Eating vegetables with your protein is a great way to time release it into your system. And time released protein gets absorbed into your active tissues much better than fast digesting protein. So make sure you incorporate lots of vegetables and salads into your diet.
5. Eat every 3 hours: Unfortunately, the human body does not have a good reserve of extra protein. So if you go more than 3 hours between meals your body will start to break down muscle protein for energy. Thus, eating smaller meals throughout the day is far better here.
6. Avoid supplements as much as possible: You see, your body did not evolve to digest supplements. Instead, stick to whole sources of protein as much as possible here for best results. Unfortunately, supplements digest too quickly.
Optimizing your protein intake is a great way to accelerate recovery and increase your health. The key here is to take action now, not later!


