diet

Everyone knows the guy (or gal) that sees an infomercial or a movie or even just see something at a garage sale and suddenly have a new pursuit, a new aspiration. One year, they were going to be a tennis star to rival Pete Sampras or Venus Williams. Two weeks later they showed up at the office with their arm in a sling and tack a notice on the bulletin board selling off their gently used tennis gear. The following year, it was hockey and they bought the skates, stick and pads with visions of being as graceful as former Pittsburgh Penguin, Mario Lemieux on the ice. Instead, it was like watching a penguin try to achieve flight and the bulletin hit the board a few days later. This time it is strength training because of all of the benefits that it will provide to them.

We all understand the importance of protein in the diet. Protein is one of three macronutrients that the body needs in order to survive. But did you know that there are different sources of protein, and that some are much better for you than others? It is extremely important to understand healthy eating and the need to have the right proteins in your diet.

The human body is a complex organism that undergoes numerous physical and chemical changes each and every day. While complex in its processes, the makeup of the average human diet is quite simple. According to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board, the human diet should be made up of 40-65 percent carbohydrates, 20-35 percent fats, and 10-35 percent protein (Food and Nutrition Board). Protein is an extremely important macronutrient, not only because it is an important building block in your body and is found in every cell, but because it helps repair your damaged muscles and keeps your body healthy. For athletes, protein plays a vital role in muscle building, so obviously they will be more protein rather than less.

Nutritional status is frequently impaired among hospitalized patients. It is widely agreed that routine hospital practices can further adversely affect the nutritional status of sick patients. There is no doubt that meeting protein requirements is a must, and a lack of protein has serious implications for health, recovery from illness or surgery, and hospital costs. Many body tissues are composed of proteins, and protein requirement is increased for many sick patients as their bodies recover from illness or injury.

Old myths die hard, it would seem. One of the biggest myths that surrounds protein is that a strength training athlete needs to eat a lot of protein so that he or she can get bigger and bigger. This is simply not true, and in fact, too much protein may be dangerous to their efforts. The strength training athlete needs to follow the same diet plan that has long been held by the endurance athlete. Those who are training for improved endurance eat a diet that is higher in carbohydrates, lower in fat and moderate in proteins. The strength athletes tend to eat a diet that is higher in protein and fat and lower in carbohydrates, sticking to the erroneous belief that carbs are the enemy of their efforts.

The years between 2000 and 2010 cardiovascular related deaths have dropped 40% and stroke related deaths have dropped 35%. The number of people who smoke has only dropped 16% and those who are obese have declined by less than three percent. (Source Macready 2010) Good cardiovascular health relies on two different concepts – behaviors and factors. Finding the ideal of these two concepts is the most important way to get to good cardiovascular health.