If you are a grappler, athlete, bodybuilder or you are just starting your workout routine, you will see your fitness trainer recommending you a high protein diet. If you have been through an injury, accident or you are just struggling with healing, your physician will also recommend you a high protein diet. Since there is no direct connection between accidents and exercise, most people wonder why a high protein diet is recommended for everyone. This question further becomes complex when people ask if carbs, fats, and proteins are all just supplying energy and fat supplies energy much more than any other type of food. Why does protein help with exercise or better healing? The answer is simple, most things in our body are made of protein. Our hair, nails, skin, and even our muscles are all protein-based. On the contrary, carbs are usually extracted from plant sources which keep us full but cannot replace protein at all.
With the help of this article, we will mainly dive into the idea of high protein-based diets and how protein impacts our bodies. We will further explore why people who want to become lean and strong opt for protein-based diets as well.
What Is Protein?
If we look at protein chemically, we will see that it is made of long chains of amino acids. Overall we have 20 types of amino acids. The sequences of different amino acids and their patterns make different types of protein. Out of these 20 types, 11 are non-essential amino acids and so, our body can easily extract that and prepare that. However, 9 proteins are extracted only from animal sources and in case your diet doesn’t consist of these three protein sources you will end up with different kinds of diseases caused by lack of protein.
Benefits of Eating Protein
There are countless benefits of eating protein, however, some of the main benefits that are linked with exercises and extreme BJJ workout includes:
- Protein helps in the healing process. It repairs tissues and replaces muscles that are damaged while performing intense exercises.
- Protein works as the building block of the body. It is found in muscles, nails, hair, skin as well as bones and cartilages which is the reason it is recommended by the experts for a speedy recovery
- Protein is very important for body functioning. Most enzymes and hormones are protein in nature so to digest food properly you need a good amount of protein. Apart from this, it helps in growth, puberty, and other simple body functions.
- Protein is an important part of our blood. Our blood cannot directly bind with oxygen so there is a small protein-based compound that helps in transporting the oxygen by binding with blood. It is very important to ensure the body as it helps with nutrition as well.
- Digestion is a very important body function that is dependent on proteins as well. Almost all enzymes are protein in nature, you need a good amount of enzymes for digesting all food you eat.
Why High Protein Diet Is Recommended For Grapplers And Athletes?
A high protein diet is not only good for overall body health it improves the toning of your body. Fat is relatively soft and it doesn’t sit well on the muscles as a result, it hangs loose. On the contrary, if we look at muscles they are relatively tighter which makes them sit better on the bones and improves the overall look of the body. Some of the main reasons grapplers are recommended high protein diet include:
- It is very good for recovery. Since BJJ is an extremely rough combat sport, most people need a high protein diet to heal easily.
- It helps with muscle loss by improving the muscle build-up that might otherwise be lost.
- It makes your body look muscles and leaner
- It is very good for marinating healthy body weight
- It satisfies hunger yet gets digested easily within 30 minutes rather than making you feel bloated all day.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, protein makes up the main part of our body. When a grappler is asked to have a protein-rich diet, it helps him in improving the overall recovery process and keeping him energized. Another important thing is that a good high protein diet will help grapplers’ recovery from any injury that might take place while practicing on the mat. Most grapplers during their first few sessions complain about extreme muscle cramps as well as injuries. A protein diet will help with that as well.
