What is a protein?
Even if you are not an experienced athlete, you have probably heard of proteins or protein drinks. So what are proteins? Simply put: protein is a protein (protein in English means protein, so it is a synonym). It is one of the three macronutrients that make up our food (proteins, carbohydrates and fats).
Proteins are natural substances, of which there are naturally large amounts in our body. Those that can be purchased in powder are usually made in a healthy way from milk, eggs, or legumes and other foods that contain proteins.
Proteins are the building blocks. They are the basis of absolutely everything that occurs in the body and are especially important in sports. Since proteins are not stored, it is essential to supply them to the body externally and regularly, in whatever form, especially if you play sports.
We take protein every day – through food. However, if you play sports, you need to take it to a greater extent. And that’s why people buy protein in different forms.
Protein function
Proteins reduce and protect muscles, skin, or bones. If your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, don’t say protein no. Protein is the defender of your meat and muscles, not fats. There are even many variants of a protein for different purposes. We address this topic a little below. In addition, protein as a protein gives the body a feeling of satiety, so a person does not hunger so often for a long time and does not overeat unnecessarily.
Protein is absolutely essential for muscle growth. Muscle fiber is made of protein, so if we want our muscles to grow, we must supply them with a substance from which they will be able to grow and which will nourish them – protein.
It is also needed for muscle regeneration and overall regeneration of the body, especially in sports and strengthening, in which we actually destroy our muscle fibers – it is important that we regenerate them properly and then be stronger and larger. And thanks to the proteins found in muscles and meat, regeneration is easier for our body. It’s a protein. This rule applies to both strength and endurance sports, in general and at every energy expenditure.
Furthermore, the protein also serves as a feeling of satiety – the protein saturates us very well, so then we won’t have much to eat and eat treats that we don’t even want to eat. This, of course, involves weight loss support.
Finally, once we have muscle mass, protein is used to maintain it. If we did not eat enough protein, our muscles would not have enough nutrition and would not remain so beautiful and large. Unfortunately, our body does not work by gaining muscle once and staying with us forever. We have to take care of them and supply them with nutrients.
To sum up – proteins are related to almost everything that is associated with muscle mass, its growth, regeneration, maintenance, and the like. So if we want beautiful and strong muscles, great strength, fast metabolism and results from sports or strengthening, we should simply include protein in our diet.
How to choose a quality protein?
We must start by telling you that the designation “best protein” is somewhat misleading. There are proteins that are better, that are worse, and that we should choose. However, each protein has a different composition and is suitable for a different purpose. For example, whey protein will be the “best protein” after exercise, and casein will be the most suitable protein for the night.
But basically, try to choose quality proteins with all the complete amino acids. This will ensure that you get all the substances you need. If you do not suffer from lactose intolerance, or do not avoid animal products, whey protein is quite possibly the most unwise choice. It is one of the highest quality proteins and there are dozens of manufacturers. You can also buy two types of protein, one for the day and sports and the other for the night. In this case, whey is probably the best choice for the day and casein for the night. Find out more below.
Proteins should be at least 50% ingested through the diet. You can achieve this with standard sports menus. However, if you eat 3-5 regular basic meals a day and do some sports, you will often not fill an adequate amount of protein in your body. When building muscles, it is advisable to add protein powder to the diet.
How is the protein divided?
They are mostly divided according to what proteins they are made from, and based on what percentage of the protein itself is in the mixture. This is related to the absorbability of the protein and whether it contains the full amino acid spectrum or lacks some components (of course, the whole spectrum is of better quality). Other factors in selecting a protein may be individual requirements such as protein impurities or flavors, package size, price, brand, and the like.
