I heard from a friend to eat a big spoonful of peanut butter for the protein before and after I exercise to help gain some muscle. Is this true or just a myth ? What is a good source of protein for just having protein in your diet ? I'm not trying to loose weight per say but too loose it and replace it with muscle. I love meat and I can can eat peanuts.
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Sport Peanut butter for protein ? Good source of protein ?
- Thread starter candleman
- Start date
Sport Fitness
Best source of protein is food. Stupid looking statement but it is true. I have heard so many 'best' foods for protein including raw egg white which we can't digest. Simple truth, if it has protein and we can digest it it's a good source, if it has more than 17 grams of protein in it and you have it in one go all but 17 grams will not even get into your blood stream unless its just after training then it will be 25 grams instead of 17.
Don't try viewing protein as a miracle food I cover this in the first part of http://training.fitness.com/articles-research/mythbusting-fitness-files-3-55308.html in detail.
The body needs very little protein for muscle gain and repair and the difference is roughly proportional to the amount of additional energy required to fuel the training. So if you are a couch potato eating 1,500 calories to survive and keep weight stable, the amount of protein you need is roughly 17.5% or calorific intake. You step up and start training meaning you need 2,000 calories a day to fuel the small additional energy use, protein requirement has increased to 17.5% of the 2,000 calories but proportion hasn't shifted. You become a serious athlete eating 5,000 calories a day just to maintain your muscular form and massive training regime, your protein need is now 2.5 times what it was when just starting training, lo and behold still 17.5% of calorie requirement.
Eating just before training has to be considered very carefully. Simple carbs and electrolytes are in and out in of your stomach in moments. Complex carbs can take up to half an hour, protein up to 2 hours, fats up to 4 hours to leave the stomach. There is a small gain to be made getting fuel into your body in the form of carbs and electrolytes before training, but you have to be really pushing it to notice the difference. Protein and fats, which are the major constituents of peanut butter, will not be called on for some time after training, however it could make you feel sick if you are really pushing it.
Don't try viewing protein as a miracle food I cover this in the first part of http://training.fitness.com/articles-research/mythbusting-fitness-files-3-55308.html in detail.
The body needs very little protein for muscle gain and repair and the difference is roughly proportional to the amount of additional energy required to fuel the training. So if you are a couch potato eating 1,500 calories to survive and keep weight stable, the amount of protein you need is roughly 17.5% or calorific intake. You step up and start training meaning you need 2,000 calories a day to fuel the small additional energy use, protein requirement has increased to 17.5% of the 2,000 calories but proportion hasn't shifted. You become a serious athlete eating 5,000 calories a day just to maintain your muscular form and massive training regime, your protein need is now 2.5 times what it was when just starting training, lo and behold still 17.5% of calorie requirement.
Eating just before training has to be considered very carefully. Simple carbs and electrolytes are in and out in of your stomach in moments. Complex carbs can take up to half an hour, protein up to 2 hours, fats up to 4 hours to leave the stomach. There is a small gain to be made getting fuel into your body in the form of carbs and electrolytes before training, but you have to be really pushing it to notice the difference. Protein and fats, which are the major constituents of peanut butter, will not be called on for some time after training, however it could make you feel sick if you are really pushing it.
Peanut Butter for Protein ?
First of all - skip the popular brand stuff as it is loaded with hydrogenated oil, sugar, etc....
So now let us look at natural peanut butter.
Read the label ...
7 grams of Protein, 6 gr. carbs, 16 grams Fat
So not a really "great" Protein source at all --- Peanut butter is more valued as a source of healthy nut fats than it is a high-protein source.
Call it a "fair" source for protein.
I qualify "great protein" sources as those where the most grams come from Protein - with carbs and fats following.
Funny you should ask this question - I use this exact example of peanut butter in my recent book as an example of people misunderstanding nutritional content of foods.
MICHAEL SPITZER - AUTHOR - FITNESS AT 40,50,60 AND BEYOND
First of all - skip the popular brand stuff as it is loaded with hydrogenated oil, sugar, etc....
So now let us look at natural peanut butter.
Read the label ...
7 grams of Protein, 6 gr. carbs, 16 grams Fat
So not a really "great" Protein source at all --- Peanut butter is more valued as a source of healthy nut fats than it is a high-protein source.
Call it a "fair" source for protein.
I qualify "great protein" sources as those where the most grams come from Protein - with carbs and fats following.
Funny you should ask this question - I use this exact example of peanut butter in my recent book as an example of people misunderstanding nutritional content of foods.
MICHAEL SPITZER - AUTHOR - FITNESS AT 40,50,60 AND BEYOND
Last edited:
It helps you lose weight
It's packed with nutrition
It's got the good fat
It's packed with nutrition
It's got the good fat
yes, nuts of all kinds will help you gain muscles if eaten during weight training... however red meat (fat removed) poultry and fish are all far better for you, and have more protein in them gram for gram. however - the nuts do have a lot of essential fatty acids and so forth which are excellent for eyes, skin, brain and everything.
the major downside to peanut butter over whole nuts is the sugar (turns quickly to fat if not processed quickly as energy) and high salt level, which increases the strain on the liver, heart and arteries.
i would recommend a high protein but balanced diet if you wish to keep the weight and the muscle on.
if you find you are not gaining as much as you would like, or not fast enough, i would recommend a good weight gain formula - the kind you buy in health food stores - ask your weight trainer at the gym
remember, one should never start on a weight loss or gain regime without consulting their doctor
the major downside to peanut butter over whole nuts is the sugar (turns quickly to fat if not processed quickly as energy) and high salt level, which increases the strain on the liver, heart and arteries.
i would recommend a high protein but balanced diet if you wish to keep the weight and the muscle on.
if you find you are not gaining as much as you would like, or not fast enough, i would recommend a good weight gain formula - the kind you buy in health food stores - ask your weight trainer at the gym
remember, one should never start on a weight loss or gain regime without consulting their doctor