Protein
Protein is also known colloquially as protein. It is an important building block in every cell in your body. A sufficiently high intake of protein is particularly important in bodybuilding and muscle building.
Protein is one of three macronutrients that make up food. The other two macronutrients are carbohydrates and fat.
Nutritional value / calories
1 gram of protein has about 4 kilocalories, or about 17 kilojoules:
| Macronutrient | Kilocalories | Kilojoule |
| Protein | 4,1 | that. 17 |
| carbohydrate | 4,1 | that. 17 |
| fat | 9,3 | that. 39 |
Foods high in protein
What foods should you consume to get a lot of protein?
Animal foods:
Above all, it has a high proportion flesh. I recommend poultry because you eat a lot of protein and at the same time low in fat, carbohydrates and calories.
The No (Egg yolks and the whites of the egg) are also great foods with a biological value of 100.
Milk and cheese are also high in protein. However, pay attention to the number of calories and fat content.
Plant foods:
Plant foods have less protein compared to animal foods.
Especially recommended are Oatmeal and nuts. They are high in protein. Avocados also have healthy, unsaturated fats. However, pay attention to the number of calories and the fat content.
Some foods high in protein that I find highly recommended:
| Animal products | Protein content on 100 grams |
| harzer cheese | 30g |
| poultry | 20g |
| fish | 16-23g |
| Cheese (Gouda) | 25g |
| No (Vollei) | 13g |
| lowfat quark | 12g |
| Skyr | 11g |
| milk | 3,4 |
| Plant-based foods | Protein content on 100 grams |
| oatmeal | 13g |
| nuts | ca. 8-20g |
| peanut | 26g |
| Red lenses | 25g |
| Soybeans | 24g |
| Broccoli | 3g |
| Avocado | 2g |
Various foods in these categories are summarized under generic terms such as fish or nuts.
Protein Need: How Much Protein Do You Need?
If you do sedentary activities most of the day, you won't need a lot of protein. 0.8 - 1 gram per kilogram of body weight is sufficient. However, if you want to do bodybuilding and build muscle, you should consume more protein. About 2 grams per kilogram of body weight are a good goal in the long term. With this amount, you ensure that your body has sufficient building materials available for building muscle.
amino acids
Proteins consist of 21 different amino acids. We make a difference essential and non-essential amino acids: Your body cannot produce essential amino acids (8) itself. You have to get them from your diet. Your body can produce the non-essential amino acids (13) itself.
Biological value of protein sources
Your body cannot utilize every source of protein equally well. The whole egg, for example, has a biological value of 100. This means that the composition of the amino acids in the egg are very similar to those in your body. So your body can utilize this protein very well. Meat and animal products are another very good source.
Vegetable foods also contain protein, but significantly less than animal foods. Their biological value and thus availability for your body is also lower.
The solution: It is best to combine different foods and protein sources to increase their biological value!
Want to learn more about protein? Read my article "Protein - The Stuff Your Muscles Are Made Of!"
Find out more about food and its biological value
2 comments
Jack Richardson
Hello Sebastian,
which protein powder do you recommend?
It should also be low in sugar.
What do you think of ESN?
greetings
Jack Richardson
Genry Brown
Hello Bill,
The choice of your protein powder is ultimately a question of your own taste, how much money you want to spend and who you want to support.
Nowadays, hardly any manufacturer can afford to dupe their customers with falsified values or bad ingredients.
That would come out quickly and the image damage would be enormous.
I have tried different whey (i.e. whey) protein powders from different manufacturers, currently I use a vanilla whey from MyProtein. According to the manufacturer, this has 80g protein and 6.2g sugar per 100g. According to the website, the comparable one from ESN also has 80g protein with 3.5g sugar per 100g.
I think this level of sugar isn't a problem if you have one shake a day.
ESN advertises that almost all products are manufactured in Germany and is contracting more and more active, well-known German professional bodybuilders (David Hoffmann, Tim Budesheim, etc.) as sponsors. Of course, if these factors are important to you, you can try their products.
If you want to support a certain athlete, you can support him with his sponsor with the appropriate code.
As I said, you have to try for yourself which protein powder is best for you. Every manufacturer tastes a little different. I am of the opinion that the differences in quality should be small, at least with the larger manufacturers.
best regards
Sebastian