One supplement that I take is Omega-3 Fish Oils. This is in addition to eating fish like salmon or tuna a few times a week. By improving the ratio of omega 3 to 6 in my body (omega-6 fats are very common in the typical north american diet), I've generally felt healthier and my recovery after exercise has gotten better. Exercise breaks down your muscles, so your body needs protein for regeneration. So, a person's protein needs are determined not only by body mass, but also by their level of activity. More active = more protein intake. In general, however, it's simply important to eat healthy foods. Most people that I know don't pay much attention to what they eat, and end up eating lots of junk food. For good health (and good sports performance too), make sure to do the basic things like eating lean cuts of meat, lots of vegetables (both in quantity and variety), getting plenty of fiber, eatning breakfast, etc.
Very true, we could probably devote an entire thread to various protiens and their various benefits/drawbacks. I love fish, espcecially tuna and Salmon. Most my protien in take is Chicken at this point, though the amount of Sushi I've been eating recently, fish a very close second. Cooler... I have a number of friends who are vegetarian/vegans. Only one was a high performance athelete (triathlete) who ultimatly had to give up being a vagan as the lack of protien in her diet led to her body breaking down (sever muscle breakdown and fatigue). I know of very few high perfromance athletes who can maintain a top level being vegetarian. No knock against it as I know I could stand to eat more veggies. The greatest mystery to me: How the hell do the French ( as in Eurpoean)people stay relatively skinny as a culture when they eat so late at night and have a relatively "bad" diet. Most reports I've read point to portion side, but it seems too easy an answer.
Yep. For normal people, being a vegetarian is no problem, even "good". But if you are a high performance athlete, it just won't cut it.
Don't forget there are just as much protein in pulses and tofu than in meat. Combine protein from pulses and from grains you have a first class protein significantly better than those from meat. Your blood chemistry doesn't get acidic like you get from meat protein. Just look at the Indians who are not muslims. Most of them are vegetarians, including, I am sure, most of their top badminton players.
There are two seperate issues here. Vegetarian vs non-vegetarian, and high protein vs moderate protein. I would say that if you are a bodybuilder, you probably do need more protein than a sedentary individual. But if you are an endurance athelete, you probabyl need more carbohydrate than a sedentary individual. Both high protein and high carb can be achieved by meat eaters and vegetarians. FYI Dave Scott who is a 5 time iron man winner is a vegetarian and was even vegan for a number of those wins.
