Muscles
Jamie Risedorph,
Nutritionist
Muscles are one of the most
misunderstood of all the body’s tissues, and the best way to build muscle is a
controversial topic. There is so much money to be made by selling protein
supplements that claim to build muscle that the facts have become hugely
distorted. Here’s a fact: muscles are built with amino acids (protein), but to
utilize those nutrients to make muscles larger, you need to work the
muscles! There is rarely any need to add extra protein to the diet in order to
build more muscle.
"Protein builds and
repairs body tissue which might be damaged during exercise," says Jackie
Berning, PhD, RD, assistant professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado
Springs and a nutrition consultant to the US Olympic swimming team, the Denver
Broncos, and other professional teams. Eating too much protein, however,
strains your kidneys as they remove the excess from your body. Excess protein
may also interfere with calcium absorption and make it more difficult to get the
recommended 55 to 60 percent of your calories from carbohydrates.
For instance, regular walkers
need just 0.7 g of protein per pound of body weight each day. For a
135-pound woman, that's 95 g of protein. This is the amount of protein found in
1 cup of yogurt plus 2 cups of soybeans, or a veggie burger and 1/4 pound of
chicken.
Even
sporadic exercise increases your need for the B vitamin riboflavin, and vitamin
B6 is involved in metabolizing protein, which your body needs for repairing
muscle. What's more, though the Daily Value for vitamin B6 is 2 mg, exercise
stresses the metabolic pathways that use this vitamin, so athletes and active
women may need up to two times the Daily Value.
Good
food sources for B vitamins include: chicken breast, acorn squash, watermelon,
banana, tomato juice, spinach, broccoli, and rice.
Your muscles burn stored glucose (glycogen) when you
exercise. Glucose is derived form carbohydrates. There are two types of
carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are found in foods such
as sugar and milk. Complex carbohydrates are found in the fibers and starches
of plant foods. Whole grains and pasta contain complex carbohydrates, as do
vegetables and legumes. Because complex carbohydrates are usually lower in fat
and higher in nutritional value than simple carbs, they're a better choice for
everyone. Complex carbs also offer healthy amounts of fiber, a substance that
encourages weight loss because it's bulky and therefore fills you up quickly,
so you'll eat less.
Iron
is essential to the production of red blood cells and plays a vital role in
transporting and helping the body use oxygen. It's estimated that about 16% of
all American women are iron-depleted- not bad enough to be considered anemic,
but still low enough to affect physical performance. The Daily Value for iron
is 18 mg.
Never
take iron supplements except under the direction of your doctor. Iron can be
found in: lean red meats, poultry, eggs, legumes, Cream of Wheat cereal, baked
potatoes, soybeans, and clams.
Think of zinc as the FedEx of
the blood system. It's a zinc-containing enzyme in red blood cells (carbonic
anhydrase) that helps the cells pick up carbon dioxide in the body and drop it
off in the lungs for exhaling. Without it, our muscles couldn't contract and
produce energy. Even slightly reduced levels of zinc can make you feel
sluggish.
The more fit
you are, the more important zinc is to proper functioning because your body
uses more carbonic anhydrase when you're working out than when you're resting.
Women need at least 12 mg of zinc a day. Oysters, lean ground beef, sirloin
steak, turkey thighs and drumsticks, and lentil soup are all good food sources
of zinc.
Calcium-poor diets can lead to
stress fractures and osteoporosis and may also be a cause of muscle cramps,
since calcium plays an essential role in muscle contraction
Nutrients and Supplements
Nutrients that help build
and maintain muscle strength and promote the repair of damaged muscle:
Riboflavin
(B2) B6 B12 Iron Zinc Calcium
Food Sources
1.
Riboflavin-
Brewer’s yeast is the richest natural source of vitamin B2. Other sources include oysters,
lean meat, green leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, avocados, Brussels
sprouts, salmon, mackerel, trout, Nori seaweed, eggs, shellfish, wild rice,
dried peas, beans, and sunflower seeds.
2.
B6- sweet
potatoes, avocados, brown rice, sunflower seeds, chick peas, salmon, pork,
chicken, turkey, potatoes, bok choy, beans, bananas, tuna, peanut butter,
spinach, broccoli, acorn squash
3.
B12: fish, eggs, meat, poultry and dairy products
4.
Iron- lean red
meats, poultry, eggs, legumes, Cream of Wheat cereal, baked potatoes, soybeans,
and clams.
5.
Zinc- oysters, lean red meat, dark turkey meat, and lentils
6.
Calcium- dairy products, leafy dark greens
like spinach, kale, broccoli, collards, escarole, tofu and sardines
Supplements Defined
You may have noticed I did
not recommend any supplements for building muscle, even one’s like creatine,
which is a substance our bodies naturally produce. I firmly believe that we can
get all the muscle building nutrients from our foods and by maintaining a
healthy exercise program, Too many of the commercially produced supplements can
cause kidney and liver damage. Even creatine, which if we have excess amounts,
our bodies just excrete it. Some studies have shown that older individuals who
are producing less natural creatine can benefit by supplementing with it. I
feel the risk is to great. Take this link http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/performance-enhancing-drugs/hq01105
to the Mayo Clinic’s website and see if you agree.
Exercise
All forms of exercise, from
walking to weight training, tone and strengthen your muscles. The only time you
need to alter your healthy diet to improve muscle mass is if you are training
to be a body builder, and in that case you should be working closely with a
personal trainer who should be able to recommend healthy menus for muscle gain.
DON’T OVERDO THE PROTEIN!!
Negative interactions and
foods to avoid:
Overeating protein,
especially animal based proteins, can cause bone loss. Remember the.0.7 gram of protein per pound of body
weight rule
Ironically, one of the most
important vitamins in maintaining nerve health, B6, can also cause nerve damage
if taken in excess. While you are highly unlikely to get too much
B6 just from eating the healthy food sources listed above, if you supplement
with more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) you can cause damage. The
RDAs for Vitamin B6 for healthy adults are 1.3 mg/day in males and females
19-50 years old. The RDA rises with age. Males age 51 years and older
need 1.7 mg/day; females age 51 years and older need 1.5 mg/day. The Tolerable
Upper Intake Level for pyridoxine (synthetic B6 is called pyridoxine) is set at
100 milligrams a day. Nerve damage occurs at 10 to 20 times the UL. The nerve
damage causes a temporary deadening of the nerves in the feet and a change in
gait.
Please note:
It is extremely rare for
healthy people to get too much of any vitamin or mineral simply by eating the
foods that contain them. This can be untrue for people with health
issues such as cancer, diabetes and kidney or liver problems. Please see the cautions listed on the pages
concerning your health issues.
