20. Nutrition and Protein

Nutrition and Protein

The fourth pillar in fat loss is nutrition. It sounds obvious but it does need repeating. You are made of what you eat and drink. What goes in becomes part of you. If you put garbage in you get garbage out. To put it in simple terms, you are made up of cells. These cells are made up of protoplasm. To stay alive you need three things to maintain this protoplasm:

  • Oxygen
  • Structural materials
  • Energy

The structural materials of cells are water and protein; this is what physically makes up the protoplasm. Energy comes from fats, protein and carbohydrates; you need all of these to survive.


PROTEIN

We need protein in the diet to provide energy, essential amino acids and to provide the building material for the body. The body cannot store protein for further use and so you need a set amount every day to stay healthy. Health professionals recommend that men eat 55.5g protein per day and women 45g. Getting the minimum amount of protein is not an issue in the normal western diet, however, too much protein is also unhealthy. This is because you need to eliminate all the excess in the form of urea, which is poisonous. This is why it’s important to control the amount of protein you eat. When you are altering your diet this becomes all the more important. Protein shakes can be a great way to regulate the amount of protein you take in. You are literally measuring out how much protein you need. Not too much or too little.

Find out more about the Protein Shake I recommend here.