Body Shop: Getting your protein fix - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

Body Shop: Getting your protein fix

Much like getting into shape, there are no easy fixes for the damage wrought by a grueling workout.

Proper recovery from intense exercise requires a multifaceted approach that includes refueling with a mix of protein, carbohydrates and fat within an hour of exercise, along with hydration and rest.

Exercise causes our bodies to break down protein more quickly, even as the amount of protein that can be processed is limited.

Ingesting protein can help slow protein breakdown, as well as aid in repairing torn muscles. Fats help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins that may, in turn, aid in muscle recovery, and carbohydrates top off stores of glycogen, which converts easily to glucose when your muscles need it.

“I always follow my workouts with protein — a pre-made shake, protein powder shake or protein bar — to help my muscles recover and rebuild,” says Air Force Capt. Brian Montenegro, staff pediatrician at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. “I take the supplemental protein within an hour of my workout and add dietary protein a few hours later. I take a multivitamin, and for carbs, I get plenty from my diet.”

Dietitian and fitness author Nancy Clark recommends chocolate milk, protein-fortified smoothies or a mix of almonds and dried fruits if you prefer to avoid packaged foods.

A healthy diet is ideal for recovery, but it can be hard to find favorite foods when deployed, and convenience is often a big factor for people who spend a lot of time training.

We tasted 14 individually packaged protein bars and three grab-and-go chocolate-flavored protein shakes, and Clark analyzed our favorites. She wasn’t surprised to learn that the bar we thought tasted best, the Supreme Protein Carb Conscious Peanut Butter Pretzel Twist, was highest in saturated fat — 6 grams in the snack size, just more than 25 percent of the recommended daily value, versus 5g in the Hooah Bar Chocolate Crisp, for example (but that bar has 5 fewer grams of protein whose taste needs to be covered up).

In case you wondered, PowerBar Protein Plus bars did inherit PowerBar’s signature dense, slablike quality, rating consistently lowest taste-wise aside from Organic Food Bar’s “Protein” variety, but if you’re big on nutrition, you may enjoy the Organic Food Bar for its whopping 22g of protein, low 1.6g of saturated fat, 33g of muscle-fueling carbohydrates and a full 9g of dietary fiber.

Clark says you need to look at how many carbs you’re getting along with the amount of protein, shooting for three to four times as many grams of carbs as protein.