Traditionally, protein-rich foods have been synonymous with muscular athletes. The (misguided) theory is that if you eat a lot of protein, you will build a lot of muscle. But extra protein does not build extra muscle, exercise does – heavy weightlifting, push-ups, and other forms of resistance exercise that build and strengthen muscles.

Carbohydrate-rich grains, fruits, and vegetables are indeed the best foundation for every type of training programme. Even bodybuilders need a carbohydrate-based diet because carbohydrates are stored in the muscles for energy. You can’t lift weights and demand a lot from your workout sessions if your muscles are carbo-depleted. Protein-based diets that are low in carbohydrates provide inadequate muscle fuel for you to exercise hard enough to build to your potential.

The best sports diet contains adequate, but not excessive, protein to build and repair muscle tissue, grow hair and fingernails, produce hormones, boost your immune system, and replace red blood cells. Most people who eat moderate portions of protein-rich foods daily get more protein than they need. Any excess protein is burned for energy or, as a last resort, stored as glycogen or fat. Humans do not store excess protein as protein or amino acids, so we need to consume adequate protein each day. Daily protein is particularly important for dieters who are restricting calories, because protein is burned for energy when carbohydrates are scarce.

Too Much Protein (oops)
Contrary to what most people think, too much protein can create problems with health and performance (even though the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn):

• If you fill your stomach with too much protein, you won’t be fuelling your muscles with carbohydrates.
• Anyone who eats excess protein may need to urinate more frequently, because protein breaks down into urea, a waste product eliminated in the urine. Frequent trips to the bathroom may be an inconvenience during training and competition, to say nothing of increasing the risk of becoming dehydrated and burdening the kidneys.
• A diet high in protein can easily be high in fat (juicy steaks, bacon and eggs, pepperoni pizza, and so on). For the sake of your heart and for improved athletic performance, you should reduce your intake of the saturated fats found in animal proteins.

Protein and the Vegetarian
The trick to eating a balanced vegetarian diet is to make the effort to replace beef with beans. If you eliminate meat, you need to add a source of plant protein. You can easily get adequate protein to support your sports programme by including kidney beans, chickpeas, peanut butter, tofu, nuts, and other plant proteins in your daily diet. Some non-meat eaters, however, simply fuel up only on carbohydrates and neglect their protein needs.

Iron and Zinc in Foods
Iron is a necessary component of haemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs to the working muscles. If you are iron deficient, you are likely to fatigue easily upon exertion. The target iron intake (of 18 mg) is high because only a small percentage is absorbed. The best iron sources are animal products and fish; the body absorbs far less iron from plant foods.

The mineral zinc is part of more than 100 enzymes that help your body function properly. For example, zinc helps remove carbon dioxide from your muscles when you exercise. Zinc also enhances the healing process. Because the zinc from animal protein is absorbed better than zinc from plants, vegetarian athletes are at risk of eating a zinc-deficient diet. Like the target for iron, this target is also set high (11 mg) and may be hard to consume. But athletes who sweat heavily and incur zinc losses through sweat should try to hit the target intake.

The Balanced Vegetarian Diet (specially summarised for Shu Feng)
Without question, a diet based on plant foods can contribute to good health. A plant-based diet tends to have more fibre, less saturated fat and cholesterol, and more phytochemicals – active compounds that may play an important role in preventing and treating diseases such as cancer. Foods rich in phytochemicals include not only fruits and vegetables but also the protein-rich foods common to a plant-based diet: nuts, legumes, dried beans, and peas.

But some vegetarians often turn to cheese for protein. They are unaware, though, that cheese has far more saturated fat than lean meats and that eating a cheese sandwich is, in that respect, worse than a lean roast-beef sandwich without mayonnaise.

Tofu and other soy products, such as soy burgers (may I say ‘Yuck!’?) and soy milk, are excellent healthful additions to a meat-free diet. They not only contain a source of high-quality protein that is equivalent in value to animal protein but also have properties that may protect against heart disease and cancer. If you make the effort to include soy foods in your diet, the more likely you are to lower the bad cholesterol.

Milk, other dairy foods, fish, poultry, meat, and all animal sources of protein contain all eight or nine essential amino acids and are often referred to as complete proteins. The proteins in soy foods such as tofu and soy milk are also complete proteins. The proteins in rice, beans, pasta, lentils, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods are incomplete because they have low levels of some of the essential amino acids. Therefore, vegetarians must know how to combine incomplete proteins to make them complete. Vegetarians who drink milk can easily do this by adding dairy to each meal, such as combining milk with oatmeal or sprinkling grated LOW-FAT cheese on beans.