Protein: How Much Do You Need?

Building a good body requires an adequate amount of exercising with right eating habits. Weight training alone will not help you attain that target. For getting a well shaped body, which is toned and muscular, you have to combine exercises with healthy eating. One of the main factors that influences the way you shape your body is protein.

Muscle building is not possible without protein, and so you have to consume the right amount of it. Basically certain vital questions have to be asked when you are following a low carb diet, which helps in replacing a certain part of carbohydrate intake along with protein.

Information on Protein

Protein is one of the most vital food components in the body, which forms the primary building blocks. Protein constitutes about 16% of the total body weight. Protein is needed for:
Muscle
Hair
Skin
Connective tissue

It has a crucial role in development of cells, and constitute a large part of fluids in the body. Other chemicals that are made of protein include:
Enzymes
Hormones
Neurotransmitters
DNA

The body can recycle proteins, and so it is vital to replenish it. The smaller units in the body named amino acids make up proteins. A lot of amino acids cannot be manufactured in the body and hence you need to consume the same from other forms of foods. These include animal protein sources such as
Eggs
Dairy products (cheese, milk, curd, etc.)
Meats

Some forms of vegetarian proteins include

Whey protein
Soy protein

What quantity of protein is required for gaining muscle mass?

The amount of protein required by your depends on-
Age
Size
Weight
Fitness level

Those who want to attain bulking consume proteins in higher forms. Usually nutritionists suggest that the least daily requirement can be attained by multiplying body weight in kilograms by .8. You can multiply the weight in pounds by .37. For instance, an individual weighing 150 lbs should consume at least 55 grams protein each day.

Those who work out regularly need to consume enough proteins to give energy to their bodies. One can also compute the amount of protein required via the lean body mass. Endurance building requires a large amount of protein consumption. Many nutritionists suggest consumption of about 10 to 20 per cent proteins in the daily diet.

However, consumption of fewer calories does not mean that you reduce the amount of protein you consume. If you are unwell then you should consume the same amount of protein like you did on a regular basis. The capacity of the body to store proteins is very restricted, and hence you need to consume protein regularly to prevent breaking down of muscles.

At Balanced Fitness Diet you can get a lot of information related to the amount of protein that should be consumed. Basically the requirement of protein by a body builder would be higher than a regular person. This happens because a high protein diet is followed after every work out to prevent breaking down of muscles. Hence, you can gain muscle mass easily, but should now over indulge in it as it has an adverse affect on the cardiovascular system.