The Power of Protein!

As a runner you probably hear a lot about the importance of carbohydrates, especially complex carbohydrates for a good energy source. Protein is another essential that plays an important role for runners, but it's often overlooked. Protein is found in muscles, bone, blood, hormones, antibodies, and enzymes. Protein helps build and repair body tissues. Protein also helps regulate the water balance in the body, helps transport nutrients, is used in brain function, and helps make muscles contract. Protein also helps keep the body healthy by fighting off diseases. Important for runners, protein helps produce stamina and energy which can keep fatigue at bay.

Where do proteins come from? Well there are two kinds of protein—complete and incomplete. Complete proteins such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk (just about animal food source) contain all of the essential amino acids. Incomplete proteins come from food sources that do not have all of the essential amino acids—vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds and nuts. Vegetarians can get complete proteins from their foods by combining various incomplete proteins.

Complete Proteins Include:

chicken breast

turkey breast
egg (whole and the whites)

egg substitutes

fish (flounder, tuna, salmon, trout, cod, halibut, haddock, etc.)

steaks (round, sirloin, flank)

roast beef (the lean deli variety)

ground round or sirloin (buy the leanest available and/or drain the fat after cooking)

Canadian bacon

ham (trim fat)

pork tenderloin (trim fat)

pork chop (trim fat)

cheese (choose the 2% milk fat, lowfat or nonfat varieties)

cottage cheese (lowfat or nonfat)

milk (2% or skim)

yogurt (lowfat or nonfat; )

Incomplete Proteins Include:

grains (barley, oats, rice, etc.)

corn meal
pasta

whole grain breads

beans

lentils

soy products

seeds (sesame, sunflower)

nuts (walnuts, peanuts, cashews)
green leafy veggies
broccoli
peas

The recommended daily allowance of protein is 0.8 grams of protein for every 1 kilogram body weight. To calculate your daily protein needs multiply your body weight in kilograms by 0.8-1.8 g/kg. (To convert your weight from pounds to kilograms, multiply your weight in pounds by 2.2) There's a lot of debate over what's the exact number between 0.8 and 1.8 to multiply by to determine your daily allowance. What I could gleam from the debate was that basically if you're a sedentary person you'll probably multiply by 0.8. The average active person would probably multiply by 1-1.2 and if you're exercising at intense levels for long periods of time, then you'd probably multiply by 1.2-1.8. Most of the sources agreed that you didn't need to go over the 1.8 unless you were a super competitive bodybuilder.

Protein is a key ingredient in recovery for runners. Most research says that a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein shortly after a workout is optimal in speeding-up recovery and getting your tired, broken-down muscles the nourishment they need to rebuild and repair. Nonfat or lowfat chocolate milk actually has this 4:1 ratio and makes a great post run recovery snack. Be careful to keep the protein to 4:1 ratio after a run because too much protein can slow rehydration and glycogen replenishment.

There are lots of "canned" varieties of protein available at your local grocery store, gym, or vitamin/supplement shop. Some brands are made from soy others made from whey. As always there's some debate over which is better for you. Some research shows that 100% whey protein may be better for muscle growth and repair, but soy is still an excellent source of protein especially if you're a vegetarian or lactose intolerant.

The bigger thing to consider than whether you use should buy whey or soy is what else has been added to the one you are buying. Be sure to check the ingredients. Some varieties really pack in the sugar and fat. Find a brand that has the amount of protein you're seeking, but also is low in sugar and fat (especially saturated fat). I've used several brands and found a few that I prefer. Pure Protein made by Worldwide Sport Nutritional Supplements, Inc. is good and contains 23g of protein per serving, only 2 grams of fat and only 1 gram of sugar. The sodium content is pretty low as well. Body Fortress 100% Whey Protein is also good, containing 23g of protein per serving, 1.5g of fat and only 2g of sugar. Body Fortress also makes Super Advanced Whey Protein which contains 26g of protein (the 52g on the bottle refers to a double serving), 2g of fat, and 3g of sugar.

Muscle maintenance is crucial to endurance athletes who depend on muscle mass to train for long distance events, so be sure you're eating your daily required needs of protein as well as using protein in the right proportions for recovery after your workouts.