From Joey, Supplements

Protein Bioavailability Explained

Everyone knows about protein or at least you should if you are serious about getting results to gain muscle or even to lose fat. Nutrition plays a vital role in both goals and protein’s are the building blocks and should be included in everyone’s meal plan on a daily basis. No exception.

If there was one nutrient you should focus on getting, it is protein.

Protein’s are used to build and repair muscle tissue. When we workout and breakdown our muscle’s, protein is generally the foundation for repair.

Carbs  and fat act as an energy source for our bodies when we train, kind like the gasoline you put in your car. Carbs also act as a carrier to provide glycogen to your muscle cells as well.

I just wanted to give you a little background on each of these macro-nutrients, but now it’s time to talk about protein more in depth.

Many people, including myself when I first started, are under the impression that a protein is a protein, period. Some people think they are getting enough protein from foods such as nuts, oats, rice and potatoes.

However, even though there are protein’s in these foods I mentioned above, they should not be considered a primary protein source.

Let me explain.

You see, protein’s are made up of essential amino’s and non-essential amino acids. Most of the protein that can be found within those foods I listed are not ‘complete’ protein and are lacking one or more essential amino acids that your body requires.

Eseential amino acids are protein’s that cannot be manufactured by our bodies and therefore creates a requirement for them in our diet, while non-essential amino acids can be manufactured by our bodies.

Our bodies require these essential amino acids to repair fully and have optimal potential for muscle gain. Failing to give our bodies the proper protein sources can lead to lack of results for our efforts in the gym.

Another big factor to consider about protein sources is their bio-availability.

I can hear some people now…bio availa-what?!?

Bio-availability:  this represents the percentage or scale rating of just how much our bodies can make use of certain protein sources.

You need to know that our bodies and digestive systems absorb some protein’s better than others and also certain sources will provide a higher amino acid profile.

These are the protein source’s we should be including in our diets.

Here is a quick chart to give you an idea of the bio-availability index rating of some protein sources:

Protein Source	Bio-Availability Index
Whey Protein Isolate Blends	100-159
Whey Concentrate	104
Whole Egg	100
Cow’s Milk	91
Egg White	88
Fish	83
Beef	80
Chicken	79
Casein	77
Rice	74
Soy	59
Wheat	54
Beans	49
Peanuts	43

Basically, as a rule of thumb, I don’t even count the proteins from foods that I consider primarily part of another macronutrient such as my carbs and fats. I only count proteins found from sources that are highly bio-available to our bodies.

Focusing on getting your proteins from the sources listed high in the table will really go a long way when it comes gaining muscle and fat loss.

If you are looking for a good protein powder, I would highly recommend Prograde Supplements. I get my protein powder from them as well as my multivitamin and fish oil.

They have a highly Bio-Available protein powder available that is made from quality ingredients and it actually taste delicious!

Prograde High Bio-Availability Supplement <———–Click Here

If you have any question about this article, let me know and I would be happy to help

Joey