What meat is good for fitness chicken and beef which is more nutritious
May 14, 2023
Whether it's chicken, beef or fish, these meats are easy to obtain and delicious to cook, and the protein contained in them is a nutrient that is in high demand in the daily diet. Protein is very important for training recovery and building muscle building diet. The general public will simply distinguish the ratio of protein, calories and fat in meat by red meat or white meat, but there are also many experts who evaluate protein in three areas: protein content, protein digestibility and protein utilization to distinguish the absorption capacity of protein for menu reference.
But in the end, what meat to choose, how much to eat, when to eat, and what type of protein eaten to be effective?
Chicken and turkey
Emphasis on fitness results requires increasing body muscle mass as much as possible and minimizing body fat. Two common sources of protein in the fitness community are chicken and turkey, which are lean meats that provide important protein and are relatively low in calories compared to other meats such as beef and pork. And the differences between chicken and turkey meat are minimal. Overall, chicken is one of the most important sources of nutrition in a bodybuilder's diet.
Many athletes pick the leanest, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Removing the skin from the chicken breast area removes a significant amount of fat and makes the calorie content quite low. A skinless, boneless grilled chicken breast contains about 165 calories, 31 grams of protein and 3.6 grams of fat per 100 grams, while a turkey breast contains 135 calories, 30.1 grams of protein and 0.7 grams of fat per 100 grams.
Strength training athletes need to consume 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for optimal muscle growth. Take a bodybuilder weighing 100 kg for example: multiplying by 1.5 and 2.0 to get what you need equals a daily protein intake of 150 to 200 grams, which means you should eat at least 500 grams of chicken a day.
Amino acid profile of chicken and turkey meat
Eat in your mouth, but what you care about is what role the protein you eat actually plays in your body? BCAA muscle amino acids present in proteins are distributed in every kind of meat, in other words, amino acids are the structural units of proteins, and different amino acids have different effects on muscle gain. Branched-chain amino acids or BCAAs: contain isoleucine, leucine and valine, etc. and are associated with muscle growth and repair. Then turkey is slightly higher in BCAAs than chicken. A serving of about 100g of turkey contains 1,420mg of isoleucine, 2,176mg of leucine and 1,451mg of valine. A similar 100g serving of chicken contains 1,230mg of isoleucine, 2,073mg of leucine and 1,297mg of valine.
Beef
For many people, roast beef is an irresistible sound and taste. For athletes and weight trainers, beef is the signal for protein.
Unlike plant sources of protein, beef contains the same types of proteins as humans: skeletal muscle proteins, myosin, actin, troponin, as well as collagen and other connective tissue proteins. Usually animal meat contains more than 80% protein by net weight. A 100-gram piece of lean part (10% fat content) beef contains about 30.6 grams of protein (183 calories and 5.8 grams of fat). In order to reduce calories in the selection of meat is to try to select the loin of lean meat slices.
In addition, beef is not only a delicious piece of barbecued protein, it is also rich in many vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and many minerals: phosphorus, iron and zinc, which are among the main sources of micronutrients for the human body. Beef also contains myostatin, which is important for muscle function, and is formed in the body from beta-alanine, a dietary amino acid found in abundance in fish and red meat. When human muscles maintain high levels of myostatin, it reduces fatigue and improves performance during exercise, naturally becoming the key to building muscle and enhancing athletic performance.
Beef Tips
Research at the University of Texas has shown that beef can lower cholesterol and that beef fat contains about 22% stearic acid. Stearic acid can be metabolized by the body or converted to oleic acid - a monounsaturated Omega-9 fatty acid that regulates inflammatory responses, among other things.
According to recent studies, lean, grass-fed beef is a healthful meat, containing far less fat per 100 grams than the same amount of chicken, duck or egg. Even when compared to other meats of the same amount, lean beef is still surprisingly low in fat.
Fish
Whether on land or winged animals provide rich nutrition for muscle building, when it comes to protein, the skeletal muscle molecule of fish is similar to that of mammals, and the protein provided per 100 grams is comparable to that of red and white meat, but usually represents leaner fat, for example, 100g of tuna contains 80% protein, 184 calories, about 30 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat Content of about 6 grams, because of this, tuna has been the favorite snack of all types of athletes.
The benefits of fish go beyond providing protein. A 165 gram can of tuna contains over 3 grams of leucine, the branched chain amino acid responsible for stimulating MPS, in addition to 2.5 grams of arginine, as well as iron, niacin and vitamin B12 to supply the human body with the healthy elements it needs. Fish also provides approximately the same level of creatine as beef, where the amino acid arginine is responsible for the production of nitric oxide to support blood flow and efficient metabolic function.
Fish is also an excellent source of Omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA. You can get EPA indirectly from non-meat sources (such as nuts and seeds), but DHA comes only from seafood. These particular fats are unique in many ways, but when it comes to muscle, researchers report that when people take fish oil supplements that consistently provide more than 3 grams of EPA and DHA over an eight-week period can help with exercise recovery, such as reducing inflammation and soreness. And another area of fish oil application is the optimal potency of omega-3 fat club to support testosterone formation.
Pick fish that is good for you and the planet
Due to human pollution of the oceans, certain fish have high levels of toxins, especially mercury, which should be avoided or limited in intake. Larger fish at the top of the food chain such as mackerel, walleye, swordfish, shark and mackerel are more likely to contain mercury. Smaller fish such as sardines are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids and low in toxins. In addition, sardines are an environmentally friendly choice because they produce many species of fish that reproduce quickly and sell for a relatively low price. Canned salmon is also convenient, although the fat content can vary depending on the type of salmon. In short, canned pink salmon is high in protein, low in fat and contaminants, and relatively inexpensive.
To sum up
Eating meat is easy to produce a sense of satiety, can make people hungry and not easy to eat too much, meat is rich in protein, also belongs to the low glycemic diet, as long as pay attention to the control of total calories eaten, with exercise training, it is easy to achieve the results of muscle gain and fat loss. Whether you eat chicken, beef, fish or other meat, do not fall into the selective partiality phenomenon, compare their protein and nutrient content is not used to pick and choose to eat, but in these ingredients can be seen in the value of a balanced diet. More importantly, a conscious concern for the nutrition of food and food sources is a lesson that cannot be ignored in today's fitness world and diet trends.