[Combatcrazycaf]

I am a vegetarian and was hoping that someone could give me some advice on what is the best type of protein for after excercise?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks O:)

[mikesbytes]

What kind of vegetarian are you, ie where is the boundary?

[Combatcrazycaf]

mikesbytes, on Apr 29 2008, 01:23 PM, said:

What kind of vegetarian are you, ie where is the boundary?

I dont eat any kind of meat or fish but do eat dairy (not a vegan) O:)

[mikesbytes]

Eggs, cheese, rolled oats, nuts, protein powder, baked beans. Plenty more.

[Hard_yards]

Combatcrazycaf, on Apr 29 2008, 09:14 PM, said:

I am a vegetarian and was hoping that someone could give me some advice on what is the best type of protein for after excercise? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks O:)

Hi Combatcrazycaf,

Since you're asking specifically about post-workout nutrition, I'll focus on that first.

Recovery processes are complex and include refuelling, rehydrating and repairing. Muscle and body protein metabolism is a constant balance between protein breakdown and protein rebuilding. During exercise the balance shifts towards protein breakdown, while during recovery the balance tips in the opposite direction. Evidence suggests that consuming protein immediately after exercise appears to enhance muscle uptake and retention of amino acids, and promote a more positive protein balance.

The effect of post-exercise protein intake is best seen when the protein is combined with carbohydrate. Carbohydrate intake stimulates an increase in the hormone insulin, which in turn, stimulates the muscle to take up the amino acids. A protein-carbohydrate snack or meal after a workout makes good sense - not only for muscle repair and adaptation to training, but to provide carbohydrate fuel to restore muscle glycogen levels. Snacks or light meals that achieve this team-work include:

• Flavoured yoghurt
  
• Flavoured milk drinks
  
• Fruit smoothies
  
• Liquid meal supplements
  
• Sandwiches with cheese, or peanut paste
  
• Breakfast cereal and milk
  
• Sports bars

Personally, I opt for a banana smoothie with additional protein powder; and that's my meal for that part of the day. So when I train in the evening, I have the banana smoothie when I get home, and nothing else for the rest of the night.

Some other comments - we can get a bit fixated on post-workout nutrition, when actually the rest-of-the-day nutrition is probably more important. So, we need to get that right. A couple of tips for vegetarians are:

Be sure to eat a variety of food choices including protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich foods at each meal - and especially at the 'midday' meal. Legumes (chick peas, lentils, beans) provide a rich source of protein. Other good sources of protein include pasta, rice, tempeh, tofu and other soy products, wholegrain cereals - look for protein enriched varieties, wholemeal bread, nuts and seeds. Textured vegetable protein products - the vegetarian meat alternatives - also provide protein (although I don't eat these myself, I stick to fresh foods. I don't see any point in being a vegetarian who eats pretend meat.)

Iron is important too (and in some senses, especially for women) - the best sources of iron in a vegetarian diet include breakfast cereals (especially those commercially fortified with iron - check the nutrition information panel), bread, textured vegetable protein, legumes, dried beans, gluten-based vegetarian meat alternatives, nuts, dried fruits and green leafy vegetables. Including a rich source of vitamin C with meals such as orange juice or salad will enhance the absorption of non-haem iron from these meals. Be sure to avoid drinking tea and coffee with meals or adding unprocessed bran to meals as this will decrease the absorption of non-haem iron from meals.

Hope this helps - good luck.

[Combatcrazycaf]

Hard_yards, on Apr 30 2008, 12:40 AM, said:

Hi Combatcrazycaf,

Since you're asking specifically about post-workout nutrition, I'll focus on that first.

Recovery processes are complex and include refuelling, rehydrating and repairing. Muscle and body protein metabolism is a constant balance between protein breakdown and protein rebuilding. During exercise the balance shifts towards protein breakdown, while during recovery the balance tips in the opposite direction. Evidence suggests that consuming protein immediately after exercise appears to enhance muscle uptake and retention of amino acids, and promote a more positive protein balance.

The effect of post-exercise protein intake is best seen when the protein is combined with carbohydrate. Carbohydrate intake stimulates an increase in the hormone insulin, which in turn, stimulates the muscle to take up the amino acids. A protein-carbohydrate snack or meal after a workout makes good sense - not only for muscle repair and adaptation to training, but to provide carbohydrate fuel to restore muscle glycogen levels. Snacks or light meals that achieve this team-work include:

• Flavoured yoghurt
  
• Flavoured milk drinks
  
• Fruit smoothies
  
• Liquid meal supplements
  
• Sandwiches with cheese, or peanut paste
  
• Breakfast cereal and milk
  
• Sports bars

Personally, I opt for a banana smoothie with additional protein powder; and that's my meal for that part of the day. So when I train in the evening, I have the banana smoothie when I get home, and nothing else for the rest of the night.

Some other comments - we can get a bit fixated on post-workout nutrition, when actually the rest-of-the-day nutrition is probably more important. So, we need to get that right. A couple of tips for vegetarians are:

Be sure to eat a variety of food choices including protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich foods at each meal - and especially at the 'midday' meal. Legumes (chick peas, lentils, beans) provide a rich source of protein. Other good sources of protein include pasta, rice, tempeh, tofu and other soy products, wholegrain cereals - look for protein enriched varieties, wholemeal bread, nuts and seeds. Textured vegetable protein products - the vegetarian meat alternatives - also provide protein (although I don't eat these myself, I stick to fresh foods. I don't see any point in being a vegetarian who eats pretend meat.)

Iron is important too (and in some senses, especially for women) - the best sources of iron in a vegetarian diet include breakfast cereals (especially those commercially fortified with iron - check the nutrition information panel), bread, textured vegetable protein, legumes, dried beans, gluten-based vegetarian meat alternatives, nuts, dried fruits and green leafy vegetables. Including a rich source of vitamin C with meals such as orange juice or salad will enhance the absorption of non-haem iron from these meals. Be sure to avoid drinking tea and coffee with meals or adding unprocessed bran to meals as this will decrease the absorption of non-haem iron from meals.

Hope this helps - good luck.

Hi Hard-Yards,
Thank you so much for this it is really helpful and i will be using many of your suggestions. :biggrin: /

[Sandra Davis]

Try quonia(a grain) for lots of protein. It cooks much like rice and can be eaten hot or cold. I like mine tossed with some olive oil, some olives, chopped carrots, seasoning, tomatoes and maybe some cheese. Great as a cold salad. Also nuts of any kind are good too.
But stay away from canned nuts because they have a lot of salt in them. Beans or lentils should be a part of your daily diet too.