What actually is the Perfect Protein for Muscles?

Well, from my years of tracking my daily protein intake, and trying to match my protein to my body weight, I’ve realized that many of us don’t eat right. We eat whatever we want, work out, and they chug down a protein shake after our work out, and think we have met our protein target for the day. But there’s protein, and then there’s protein. Some foods contain a lot of protein, but then contain a lot of calories or fat too, which may defeat the purpose of what we are trying to achieve.

If you are trying to build strong, lean, tone muscles… my mind just wondered off there for a minute at the mention of strong muscles… what was I talking about again? Yes, I remember. If you want to build lean muscles, you have to really watch what you eat. Soy has been called the perfect protein, but then again, so have eggs. So what really is the perfect protein for building muscles? Well, in my opinion, there is more than one.

Lean Meat: We have heard so many things about meat. But I still must admit that meat is one of the easiest and best ways to meet your daily protein target. And when I say meat here, I am referring to both mammals and birds. What’s the condition? It should be LEAN meat. Meat contains a lot of protein, but also a lot of fat. Think about it this way: animals are like humans. They eat a bunch of crap. So when they die, guess what? Their bodies contain traces of all that crap in the form of fat. That fat doesn’t do too much for our bodies. To make sure you are getting the most amount of protein with the least amount of calories, stick to the loins and rounds. Don’t know what those are? Just ask the butcher.

Fish: One of the best types of fish for muscle development is salmon. How does fish differ from meat? Not only does it contain a huge amount of protein, it also contains Omega-3 fatty acids. To build muscle mass, your body needs to store new protein quicker than it breaks down stored protein. Omega-3 helps slow down the protein break down process. 

Eggs: Let me start by squashing the notion that you should never eat egg yolk. The yolk actually does contain a ton of protein and vitamin B12. Eggs are so perfect that the protein in eggs do even more than that in meat, yes, in meat. Therefore, if you eat the same amount of eggs and meat, the eggs do more. This fascinates me.

Soy: Soy is really one of the only plant proteins to be referred to as perfect. The difference between soy and animal proteins is that it is very low in saturated fat, low in calories, and 100% cholesterol-free. Now, I know the men are asking all sorts of questions here because there have been so many rumors about soy having negative *ahem* effects on men. Soy intake in really really large quantities tends to produce estrogen-like effects. Notice I said really really large quantities. You should not be trying to get all of your daily protein from soy. So a glass here, and a bowl there will help, not hurt, your muscle development. But if you decide to go beyond that as a man, it could start to generate some negative effects.

Dairy: Not all dairy is great for muscle growth. For example, cheese, ice cream, and whole milk generally contain a ton of calories. And so I’d advise that you stick to dairy products like skim milk or yoghurt to meet your recommended protein levels. Low fat dairy products usually contain few calories and tons of protein. And everyone (well, except lactose intolerant folk) has easy access to milk, right?

So which of these proteins have you decided is your perfect protein?

Cheers Eights & Weights!