In Part 1 we looked in some detail at great nutritious eating and the impact it has on fuelling and shaping the body. Here we conclude with plenty of further information and explanation as well as a wonderful recipe for you to follow and enjoy!
Powerful body protein nutrition
Protein provides the body with the building blocks for muscle growth and repair. Lean meats like: turkey, chicken, lean red meat and even game meats like venison are packed full of essential and non-essential amino acids. All of which are required to facilitate development and recovery.RELATED: RECOMMENDED PLANS FOR YOU
These meats also contain valuable vitamins and minerals like zinc, iron and potassium all needed by the body for peak performance, and because they have a high biological value, they are easily digested and absorbed by the body. At least 30% of a fitness trainer/athlete’s daily calorie intake should come from natural protein sources and it is essential they consume a small amount post workout too.
Each fitness trainer/athlete will be different when it comes to just how many grams of protein, carbohydrates or fat they need to consume daily in order to get lean and maintain safe levels of body fat.
The US Anti Doping Agency has developed a formula to accurately calculate how many carbohydrate grams should be consumed. They argue the daily carbohydrate intake should be between 2.5g and 6g per pound of body weight and should depend on the amount of exercise carried out, for example, a 160lbs/70kg football player exercising for 1 hour a day needs 400g carbohydrate a day:
Weight in pounds 160 X Carbs in grams 2.5 = Daily carb intake 400g
Protein requirements certainly vary from sport to sport and fitness activities with strength athletes/trainers needing obviously more than endurance athletes. According to the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, strength athletes require between 1.2g and 1.7g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day and endurance athletes 1.2g and 1.4g per kilogram of bodyweight per day.
Therefore, a strength athlete weighing 105kg will require 126g to 177g protein daily and an endurance athlete weighing 75kg will need between 90g and 105g protein each day.
The body needs fat. Healthy body fat levels for a male athletes/serious fitness trainers should range between 5 and 8 percent and 10 to 15 for female athletes/serious fitness trainers. In order to maintain these healthy levels, fitness trainer/athlete’s should consume at least 25 to 35 percent of their daily calorie intake from fat.
Lean recipe: Three Bean Turkey Chilli
– 450g Ground turkey breast
– 1 tin chickpeas
– 1 tin black beans
– 1 tin kidney beans
– 1 tin chopped tomatoes
– 1 onion, sliced
– 400ml chicken stock
– 1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
– ½ tsp cumin
– Pinch of salt
– ¼ tsp cinnamon
-1 tbsp olive oil
Heat the olive oil in a large pan on a low heat. Add the sliced onion and sauté for 5min. Add the ground turkey breast and brown for a further 5min before adding the diced red chilli, the three beans and tomatoes.
Pour in the stock and all the different spices. Bring to the boil and give it a good stir. Then lower the heat until the chilli simmers and reduces for 20min.
Serve with long grain whole rice. information
Serves: 6, Per serve: 293kcal, 31g protein, 32g carbs, 5g fat, 11g fibre
Lean daily diet example
45g porridge oats made with 300ml skimmed milk and a little honey.
120g low-fat yoghurt with raspberries.
Grilled chicken breast and salad sandwich made with whole wheat bread and low fat mayo.
Protein smoothie: 25g whey protein, ½ banana and 10 black cherries (depipped)
6 oz Fillet steak stir fry with legumes, sesame seeds, broccoli, mushrooms and red pepper.
A glass of skimmed milk