Thrive in 30: Myth Busting
This post is the fourth in my Thrive in 30 campaign series for Vega and is all about Myth-Busting!
In this video, Brendan shares that a common myth among athletes is that they must consume a ton of protein to get better performance (more muscle). The ADA and ACSM recommends that endurance and strength-trained athletes consume between 1.2 and 1.7 grams of protein per kg of body weight (0.5 – 0.8 grams per pound body weight) for the best performance and health. This is slightly higher than the non-athlete recommendation of 1 g/kg. Brendan actually consumes just under the lowest amount in that range at 70 g of protein per day ( He weights 160 lb for those who care!). He used to consume more but has actually lost weight once he stopped eating so much protein, keeping his strength and endurance.
Main Ideas:
Protein helps in building muscle so it is easy to think “more protein= more muscle”. Muscle burns fat, so everyone wants “more muscle”.
Consuming excess protein and not enough of the other two macronutrients (fat and carbohydrates) will force your body into using protein for fuel (a calorie source) instead of it’s intended function (building and repairing muscle). This will put your body into a process (that Brendan does not mention) called ketoacidosis.
Brendan suggests consuming higher quality protein in moderate amounts, carboydrates that are easily digestible ( like fruit and pseudograins) and high quality fat from seed oils like hemp, flax, and salva.
What I think:
Brendan sums up the process of burning protein as the “Burning Dirty” and that “Your body will produce toxins”. I guess you could put it that way but “toxin” sounds so much like a trend with detox and cleansing diets abound. Your body will produce ketones if your caloric intake is excessively from protein rather than a balanced diet of all three macronutrients. The ketones will give off a sweet smell on your breath, that is how you can recognize if someone is in ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is not a healthy process because your brain can only use carboyhdrates (glucose) for fuel, it cannot use protein. The protein has to be converted to a useable sugar, which will form ketones as a byproduct. I agree that we should focus on getting appropriate amounts of high quality nutrients, whether it is protein, fats or carbohydrates.
Your brain uses carbohydrates ( in the most broken down form of glucose) for thinking, writing, laughing, day to day activities, and basic functioning. It cannot burn anything else for fuel so consuming carbohydrates is essential! All carbohydrates are not created equal though so I do agree with Brendan that better sugars are natural and easier to digest, like fruit and pseudograins. All fat is not created equal either! Endurance athletes that train by extended cycling, or slow and steady running tend to burn more fat because it is a denser source of energy, so these athletes want to be burning fat as opposed to protein or carbohydrates).
Nutrition is complicated and I think Brendan does a good job of explaining difficult concepts. It boils down to the message of the first two videos though- nutrient dense foods that are whole, unprocessed, and consumed in the appropriate amounts is ideal to better performance and nutrition overall!
What do you think?
P.S
How to Calculate Your Protein Range:
1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.
This will give you a range that is an appropriate amount of protein your body needs for muscle functioning, cell repair, synthesis, etc. It is up to you to decide the exact amount you need or want each day though!
