Best Protein Sources For Muscle Growth | Protein Sources Explained
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When it comes to building muscle, I think everyone knows that protein is kind of a big deal. But the source of your protein can also play an important role when it comes to maximizing muscle gain since it determines the quality of your protein. You can get your protein from two sources: animals or plants.
First, let’s define what makes a protein source high quality: Basically, it comes down to two things: a complete amino acid profile and high digestibility.
A quality source of protein will have all 9 essential amino acids, which includes a high leucine content and this is important because leucine is crucial in muscle building while reducing muscle protein breakdown. It’s kind of the “initiator” of muscle protein synthesis. The other 8 amino acids are also important in building muscle but they HAVE to come from your food sources since your body can’t synthesize them. So a protein source that can deliver all 9 essential amino acids is a complete protein source. Digestibility is also important because the more digestible a protein source is, the greater the amount of amino acids can be used in muscle protein synthesis. Because of these two factors, animal sources are higher in quality and more anabolic than plant sources in both amino acid profile and digestibility. However this doesn’t mean that you can’t maximize muscle growth if you are a vegetarian or vegan. All it really means is that slightly more effort on your part is needed when choosing your protein source.
Let’s start with animal sources first. There are several on this list but Whey Protein Powder leads the way (get it?). Not only does it have all 9 essential amino high acids and is fast digesting, but it’s incredibly convenient. It also provides a range of different flavors in case you’re experiencing flavor fatigue from chicken and steak. And if you’re currently losing fat, it’s a great option to get protein without getting a lot of calories. However, despite the quality of whey protein, it shouldn’t be used as a meal replacement. Protein powders do not provide any micronutrients such as vitamins or minerals and these play a key role in several metabolic processes in the body, which include muscle building.
Now an easy solution is simply to choose whole food protein sources. Some of the best options include eggs, chicken, turkey, fish and beef. You can probably already tell that not only are these foods high in protein but they also provide a plethora of nutrients. Ideally, it’s best to incorporate a variety of these sources. For instance, fish is a wonderful source of omega-fatty acids, which are essential because the body can’t produce them. Iron is found in abundance in red meat. Chicken and turkey provide magnesium and zinc in addition to being lean options for protein. And eggs provide a lean source of protein in the form of egg whites while whole eggs contain a host of B vitamins. Egg protein is also nearly on par in terms of amino acid content and digestibility with whey protein and in some cases, may be considered a better option for individuals who need to avoid dairy.
Speaking of dairy, other protein sources such as yogurt casein and cottage cheese are also high quality in the sense that they have an abundance of complete amino acids. But in regards to digestion, these proteins sources are slower to digest than whey protein. A slower digesting protein makes more sense to take later in the evening where you won’t be eating until the next day.
Now when it comes to plant sources, it’s important to know that these proteins are not digested as efficiently due to a fiber call cellulose, which can impair the bioavailability of protein from these sources. Additionally, not all plant protein sources are complete in terms of amino acid profile. Quinoa and soy, for instance, are complete sources but if you don’t want to eat them, then you’ll likely need to combine other plant-based protein sources to obtain a complete amino acid profile.
What this basically means is that plant protein can also maximize muscle growth but you need to ensure that you include enough variety that can provide all 9 essential amino acids. For instance, beans and rice are complementary protein sources because they each contain essential amino acids that the other lacks. Additionally, to compensate for the lower bioavailability, increasing your totally daily protein intake for plant sources is encouraged. So if you had 20g of plant protein in one serving, it would be beneficial to increase that amount higher to offset the lower digestibility.
0:00-0:23 Intro
0:24-1:26 What Makes A Protein High Quality?
1:27-2:04 Whey Protein
2:05-2:47 Animal-Based Protein Sources
2:48-3:28 Slow Digesting Protein
3:29-3:55 Plant-Based Protein Sources
3:56-4:25 Can Vegans And Vegetarians Build Muscle?
4:26-5:07 Complementary Protein Sources
5:08-5:55 Summary
5:56-6:13 Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Scores
6:14 Outro