Over the last few weeks, I explained the types of carbs and fats you should eat and those you should avoid to reach optimal health and perform at your best. Now it’s time to discuss protein sources… That is a quite controversial and sensitive subject because we all have different beliefs. As a scientist, I will again explain the issue from the scientific point of view such that you can make the best choices for yourself knowing the science and taking into consideration your personal values.
The common protein sources are animal products (meat, eggs, dairy), fish and seafood, beans and legumes, and grains. As I mentioned a few times already, beans, legumes, and grains contain toxic compounds that damage the human gut. Research have shown this in numerous studies and if you have digestive-related issues or other lifestyle-altering symptoms, I seriously recommend cutting out, at least, gluten-containing foods. The toxins in beans, legumes, and grains can be eliminated to a certain degree by soaking, sprouting, and fermenting, but there is other issues with these protein sources.
The problems that arise with protein sources is that it is not all protein molecules in a given source that get absorbed thought the digestive tract. There are several methods to assess the absorption efficiency of the human digestive system. One way of measuring the percentage of protein absorbed with respect to the amount ingested is the biological value. Here are values for some protein sources:
| Whole Egg | 100 |
| Cow’s Milk | 91 |
| Egg White | 88 |
| Fish | 83 |
| Beef | 80 |
| Chicken | 79 |
| Casein | 77 |
| Rice | 74 |
| Soy | 59 |
| Wheat | 54 |
| Beans | 49 |
| Peanuts | 43 |
You can see that the values are low for grain and beans sources… That is the problem! The amount of protein you think you eat when you read the nutritional values IS NOT the amount that your body incorporate into the tissues!? There are many evidences that show that meat, eggs and fish are the best protein sources for human consumption. As a crossfitter, an adequate intake of protein is necessary to build your muscle mass and repair the muscles fibres broken down during training. So be careful when you plan your meals!
Coaches Notes:
- Break up your thrusters reps into shorter sets, for example 5`s. It is better to do more sets with less rest.
- Squat clean your first rep if possible to save energy
- Keep your core engaged on the thrusters to save your back so it is not fatigued on for the cleans
- The second run will be more challenging than expected, just keep your feet moving
- You should be able to string more reps together in the hang cleans compared to the thrusters, the weight will feel a lot lighter than the thruster
- Use your hook grip!
- Choose a challenging weight, but one that you can string 5-10 reps together with at the start. Any less than that and you will time cap.
