Whether you are a professional athlete or playing on team at your local YMCA or aiming for a personal best in your next workout, what you eat and drink day-to-day will affect how well you can train.

If you don’t eat well you may lack the energy to train with intensity and duration, break down your body’s lean tissue (muscle) for energy, lose bone strength, or get sick or injured.

In today’s post, we take a look at the importance of three key ingredients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) in your daily caloric intake and provide estimates on appropriate amounts for those individuals who have established a regular exercise routine.

Carbohydrate

Why do we need it? Everybody, from marathon runners to body builders, need carbohydrates. It provides quick energy for your muscles

Since fasting has been coming up a lot more frequently in the news lately, and its something I am a big supporter of I wanted to share one of my fasting experiences with all of you.  I had already completed my first 24hour fast weeks before this occasion.  The first time is quite the challenge and its purely mind of matter.  I call it “resetting the clock” on your personal hunger meter where you are separating your body’s actual hunger from the “food addiction” you’ve acquired over your entire life.

For this occasion I decided to do a 36 hour fast (drum roll please) on the basis that I felt quite disgusting after eating possibly the largest burrito ever assembled this side of Mexico.  At the time of eating said burrito I was at the home of

Many different articles on muscle building make a big deal about pre and post workout nutrition, specifically about the amount of protein needed to build and repair the body. Calculating your protein needs has traditionally followed the following formula:

1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary. Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Example: 154 lb male who is a regular exerciser and lifts weights
154 lbs/2.2 = 70kg
70kg x 1.5 = 105 gm protein/day

But does protein consumption during pre

Pop Quiz! It’s time to review the usual sources of protein:

Poultry (aka Chicken)

If you stick to the white meat of poultry, then your getting excellent, lean protein. Dark meat unfortunately is higher in fat. The skin is loaded with saturated fat and toxins, so please remove the skin before cooking and eating.

Fish & Seafood

The chicken of the sea, no-it’s actually tuna Ms. Simpson, is one of the best sources of protein because it’s usually low in fat. Fish such as salmon is a little higher in fat but it is the heart-healthy kind: omega-3 fatty acids.

Milk, Cheese, and Yogurt

Dairy foods are great sources of protein and they also contain valuable calcium. Choose skim, low fat, or better yet, organic dairy to keep bones and teeth strong, prevent osteoporosis and enhance fat loss.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the least expensive forms of protein and are often confused as dairy. They are better then

How much protein was in my meal? Was it enough? Oh no, my muscles are shrinking. This is just some of the chatter running through our brains because of the persistent bodybuilding message out there about eating quality protein with every meal. Good friend Brad Pilon, author of Eat-Stop-Eat, coined the term “Protein Guilt” to help capture this mental state. Sure, it is very important to get enough protein into our bodies especially after intense training. But missing out on our protein intake on occasion is not the end of the world.

Check out this quick video from Brad for more information about weight loss, muscle building and how much protein you really need to burn fat and build muscle at the same time.

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