Why Protein Is One Of The Best Investments For Your Body

Rising Costs For Protein

For most food connoisseurs, taste is almost always prioritized while nutritional value is considered as an afterthought. Humans have a more emotional relationship with food than a logical one, which is why spending money on food is seen as a personal matter rather than a matter of health.

Educated consumers usually choose the best quality food from local or regional distributors, who tend to charge more. Food delivery and meal services often cost more than shopping at grocery stores.

Higher food prices are not only due to rising shipping costs but also to lower cattle numbers resulting from drought, especially in beef. Prices have risen most for food with the highest nutritional value, such as organic produce and animal products.

Protein sources in the form of poultry, beef, pork, and wild-caught fish, farmed in ideal conditions, are generally at higher price points than other food on the store shelves for a good reason. Cheaper, more convenient protein options such as protein bars and shakes are available, but they come with the compromise of added sugars and chemical additives (see Top 5 Male Endocrine Disruptors).

With all of this considered, is investing in the highest quality protein sources really worth it for your long-term health? Before making your next grocery purchase, consider what foods you’re choosing to consume for your well-being.

Why Protein Is One Of The Best Investments For Your Body

Protein is known for being the staple of a meal or the portion of food that brings the most satiety, but why is protein so valuable in the diet? What purpose does this nutrient serve for active individuals or athletes?

Consuming protein for active individuals helps replace protein broken down during exercise and/or maintain lean body mass. With less protein in the diet, building muscle becomes nearly impossible, and atrophy of lean tissue can start to occur, especially when undergoing a lengthy caloric deficit (see How To Successfully Lose Fat On A Cut).

The commonly asked question is how much protein each individual needs daily. Protein intake should never be more than the lean body mass weight, which is calculated by the current weight minus body fat (e.g., 220 lbs – 20% body fat = 176lbs lean body mass).

After calculating daily protein requirements, the next factor to consider is the bioavailability of the protein source. In other words, how much of the protein consumed can actually be used to build muscle?

The protein with the highest bioavailability is derived from animal sources, while vegetable sources have the lowest. This is because the protein from vegetable sources is bound to indigestible fiber in the stomach.

Bioavailability can be measured by two markers: PDCAA (Protein Digetable Corrected Amino Acid) on a scale from 0 to 1 (0 being the lowest, 1 the highest):

or DIASS (Digestable Indispensable Amino Acid Score), which rates digestability in the small intestine only.

High-quality, bioavailable protein provides valuable nutrients such as iron, zinc, B vitamins, and selenium, which can be found in red meat sources like lamb or beef. Red meat also has the complete amino acid profile needed to repair and build muscle after muscle stimulation.

Wild-caught fish, such as salmon or mackerel, have healthy omega-3 essential fats that are optimal for the nervous system and brain health. Red meat and wild-caught protein sources are the best sources of protein.

Where To Find The Best Sources of Protein

The best sources of protein are animal products from farms that use ideal farming practices, including eggs, dairy, meat, and wild-caught fish. Supermarket chains can vary greatly in the choice of farms that they source their products from, which can generally be unreliable when you truly do your research.

Online food distributors and local farming communities have taken this section of the market for consumers who are more concerned with the agriculture and livestock living conditions of their food. Companies are recognizing that the public is well aware of the low standards of frozen food delivered to supermarkets and are willing to pay premium prices for better quality.

A quick internet search can bring up many meat distributors that serve nationwide or local farms that serve communities with weekly gatherings or markets to sell their products/produce. Many farmers now offer subscription services for consumers seeking price breaks or deals for regular shoppers buying in bulk.

Make sure to research the farm you choose to get your animal products from, verifying the farming conditions, the quality of the livestock, the type of cattle feed, and how the cattle are raised. Once you build a strong relationship with your local rancher/farmer, it will be much easier to regularly source high-quality food.

The Wrap Up

Selecting the highest-quality food regularly should be your top priority for your health. Especially true when it comes to the type of protein you choose as a part of your diet, since this is a vital macronutrient that encourages repair of muscle tissue damage from strenuous exercise. Protein is usually poorly marketed and distributed, which is why it should be carefully considered for its bioavailability, cost, and effects on the body.

What else do you want to know?

The Top 5 Endocrine Distruptors Effecting Male Health

How to Successfully Lose Fat On a Cut

How Much Protein Do You Need Daily?

Why Gyms Are Quickly Becoming Overrated

How Much Weight Should You Lose A Week

How Frequent Snacking Can Ruin Your Physique