Protein Quality Ranked (and why it matters)
Weds ◆ March 6 ◆ 2024
Congrats to the folks who are 2/3 of the way through the 12 Week Physique program!
Most people can’t say - in March - that they’re still getting after what they resolved to in January.
🔥Proud of you for joining in and showing up for yourselves!
Participants, next week is a much-deserved deload week before we head into the final Phase 3! If you need a deload refresher, click here»
It’s never too late, frens. You can start anytime and get coaching advice here:
🍳Protein Quality Matters for Building Muscle
Protein quality is partially based on the amount of the amino acid Leucine in that protein.
It’s a trigger for stimulating mTOR (mammalian or mechanistic target of rapamycin) which then stimulates muscle growth.
You want your protein to contain roughly around 3g of Leucine to trigger an anabolic (muscle growth/repair) response to a meal. This differs depending on your specific body composition but is a good ballpark.
Here’s how some proteins stack up in the Leucine department:
⭐️Whey Protein Powder: 3g Leucine in 29g of total protein at 145kcal
Soy Protein Isolate: 3g Leucine in 36g of total protein at 150kcal
Pea Protein Isolate: 3g Leucine in 36g of total protein at 171 kcal
Brown Rice Isolate: 3g Leucine in 36g of total protein at 173 kcal
Chicken: 3g Leucine in 40g of total protein at 213 kcal
Whole Egg: 3g Leucine in 35g of total protein at 430 kcal
Soybeans: 3g Leucine in 42g of total protein at 470 kcal
Peas: 3g Leucine in 53 of total protein at 870 kcal
Brown Rice: 3g Leucine in 36g of total protein at 1555 kcal
Wheat Bread: 3g Leucine in 84g of total protein at 2069 kcal
Whey protein powder is the hands-down winner.
Like I said, Leucine is only partially (but majorly) responsible for triggering muscle growth. You also need the full spectrum of the additional eight essential amino acids (EAA’s) that are the building blocks of muscle.
Of course, we rarely eat things in isolation but keep these proteins in mind for pre- and post-workout fuel!
Thanks for taking the time to read this today, frens! I appreciate being a part of your day.
You are not a damsel in distress. Be the hero of your story…
… And get to work,
Michelle
❓P.S. A Question to Contemplate:
What’s the riskiest thing you’ve ever done that paid off?
I’m dying to hear your answers in the comments!