By Carissa Savitsky Health Coach

Protein, protein and more protein! What is protein, why do I need protein, how will protein affect my performance and recovery at the gym, what kind of protein and when do I need to take it. There are a lot of factors that involve protein and the benefits or lack thereof if you aren’t getting the correct kind of protein, at the right time, in the right quantity! Phew who knew there was so much to know about protein and all of the essentials involved in consuming it.  So this is what this blog is going to be about, PROTEIN!!!!! Do I sound like a high school football player yet? Cause I feel like one with all of this protein talk!


First I will start off with what is protein? Protein is a macronutrient consisting of 4 calories per gram and it makes up 20% of our body.  Protein is the building block to our bodies tissues, organs, muscles, hair tendons, collagen, etc. Protein is made of amino acids which are what build our muscles and protein fuels muscle mass! Consume protein which leads to building muscle, don’t consume protein and don’t be surprised that you aren’t seeing results.  Our bodies are able to produce amino acids but what we can’t produce needs to come from the foods we eat which is why protein is so essential to our diets. An amino acid is what transports and stores nutrients in our bodies.


Now that you know what protein is, I will touch on why protein is so important for the physically active individual. Your body needs protein to build and repair tissues.  When we workout we can enter into a state where our body can actually fuel itself by breaking down its own muscle for energy. When the body is deprived of protein it enters into a catabolic state and the breakdown occurs. We want our bodies to stay in an anabolic state and this happens by consuming enough protein.


How much protein should you consume? For weightlifters it is recommended that they consume .8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For endurance athletes it is recommended that they consume .5-.65 grams per pound of body weight. If you are sedentary and don’t exercise much .36-0.6 grams per pound is adequate.


What kind of protein supplements are there? The most popular protein supplements are Whey, Casein, Pea, Brown Rice, Egg and Hemp.

Casein and Whey protein are the most absorbed by your body and the most effective so I will touch on those only as they are what I would recommend. If you are a vegan, then by all means go for the Pea, Brown Rice or Hemp protein, they are still great options.


When to consume protein! Ideally you will be eating protein at each meal therefore delivering the amino acids all day long. For aiding in faster recovery I will suggest supplementing with two proteins, whey and casein. With Whey protein it is a quickly absorbed protein that should be consumed within 30 minutes of completing your workout. Whey protein is absorbed quickly by the body resulting in protein syntheses and better muscle building and recovery. The second recommendation I will make is Casein protein used as a shake before bedtime. Casein is absorbed much slower by the body and when we are sleeping we are recovering. Our bodies are able to absorb the amino acids throughout the night aiding in faster and better recovery.


If you are wondering what kind of protein supplements to purchase I would recommend Naked Grass Fed Whey and Naked Casein which can be purchased on Amazon, through their website or we can place an order for you if you would like, just let me know if you are interested.

I would also recommend Mike’s Mix Whey protein; we stock that at the gym too.  Both of these companies stay away from ingredients you can’t pronounce, artificial or natural flavors, fillers etc.  I like purchasing products where I can pronounce all of the ingredients and with both of these companies the only ingredients listed are Whey and Casein, pretty simple.


If you would like to check the proteins out here is a link to their websites:

Alexander SavitskyComment