Amino Acids vs Whey | Eating 101 | Forum

I've been doing weight lighting for about 6 months now, I've had a good diet while also taking whey, I've seen some good gains in weight and strength especially in the last month since I've started taking creatine, but my question is, since looking more into it, should I be taking amino acids or am I getting enough from my whey.

 From what I understand to put on weight and rebuild the muscle that I breakdown at the gym, I need protein which is a combination of different amino acids, which is what whey protein is, right? So surely that's enough, unless I stop taking the whey and start taking a combination of different amino acids, but then the question arises which ones and how much.

From what I can work out either is fine, so I think I'll stick with the whey, casein, and creatine, mainly for ease and price, but should I take any amino acids on top, any suggestions?

Also any other suggestions on supplements or performance enhancements would be great, please give reasons why.

Saw this at 5:30 this morning, figured I'd do it a little later… of course Darrin beats me…

Anywho, my thoughts exactly.  Darrin threw out almost word-for-word what I wouldn't said.  2 points I would like to add:

1. Whey and casein are "complete proteins" meaning they have all the amino acids that your body cannot produce on it's own.  Thats the main reason why you don't need any extra aminos at this time.  And the topic of good quality complete proteins brings me to…

2. Look into pea protein (a bit harder to find from my experience) if you are worried about absorbtion.  Also, there is almost no limit to how much you can eat (especially if you are gaining lean mass) of one of my favorite foods "Mr. Egg".  Stay away from soy, i sounds a lot easier than it really is.  There are more posts about that on the forums.  

Best of luck to you, we're here to help all the way.

2. Look into pea protein (a bit harder to find from my experience) if you are worried about absorbtion.

what do you mean by this, does pea protein absorb better into the body?
I was looking into pea protein because I thought that many sources of protein
would be better than a couple(does this make sence?) and I was thinking it would
be good to mix into food.

Here's a link to a related article about protein powders and such that I sent Darrin a while back (sent to me by someone else)….

http://www.xfactorfitnesssolut…..or-fitness

Cameron/Darrin,

Greetings from down under.

How about eggs as a pre-bed protein hit?

I've been considering buying some casein protein powder as a pre-bed booster. (I'm currently doing 6x6x6 and feel like my muscles need constant fuel for recovery!)

Would a quick snack of eggs do the same thing? i.e. slow release protein to extend recovery/fuel into the night.

The reason I ask is that I have six very happy free range chooks (chickens) in the back yard and hence a very low cost protein supply on tap!

Grant.

Darrin,

i work out in the morning too, but just out of curiosity, why should pm lifters avoid fats at night?

I'm fighting a long battle with the last bit of fat cover on my chest and belly and want to make sure i've got everything just right. I'm going to buy fatburnfurnace when i get home from holidays. I'm currently in day 21 of an alcohol ban! Haven't touched a drop, despite being away camping!
I've been considering buying 'burn the fat, feed the muscle' by tom venuto but i already have 'the truth about 6 pack abs'. Does it have considerable additional content to make it worth the money?
Grant

Cameron said:

Every time you eat protein your body absorbs it at different rates.  An example of this is that whey protein digests fast than casein protein.

 

However, another way of looking at things is the about of the serving that get absorbed.  In this retrospect I don't know of anything higher than pea protein (although if someone looks hard enough I'm sure they can find it).

 

Not too long ago I read an article about this, might be from WFN, might not be.  Darrin might know what I'm talking about if not, but the general gist of it is this:

 

Every time food, supplement, etc. is eaten your body has a limited amount of time from entry to excretion to absorb as much nutrients from the food as possible.  I don't remember the exact numbers of percentages on this, so if I'm a little off, sorry. (But, you'll still get the point i'm trying to make.)

-Your body absorbs somewhere around 85% of a serving of whey protein, the rest is excreted out (via the toilet).

-Milk is higher somewhere in the low 90% area.

-Eggs are somewhere around 95%.

- Pea protein is somewhere around 98% absorptive.

-In contrast peanuts, for example, are really only about 50% absorptive. 

 

An example of what this means for the average person is this…

A peanut (from a dietary standpoint) is not a protein, it's a fat.  While yes, it may be 7g protein in a serving, it's still a WHOLE LOT more fats.  Now to build upon that, if you are using what little protein is in the peanut as a main protein source (which peanuts are not, it's just an example) you will realize with only 50% of the protein actually being used by the body you not getting your dietary needs.

 

Thus we come to the pea….  pea protein has always been know as a GREAT vegetarian alternative for a natural protein powder (whey and casein come from cows, for anyone who doesn't know).  While it may or may not absorb as FAST as whey protein (I've never looked into the speed of digestion on it personally, although I can't imagine it being a ton slower due to it's absorption %) you do get MORE per serving that you do with whey protein.  

 

Now your question:

"What do you mean by this, does pea protein absorb better into the body?"  And the simple answer is "Yes." But, basing it off of the statement following that.  One of the main uses of pea protein is in food as additional protein (most of it is pretty tasteless).  However, more sources of protein isn't always better.  Too much protein with too few carbs will slow protein synthesis, which will have the opposite effect.  Quite frankly, as long as you have a decent QUALITY (not amount), complete proteins in your diet you shouldn't have to worry a WHOLE lot about adding sources outside of good nutrition and pre-/post- shakes.

 

Make sense?

Samuel MacKenzie said:

Thanks for the replys, I feel my diet is good, but I like to make sure my
protein and carb levels are right at the right time and shakes are good for that,
as I said I've started taking creatine and am noticing some great improvement,
are there any other supplement similar, i've been looking into taking NO2,
any other suggestions?

And Cameron I also love eggs too but i'm a bit concered about the Nutrition info
how that the fat and protein content are the same, and I try to especially
cut down fats around my workout window

Where do you find pea protein?

lol on the pea protein. I will try it. I have been using CYTOGAIN for my supplement for post work outs. I mix with water for my immediate recovery drink for quicker absortion. And mix with milk for other times during the day.