BodyFitness, Nutrition


	What’s your type? Of protein, that is…

By Matt Weik

Log onto the Internet and do a search for protein… and what do you find? A list a mile long of different brands. This article isn’t focusing on the brand, more so on the TYPE of protein. Yes, I said “type”. Some of you might not know there are different types of protein with different purposes. Heck, there might be a few of you out there who have never even looked at the ingredients on a tub of protein. This article will shed some light on the subject and break down what type of protein you need and when. Timing and the right type of protein is the key when looking for the best results.

Whey Concentrate
Whey concentrate is one of the most basic forms of protein that is found in many protein tubs on the shelves of supplement stores. People who are looking for an inexpensive protein source will find tubs of strictly whey protein concentrate with a lower price tag. This is a great starting point for beginners and those looking to add protein to their diet without making your wallet too much lighter. Some people will find though that they have a hard time digesting the concentrates and will end up feeling a little gassy and bloated. Whey concentrate can be used both pre- and post-workout and can also be used as a snack in between meals. This is not a preferred source of protein to be used at night.

Casein
If you are looking for a protein that will slowly breakdown over the course of several hours that you can use as a meal, or better yet right before you go to bed, then casein is definitely the way to go. Before bed if you consume some casein protein you will stay anabolic throughout the night and will be able to better utilize the protein in your body. Casein takes anywhere from 5-7 hours to fully break down, which keeps your body absorbing and utilizing the nutrients even while you sleep. People also use casein during the day to help stay full and keep a constant supply of protein in the body to supply the muscles with proper nutrition for hours after drinking a shake. Another positive to this source of protein is its high glutamine content. Glutamine helps boost the immune system and speed up recovery. This IS the preferred source of protein to use at night before bed.

Whey Isolates
Isolates are one of the quickest absorbing proteins (but not THE quickest… we will get to that soon enough). People will find this source of protein to be a bit on the expensive side, more so than whey concentrates but not nearly as expensive as the protein we will be touching on next.


	Buckwheat A Natural Approach To Boosting Your Gains



	*By Xavier Fox* When looking for foods to add to your bodybuilding repertoire, sometimes it becomes difficult with all of the seemingly endless choices. You need a food that is high in its specific nutritional value (carbohydrates or protein), low in calories for the amount of nutrition it has, provides you with vitamins and minerals, and it also must taste good to make sure that you will want to eat it. One of the foods that packs quite a punch and is still pleasing to the palette is buckwheat. Buckwheat contains iron, B vitamins, zinc, copper and manganese, as well as a large amount of potassium. Another fact that is important to bodybuilders is that buckwheat low on the glycemic index (GI). This makes it a good choice for about 1-1½ hours before your workout. It is also easy and quick to prepare, so buckwheat is a smart choice when getting ready in the morning when spare time is normally at its bare minimum. Why is being low on the glycemic index (GI) so important? Well, a man named Dr David Jenkins could tell you why. He developed the glycemic index (GI) ranking system so that individuals could determine which carbohydrates would be better choices for providing energy than others. People (including bodybuilders) could use it to choose their carbohydrate sources based on how those carbohydrates affected blood glucose levels. The importance of the GI ranking number of a food is that it will tell the consumer how quickly that type of food will raise their blood glucose levels. That, in turn, tells them how quickly that food will digest and be available for use as energy. The way that the glycemic index was created was that Dr Jenkins’s group used 50 grams of glucose as its control carbohydrate and arbitrarily scored its absorption rate into the blood at 100 (as in 100%). Then each carbohydrate source was compared against glucose as to how fast it got into the blood and, scored as a percentage of its absorption rate compared to glucose. Therefore, if 50 grams of a carbohydrate raised blood sugar levels 75% as much as 50 grams of glucose did, then that carbohydrate would be scored at 75. Now, by simply knowing the GI number, it is simple to see how that particular carbohydrate will raise blood glucose levels as compared to straight glucose. So, a carbohydrate that scores low on the GI is broken down and released much more slowly than glucose (the simplest sugar), while a carbohydrate that has a higher GI is broken down and released faster. For a bodybuilder this is important information. It allows bodybuilders to correctly choose between sources of carbohydrates when they need a slow and steady release of carbohydrates or when they need a source that would hit the system quickly and replenish lost glycogen stores immediately. Knowing this will help the bodybuilder keep his body performing at optimal levels as well as allow him to recuperate from workouts with maximum efficiency.