Everything you need to know about protein

June 28, 2018

The content of this article was provided by www.berlinorganics.de. Berlin Organics offers bio protein, and superfood fitness food and protein shakes.

All products are sustainably produced and of natural origin with no artificial additives, flavours or sweeteners. Find an overview of their products here.

As an Urban Sports Club member, you know all about keeping active. But what about your diet? Sadly doing sports alone isn’t enough to get as stacked as Arnie. The only way to do that is to eat a protein-rich diet.

But there’s a lot more to it than just scoffing a kilo of chicken for breakfast. Here’s everything you need to know about protein and how to incorporate it into your diet.

Protein: the big questions

What is protein?

Protein foods consist of amino acids which are an essential component to the cells in our bodies. Lots of protein means our cells can re-grow quickly and healthily (so you can get stacked like Arnie).

Why is protein so important?

Protein is essential to the healthy growth of our cells. We have a ton of protein in our brains, hearts, muscles, skin and hair. As a result, protein is one of the most essential components of the human body.

Do we produce our own protein?

Not quite. The protein in the human body consist of 21 amino acids, 13 of which we can produce ourselves if necessary (i.e. non-essential amino acids), and 8 that we can’t (i.e. essential amino acids). This means that it’s absolutely necessary to consume high-quality protein through food and as our bodies aren’t able to store protein, we need to keep our protein stores topped up. So don’t forget to carry a bag of Brazil nuts around with you for protein emergencies.

Who needs protein?

Everyone! Protein ensures our bodies work efficiently and that we can live a healthy and wholesome life.

However, for body builders protein is particularly important. If protein isn’t consumed throughout their training regimes their muscles won’t rebuild properly and they won’t be able to reach their fitness goals. If too few proteins are absorbed through food the body will start to lose muscle mass. Disaster!

So athletes must consume a protein rich diet consistently throughout their training regime to maintain muscle mass and generate growth. Athletes can do this through consuming protein shakes and sticking to a tailored protein-rich diet.

What should our daily protein intake be?

This varies from person to person and depends on the type and intensity of physical activity. As an estimate, we should ensure we take in a protein supply of 0.8g – 1.7g per kg of body weight per day – combined with lots of sports.

Vegetable protein vs. animal protein

For a while researchers thought that vegetable protein was less effective to muscle growth than animal protein.

However we now know this isn’t the case. Vegetable protein includes all 8 essential amino acids, is easier to digest and results in fewer skin problems.

What are multi-component proteins?

This is a combination of several different protein sources. The more protein components consumed, the higher the biological value.

This is because different proteins complement each other and provide better nutrition than one-component protein sources. Our bodies can then process the protein more effectively and we can enjoy a longer-lasting protein supply.

Why Berlin Organics?

Our protein products are all organic, vegan and fair-trade. They also taste great and have no added sugar, enhancers, flavourings, preservatives of colourings. Our products are completely natural, gluten and soya-free.

And we combine four key vegetable protein components (pea, rice, sunflower and hemp) to make sure we’ve covered every amino acid for the perfect protein ratio.

What does Baobab do?

Our pure plant protein powders can be easily mixed with milk or water and have the added value of baobab – the fruit of the monkey tree, AKA the tree of life.

This superfood is rich in antioxidants, fibre and is high in minerals such as potassium and calcium. As a result, our protein shakes provide even more power and will leave you feeling strong and refreshed.

And we support more than 3,500 families in rural Zimbabwe through our direct trade of baobab powder!

And there you have it: all the information you need to make an educated decision on how protein products will complement your Urban Sports Club membership.