Protein is one of the most important substances found in the human body, it’s found in every single cell and is used in many vital body processes. Your hair and nails are mostly made of protein, the body uses protein to build and repair tissue and protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. Unlike fat and carbs the body does not store protein, so it’s important to ensure that supplies are constantly stocked up.

How does it work?

When your body digests protein the digestive acids in the stomach break it down into amino acids. Theese amino acids can they be used to make the proteins that the body needs in order to function properly.

Here are some sources of protein:

• Beef
• Poultry
• Fish
• Eggs
• Diary products
• Nuts
• Seeds

How much protein is needed

On average a person needs 0.9-1.5 grams of protein (each day) per pound of body weight. I weight 165 pounds (75kg) so I need roughly 165-200 grams per day (this rule isn’t going to apply to overweight people so please don’t take this as gospel). A chicken breast might weigh about 120 grams so this level of protein intake isn’t difficult.

On average a person needs 0.9-1.5 grams of protein per day

The body cannot store protein, so once the daily protein needs are met it has to use it for non-protein bodily functions and thus has two main options for excess protein. If your calorie intake is low that day, your cells can convert excess amino acids to molecules that can burn as fuel. On the other hand, if you consume plenty of calories, your body has no choice but to convert the extra protein to fatty acids which will be stored as fat. To cut a long story short eat as much protein as your body needs but don’t overdo it.

It’s a common misconception that protein builds muscle. It’s exercise that builds muscle, but the body needs protein in order to function well in the gym. The key is to obtain the protein from sensible sources. For example a steak is a great source of protein but it also contains a lot of saturated fat too.

Here are some examples good protein sources

• Fish – Healthy, contains omega-3 and is generally less fatty than meat
• Poultry – Removing the skin eliminates most of the saturated fat
• Beans – Beans contain more protein than any other vegetable protein. Plus, they’re loaded with fiber that helps you feel full for hours.
• Nuts – One ounce of almonds gives you 6 grams of protein, nearly as much protein as one ounce of broiled ribeye steak.
• Whole grains – A slice of whole wheat bread gives you 3 grams of protein, plus valuable fiber.

Proteins and me

Without proteins I can’t perform, so it’s essential that I have an adequate serving each day. My main source of protein is with my evening meal where I will have a severing of meat such as chicken or duck (my fave). I’m not sure if this is 100% right, but because I’m training so much I don’t worry too much about overeating protein, I also often keep the skin on my meat to give me that extra fat.

One massively important source of protein during my training is a protein shake. When you eat a steak your body takes time to break down the fat and protein in order to absorb it, so the nutrients don’t reach your muscles for a while after eating.
Shake are brilliant because the body can absorb the protein and distribute it quickly. It’s incredibly refreshing drinking one post ride when my legs are totally battered.

So that’s it! I’ve learnt about the three Macronutrients and how they will play a large part of training. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading.

Eat healthy! If I can do it you can, it’s not that hard!

Shane x

The series

Learning about food: pt1 Carbs
Learning about food: pt2 Fats
Learning about food: pt3 Proteins

Refs
Roles protein play
What protein does for your body
Benefits of protein

The name fat obviously sounds like a type of food that you would want to avoid, however it plays an important part of a healthy diet.. providing it’s eaten correctly.

When eaten, fat is broken down by the digestive system into smaller units called ‘fatty acids’. Any fat that is not used by cells in the body is then converted into body fat. So if you’re eating fat, but your body doesn’t need to use any for energy, you will put on weight.

Despite fat’s bad reputation it does have some good uses. Fat intake is essential in order for you to burn fat (more on that later). Some fatty acids such as omega-3 are essential as the body can’t make them itself. Fat also helps the body to absorb some vitamins(A, D and E). These types of vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning that they can only be digested with the support of fat. Potentially fat’s biggest asset – especially for athletes – is its high energy content, it contains roughly 2x more energy than both carbs and protein.

There appears to be two main types of fat, saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fats

Most – but not all – saturated fats could be work of the devil! They are mostly found in foods that come from animal sources such as meat and dairy products, and also plant foods such as plant oil. They are a main culprit when it comes to obesity, heart disease and stroke.

• Meat products
• Butter
• Cheese
• Chocolate
• Savoury snacks
• Biscuits
• Cakes
• Ice cream
• Palm oil
• Coconut oil

When fat reaches the liver it makes an important fatty substance called cholesterol which is vital for the body to function properly. However the wrong level of cholesterol can mean that your arteries become blocked, increasing the risk of ill health.

Cholesterol is carried around the body in the blood by proteins. When the two meet they make something called lipoproteins. Higher levels of cholesterol are best for the body, in particular a lipoprotein called High-density lipoprotein(HDL).
This carries excess cholesterol around the body back to the liver which either breaks it down, or deposits as waste. It is this process that regulates the fat burning pathways and results in you burning fat. In other words eating a sensible amount of fat assists in burning fat.

Unsaturated fats

The first thing we need to know is what’s the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats…

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, whereas unsaturated are liquid. This is because they are different in their chemical structures.

Unsaturated fats are found primarily in oil from plants and can either be polyunsaturated or monounsaturated. Monounsaturated fats can help protect our hearts by maintaining high levels of HDL.

They are found in:

• Olive oil
• avocados
• nuts (peanuts, almond, brazil)

Polyunsaturated fats include two types, omega-3 and omega-6, both of which help lower the levels of bad cholesterol. The body is unable to make these itself so much be consumed from external sources.

Polyunsaturated fats include:

• Vegetable oil
• Nuts (walnuts)
• corn
• sunflower
• Seaweed
• Tuna
• Salmon

Omega-3 is easily accessible via vegetable oil but deficiencies of omega-6 are quite common in poor diets, especially those who don’t eat much fish.

Fats and me

Bearing in mind that I haven’t done my final piece on protein yet, I’m lacking some knowledge to assist with my conclusion on fats.

It goes without saying that I should NOT be overindulging on crappy saturated fats such as biscuits, cakes and ice cream. However I can often be found stopping for some cake when I’m on a longer ride. It gives me a decent energy boost and of course I’ve earned the right to indulge a little. I’m trying especially hard to avoid confectionery and cake type foods, both of which are very accessible at work.

I have a portion of meat with every main meal so I’m therefore eating a fair amount of saturated fats. However I suspect the benefits of this meat will outweigth the negatives as far as protein is concerned (to be found out in the next post). Also, as I mentioned before, fat is needed in order to keep my cholesterol levels high, this fat mainly comes from the huge steaks I have a few times a week!

When I’m hungry between meals I regularly snack on nuts which gives me good sources of unsaturated fat/omega. I’m also going to experiment with some of these other oils – such as rapeseed and canola – in the kitchen.

One of my fave meals. Pasta with tuna and sweetcorn. Bonded together with egg in the frying pan.

A photo posted by @rideforthechild on Sep 16, 2015 at 11:30am PDT

One of my favorite dishes is pasta (wholemeal of course), tuna and sweetcorn bound together with egg. This was one of the earliest recipes I learnt from my parents at a very young age. Unfortunately that is the only fish I have in my diet and it’s not very frequent! Perhaps my intake of foods rich in omega-3 is lacking so I’m going to address that and experiment with more fish dishes.

Thanks for reading, keep your eye out for the final part 3 on protein in a week or two. If anyone has any comments or suggestions after reading please don’t hesitate to let me know!

The series

Learning about food: pt1 Carbs
Learning about food: pt2 Fats
Learning about food: pt3 Proteins

Refs
My trainer Jody
Cholesterol & Triglycerides
Eat less saturated fat

I do feel a little bit embarrassed that, at 29 years of age, I’m not very knowledgeable about food. It’s only in the past year I have started to spend more time in the kitchen.
If I’m brutally honest I didn’t really know what happens to food once it digests into my body. It’s common knowledge that excessively eating some foods will make you fat, but I couldn’t say exactly why.

Macronutrients

There are three macronutrients (nutrients that form our diet). However there aren’t many foods that contain only one nutrient. Most are a combination of the three in varying amounts (I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know veg had sugar in).

The three macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats and protein.

Carbohydrates (carbs)

I have previously heard people describe that they are restricting their carb intake in order to lose weight. However carb is an incredibly broad description and they’re not all bad.

Put simply, carbs are a source of energy. When eaten they are converted to sugar which in turn is used to fuel cells such as the brain and muscles.

There are three different types of carb: sugar, starch and fibre.

Sugar is found in foods such as fruit, chocolate, biscuits, soft drinks, honey and vegetables.

Starch is basically sugars bonded together and is found in foods that come from plants. They include pasta, bread, rice and potatoes. Starches provide a slow and steady release of energy throughout the day.

Fibre is found in foods that come from plants. They include vegetables with skins on, wholegrain foods such as pasta and bread and pluses (beans and letils). Fibres help with the digestive system.

Carbs can be broken down into two categories, simple and complex.

Simple carbs are sugars. The body is able to break these down quickly and provide your body with fast energy. This will boost your energy in the short term but once used it will leave you feeling hungry again.

Simple carbs include

• White bread
• Sugar
• Chocolate
• Most cereals
• Pasta
• Bagels
• Sweets
• Crisp
• Fried food
• Any white flour based product

The more complex the carb the better. Complex carbs pack more nutrients than simple carbs, because they’re high in fibre and digest more slowly. In addition, the starch content in complex carbs allows the body to be fueled for longer.

Complex carbs include

• Sweet potato
• Porridge oats
• Whole meal breads
• Brown rice
• Brown pasta
• Vegetables
• Quinoa
• Basmati rice

What do carbs do?

Generally speaking carbs are the body’s main source of energy. They’re broken down into a sugar (glucose) before being absorbed into the bloodstream. With the help of insulin, glucose enters the body’s cells and is used by the body for everything we do.

As previously mentioned, fibre plays a big part in the digestive workings of your body. It promotes good bowel health and therefore reduces the risk of disease such as heart disease, cancer and digestive problems.

A common misconception is that cutting out carbs will result in losing weight. A simple fact is if you consume more calories than you burn from any source (carbs, protein or fat) you will gain weight. Carbs and protein contain around the same calories per gram but fats can contain up to double the amount.

In short it’s better to avoid fats and stock up on carbs. Especially carbs that are high in fibre as this makes you feel fuller quicker so you’re less likely to over eat these than a bag of sweets.

The lowdown

30% of your diet should be starchy foods (potatoes, rice) and another 30% should be fruit and vegetables. This means that over 50% of a healthy diet should come from carbs.

Carbs and me

It goes without saying that I should avoid the really naughty sugary carbs such as chocolate and crisps as they’re not going to do my body much good. However sugary carbs such as fruit account for roughly 15% of my diet. I generally eat at least one fruit item a day, whether that’s a piece or a drink. Sugar is great when I need an extra boost on long rides, I’ve stopped a few times for a fizzy soft drink or some wine gums.

Simple carbs aren’t all bad, they just need to be earnt. When I get back from rides and I have depleted my energy stores I look to eat simple carbs in order to give my my body fuel quickly. A good meal when you get home would be a jam and banana sandwich on white bread. This will quickly turn in glucose and re-fuel my body.

Once this has settled I would then eat a meal that contains complex carbs, so maybe some sweet potatoes (yum) and veg, in order to give me more long term energy. This also provides starch and fibre to help my body get ready for my next session.

When I’m really hungry I will overload my plate with fibrous carbs such as vegetables. This will fill me up fast, give me loads of energy and it won’t make me fat!

The night before a ride I will increase my complex carb intake so that I have stored energy ready for the morning. I don’t really like to eat much before I exercise but ideally I shoudl have something like porridge, pancakes or omelette. If I’m in a rush I will have a breakfast bar or a fruit smoothie. I then eat an energy bar/gel every hour on my ride, and sometimes I stop at a cafe and have a slice of cake or some toast.

I have learnt so much researching this information. I’ve improved my carbs diet and I’m absolutely bouncing off the walls, I have never felt so energetic.

Hope you’ve enjoyed part one, I will be following this post up with others on fat and protein. I realise this information might not be 100% accurate. If anyone has any comments or suggestions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch (social links in the footer).

The series

Learning about food: pt1 Carbs
Learning about food: pt2 Fats
Learning about food: pt3 Proteins

Refs:
My trainer Jody Warrington
Fibrous Carbs
The truth about Carbs
Simple & complex carbs