I hate to say it, but New Year’s is coming up pretty quick, and that means people are going to make promises to themselves that they probably can’t keep, or want to develop habits that they will probably drop after a few weeks. The most common problem is not doing your research before drastically changing your diet plan or working out a LOT more.
Here are 6 tips for what you should (and shouldn’t) be putting into your bodies when you make those drastic life changes, or just when you want to improve your lifestyle and fitness performance.
1. Pre-Workout: Creatine
What is it?
Creatine is commonly found in red meat and seafood, but is made in your body in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. According to the Mayo Clinic, creatine is converted to phosphocreatine, and then is stored in your muscles.
Why should you consume it?
Creatine is taken for short bursts of energy, and is most beneficial to sprinters and weightlifters. I take it as a preworkout and if I end up not working out afterwards, I’m just jittery. Creatine is just like caffeine.
2. Pre-Workout: BCAA
What is it?
Branch-chained amino acids (BCAAs) are critical for muscle endurance, recovery, and growth during your workout. Most BCAA powders contain Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine.
Why should you consume it?
Just like Creatine BCAAs give you a boost in energy. It’s basically a bunch of science-y terms saying that this stuff will basically make you feel like Captain America, er… Captain Marvel?
3. Whey Protein
What is it?
Whey is the liquid part that’s left over from curdling and straining milk. Milk has two types of proteins, casein and whey. Whey is added to protein shakes, meals, and protein bars, and can add more protein to your meal. Whey is especially abundant in the nine essential amino acids, such as BCAAs like leucine, talked about in the last section.
Why should you consume it?
Women who plan on getting pregnant in the future should take whey protein to stimulate growth in humans. According to Lonnerdal in 2003, human breast milk contains 60% whey, while cow’s milk only contains 20%. Lonnerdal also says that whey is “likely to be involved in the development of the intestinal mucosa and other organs of newborns” (Lonnerdal, 2003).
Whey Protein can also contribute to the development of lean muscle mass, while contributing to weight loss. (Miller, 2014)
4. Egg Whites
What is it?
Ok, if you don’t know what an egg white is, you need to go to the store and start eating more eggs. Egg whites are mainly 90% water and 10% protein. But they contain 67% of all of the entire protein in an egg (Health Line).
Why should you consume it?
Egg whites are very important to include in your diet if you want to lose weight, build muscle, and still have the same protein intake during the day. If you still want cholesterol and fat, that’s where the egg yolk comes in. Eating just the egg white though will leave you consuming less nutrients, as compared to eating the entire egg.
5. Multivitamins are NOT a suitable replacement for a good, healthy diet
What are multivitamins?
For me personally, I eat a well balanced breakfast (on most days… not including the poptart I ate today), and still take vitamins. Multivitamins can be found in the vitamins section at the supermarket, and contain all of your basic vitamins to keep your body healthy.
Why should you *not* consume them?
While multivitamins are very healthy, they should just be taken as supplements, and not an entire meal. Your body still needs sustenance so your stomach can properly digest some food. Multivitamins on top of a well-balanced meal can greatly improve your health.
6. Soy-based protein is one of the best ways to consume your protein if you decide you don’t like eating animals anymore.
What is soy-based protein?
Where are my vegans at? Soy-based protein can be found in meat substitutes, like tofu, tempeh (made from whole soybeans) and TVP (made from the by-product of soy oil). It can also be found in edamame. Soy is also considered a complete protein, similar to animal proteins.
Why should you consume it?
If you are considering moving from an animal-protein full diet to a vegetarian or even a vegan diet, consuming proteins is one of the most important things people often forget about. In a vegetarian diet, people can still consume animal proteins, but may lack the creatine element like we talked about earlier. However; in vegan diets, animal proteins are cut out entirely, making soy-based products that contain those complete proteins very important.