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Featured Recipe: Egg & Salmon Sandwich

Protein For Rebuilding and Repairing

What researchers do know about protein is that it’s critical for recovery after intense exercise. Protein consists of 20 different amino acids—nine that are essential (meaning that we have to get them from food) and 11 that the body can produce. When athletes eat foods containing protein within a few hours of working out, their bodies make more protein than they break down. The result? They’re repairing muscles that get torn up during high-intensity exercise, which means that, at the end of the day, they’re maintaining—or even gaining—muscle.

“We don’t know which amino acids are best, and there’s certainly no evidence that any one protein-based product is better [for recovery] than another,” says Gibala. “The message for athletes is that eating a food that provides some protein after a workout is going to be beneficial. Does it matter if you get it from a glass of chocolate milk or a tuna fish sandwich or a protein bar? Right now, we can’t say, so our advice is just to eat real food when you can.”

Sports nutrition experts recommend spreading small protein meals throughout the day since frequently consuming small doses helps the body convert amino acids from food into protein it can use to build new muscle.

“If you look at body builders, some of them intuitively eat every two to three hours to the point of waking up in the middle of the night to eat a small amount of protein,” says Gibala. How small? Benefits come with as little as 6 grams of protein—that’s what you’d get in an egg or a glass of milk. The recommended protein intake is 0.4 gram per pound of body weight for moderately active individuals and about 1 gram per pound if you lift like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Some of the recovery shakes have 50 grams of protein,” says Meyer. “That’s overkill; the body will not profit from that.” In fact, the body will process excess protein as it does all extra calories: those not used will be stored as fat. Instead of overdoing it on protein, experts tell athletes to add complex carbs, such as vegetables and whole grains, to their post-workout meals. Scientists think that these healthful carbs may help the body absorb protein. Complex carbs also contain many essential vitamins and minerals that aid in recovery and muscle building, and they offer the body an alternate source of energy so it can reserve protein from the diet for muscle repair and growth.

Speedskater Chris Needham follows this advice. “I love eating a big juicy steak after a workout,” he says, “But it’s not like I’m going to the Texas Roadhouse and having a 42-ounce slab of meat. I eat a balanced meal with lots of fresh vegetables and some potatoes—something that covers all of the bases.” Needham’s strategy not only prevents protein overkill, it also limits his intake of saturated fat.

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