Fitness Articles

Nutrition

April 1st, 2020

Recipe and Supplement Suggestions to Help Support a Healthy Immune System

This article is for educational purposes only. It does not reflect the opinion of Optimum Nutrition, nor is it intended for product marketing purposes.

It is no secret that the best way to support a healthy immune system is to make healthy lifestyle choices. Don't smoke. Exercise regularly. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight. If you drink alcohol, only do so in moderation. Get adequate sleep. Wash your hands frequently. Try to minimize and manage stress. And, of course, eat a healthy, balanced diet high in fruits and vegetables.

Vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as zinc are key immune supporting nutrients, but just how much should you be consuming?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the estimated amount of a nutrient per day considered necessary for the maintenance of good health by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council/ National Academy of Sciences. The RDAs for men and women 19 years and older are outlined in the tables below.

VITAMIN A

MALES:

900 mcg RAE

FEMALES:

700 mcg RAE

VITAMIN C

MALES:

90 mg

FEMALES:

75 mg

VITAMIN D

MALES:

600 IU (15 mcg)

FEMALES:

600 IU (15 mcg)

VITAMIN E

MALES:

15 mg

FEMALES:

15 mg

ZINC

MALES:

11 mg

FEMALES:

8 mg

Recipes to Help Support Healthy Immune Function

Mixed Berry Smoothie Recipe

Vegetable & Chickpea Soup

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry

Avocado Toast with Eggs

Supplement Strategies to Support a Healthy Immune System

Eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet is the best way to ensure that your nutritional needs are met. However, research indicates that many of us are not getting recommended amounts of several key nutrients important for supporting a healthy immune system - including vitamins A, C, D and E and zinc.

When you are not able meet your nutritional needs through food alone, supplements can be a valuable tool to help fill nutrient gaps. Fortunately, many multi-vitamins contain vitamins A, C, D, E and zinc. Alternatively, stand-alone vitamin and mineral offerings are widely available. Just remember, more is not always better, and everyone's needs are different. It is always a good idea to consult your personal healthcare provider or nutritionist before starting a supplement regimen.

Nutrition

March 31st, 2020

Understanding Protein Needs As We Age

This article is for educational purposes only. It does not reflect the opinion of Optimum Nutrition, nor is it intended for product marketing purposes.

Adequate dietary protein is important for maintaining muscle mass with age

Protein is one of the three essential macronutrients. Although carbohydrates and dietary fats are also important to maintain a well-balanced diet, protein has many functions throughout the body. In order to maintain normal protein functions, everyone needs to eat enough protein. Protein helps to build and repair muscle, help provide physical structure, fluid and pH balance, and transport nutrients.

Proteins are formed by building blocks known as amino acids. When amino acids link together, they create proteins. Although protein is needed by people of all ages and activity levels, with age, muscle quality and quantity may decline, and adequate protein becomes especially important to help maintain muscle mass and strength.

Importance of Leucine

Leucine is an essential amino acid. An essential amino acid is a building block that the body can’t make on its own and needs to be consumed through a well-balanced diet. Leucine helps to support muscle protein synthesis. Active aging adults may benefit from added leucine to help support the recovery of muscles post-workout. Along with adequate dietary protein, leucine may also help support muscle building when taken over time with regular resistance exercise.

Sources of protein and amounts

Aging adults should aim to eat 25-30 grams of high quality protein at each meal. The recommended amount of protein a healthy adult should consume daily is 0.8-2.0 grams of protein per kg or 0.4-0.91 g/lb. body weight. Adequate protein intake may help to support maintenance of muscle mass with age, when combined with a balanced diet and regular resistance exercise. Aging adults should make sure to incorporate a variety of protein sources.

	85g (3/4 cup) Beef 28g of Protein
	85g (3/4 cup) Chicken 26g of Protein
	172g (1 cup) Soybeans 29g of Protein
	50g (1 large egg) Boiled Egg 6g of Protein
	245g (1 cup) Milk 8g of Protein
	28g (1/8 cup) Cheddar Cheese 7g of Protein
	30g (1/4 cup) Low Fat Cottage Cheese 3g of Protein
	158g (1 cup) White Rice 4g of Protein
	219 g (1 cup) Oat Bran 7g of Protein
	28g (1 slice) Whole Wheat Bread 4g of Protein
	180g (1 cup) Spinach 5g of Protein
	118g (1 banana) Banana 1g of Protein

Protein throughout the Day

Eating enough protein throughout the day is key. Easy ways to incorporate protein into your diet include eating protein between meals, eating protein rich snacks, incorporating plant-based protein throughout the day, and eating lean meats and seafood. Using a protein supplement can be a convenient way to add more protein to smoothies, to a post workout routine, to baked goods or sauces, or other foods. For active adults, adequate protein helps support exercise recovery. As part of a balanced diet, protein plays an important role in helping to maintain muscle mass and strength, especially in combination with a workout regimen.

Nutrition

March 30th, 2020

Understanding the Basics of Protein

Understanding Protein

Protein, along with carbohydrates and fat, are collectively known as macronutrients. Your body needs more of these on a daily basis compared to micronutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals. Protein plays a role in numerous body functions including muscle repair and recovery, as well as building muscle size and strength. That’s why protein is such an attractive nutrient to active adults. Read on to get a better understanding of how protein can help you attain ambitious performance goals.

The Basics

Proteins are the body’s building blocks. They are used by numerous aspects of your body – from your hair, skin and nails to cellular structure and function, enzyme reactions, transporting oxygen through the bloodstream. Protein is also important to metabolism and hormones. What many people don’t realize is proteins can also act as an energy source for the body, especially when carbohydrates and fat stores are low.

Each protein has a specific combination of amino acids that makes it unique, and this construction dictates the protein’s function. Amino acids are divided into two classes: essential and nonessential. Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must be taken in through diet. These Essential amino acids are very important to active people because of their role in muscle protein synthesis. Non-essential amino acids can be made by the body. One way to assure successful muscle recovery is to consume foods with adequate amounts of essential amino acids.

Protein from Foods

When trying to get enough protein in your diet, it’s important to choose high quality, complete proteins. A complete protein means that it contains all of the essential amino acids that the body needs to function optimally. Because these essential amino acids can’t be made in our body, we need to get them through the foods we eat. Examples of complete proteins include animal proteins—chicken, beef, fish, pork, dairy, and eggs—and also soy, a plant protein. Below are some examples of protein rich foods:

	4 oz. (140 g) chicken breast 25 grams of protein
	1 cup (226 g) cottage cheese 26 grams of protein
	1 cup (150 g) edamame 18 grams of protein
	1 cup (227 g) Greek yogurt 22 grams of protein
	~4 slices (56 g) turkey deli meat 9 grams of protein
	1 large egg 6 grams of protein

Of course, many other plants contain protein. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds are good examples. Unfortunately, plant proteins usually don’t contain sufficient quantities of all the essential amino acids. This is why vegetarians or vegans are encouraged to eat a variety of protein rich plant foods to make sure they get all of the essential amino acids.

Protein & Performance

Your body prioritizes the use of amino acids by using them to support important physiological functions like oxygen transport, cell structure, and metabolism support. Protein is especially important to active individuals who are regularly training. Muscles are made of proteins, and it’s important to consume enough protein each day and to space out your consumption of protein throughout the day to provide amino acids for muscle repair, recovery and growth. If building muscle is one of your goals, you may need to add a little more protein to your diet.

Always try to get your protein from food first. If you feel like you need more protein, consider adding a protein supplement to help meet your needs.

Types of Protein Shakes And Usage Occasions

Many active adults who have a pre-determined amount of protein they want to consume each day use protein shakes to help them reach that target. Whey protein is a rapidly digested protein made from cow’s milk. It makes up roughly 20% of the protein in a glass of milk and contains all of the essential amino acids. Because of whey’s rapid digestion rate, it’s often consumed after exercise to help kick-start the muscle recovery process. Another ideal usage occasion is first thing in the morning to ‘break the fast’ of not having eaten for 8 to 10 hours.

There’s another milk-based protein known as casein that makes up the other 80% of the protein in milk and digests more slowly than whey. Micellar casein can deliver amino acids to recovering muscles for hours throughout the night, so one ideal usage occasion for this shake is right before bed. Another is between meals, especially if your meals are spaced far apart, to maintain a feeling of fullness known as satiety.

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