Natural alternatives for taking supplements/whey powder/BCAA

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spaboleo
spaboleo Posts: 172
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everybody,

I was wondering which natural food has "supplementing components" (in terms of body-building supplements).

Especially I am looking for natural things that contain an increased amount of BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids). Yes I know that they are in all kinds of protein containing food...but in which of those the most :wink:


Eating kg-packs of yoghurt, coattage cheese and tuna get's boring :smile:

One tip would be cottage cheese, because it contains a lot of casein at a low rate of fat. Casein takes long to be digested. It is a perfect protein supplier after a workout or over night and helps your muscles to recover.
So no need to buy that in forms of (expensive) supplements. :smile:

Replies

  • obifatkanobi
    obifatkanobi Posts: 190
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    Do some research on Hemp, it seems almost too good to be true.
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
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    Hmhmhmmm...but it contains a lot more fibers o0
    As I eat a lot of veggies and whole wheat crispbread I'll literally sh't bricks (sorry for the language) if I try substitute my milk-products with hemp powder...

    But anyways...I was rather looking for some "real" groceries =)
  • boofa88
    boofa88 Posts: 15
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    hey,
    I have a degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition and did a bit of study on this - the good news is you don't need supplements to get optimum protein for muscle building. There are a few important factors when using protein to help muscle building (you probably already know them), and they are
    1. Amount of protein,
    2. Sources of protein,
    3. Timing of consumption (after weight lifting exercise)

    Based on the research of scientific papers we studied, the body could only use about 10-20g of protein in the "window of opportunity" after a workout to build muscle. This means that if you consume more than this it's likely to not be used/stored as fat. Bummer!
    There are heaps of food sources with around 10-20g of protein (also good to include 30-40g carbs - this helps increase insulin which optimises the absorption of protein into muscle) -
    2 eggs and toast
    -1 glass (250mL) of skim milk pluds banana with peanut butter
    -tofu and noodles
    -yoghurt and fruit.
    -ham and cheese sandwich
    all sources of high biological quality protein.

    If you have calories to spare and already eat 25-30g fibre/day, use low fibre versions of carbs, so as not to overload (ie, white bread, noodles, etc)

    Now for the most important part - the timing. There is only about a 1/2 hr window of opportunity after a weight lifting workout when protein from the blood stream is absorbed into the muscle at higher rates. So have your high energy snack just before and/or immediately after your workout for best results!
  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
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    Is there a particular reason you're trying to avoid whey protein or other natural supplements?
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
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    @ believetoachieve:
    I don't see a particular reason in spending that much money on such things like powder-supps.
    And even if the producer claims it to be all natural (and this may eben be true!), there must be some additional substances to make it durable in the package.
    Plus: I like cooking and snacking healthy food, like milk-products...if I eat them anyways I think I might be able to search for other groceries to mix in :smile:


    @ boofa88:
    That sound a lot like my meal-plan. :smile:
    (except the tofu...can't get used to that stuff...)

    Do you know a source for information about what specific proteins generic groceries like "milk" or "cottage cheese" provide?
    I would love to know :smile:
  • boofa88
    boofa88 Posts: 15
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    hey spaboleo,
    sounds like you got a great meal plan going then!
    Found this article online I found interesting... http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/04/11/23404.aspx
    and this one from a body building site - i would call Slightly less credible and would NEVER drink as much milk as he does - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/catmilk.htm

    Off the top of my head, protein in milk is about 20% whey protein and 80% casein. Whey protein, as I'm sure you know is a "fast" protein, quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Casein is a slower protein, gradually supplementing your bloodstream with a stable flow of amino acids. So both are great after a workout. Other dairy products would be similar, all high biological value, cos they're animal proteins. Couldn't find anything about egg proteins, but they've long been considered as good protein sources for post exercise, with 12g protein in one egg! I love eggs :-)
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    I appreciate what you are doing, but not to be rude; the point of protein supps is so you can get the amounts you want without the need to eat a large volume of foods while avoiding the extra calories and extra bad stuff.
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
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    I don't believe (looking for proof) that there is so much bad stuff in natural products, like milk, quark, eggs.
    Preprocessed powders and supplements usually contain a lot of additives like stabilizers, emulgators and other stuff to make them more durable (most of them expire not until one year after opening!!).
    Not talking of artificial sweeteners, artificial flavoring and coloring.

    And I highly believe that it's a myth that we really need supplements. Maybe you won't be able to reach the required amount if you eat all unhealthy (fast-food and so on)...then you might be better off taking supps.

    But as boofa88 stated already...the amounts propagandised by the supplements-industry aren't really necessary.
    It's like with Vitamin-C, which is added to nearly every product to look more "healthy". Everything that goes beyond the amount your body can handle will leave the body without being processed.

    The calories are not a problem as I am regularly deceeding my limitation...especially when I work out. :smile:
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Well said.
    In that case, my favs are spinach, potato, whole milk, red meat, fish, eggs, and rice.
    That provides just about everything that is in the products I use, only lesser amounts.
  • spaboleo
    spaboleo Posts: 172
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    It's funny...even though I am from Germany I only had a look at the english wikipedia for BCAA :laugh:
    The following three links redirect you to the three mostly used BCAA in supplements.

    http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucin
    http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valin
    http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoleucin

    They all provide a table for comparison of the amounts in our food...

    Most of the BCAA specialiced supplements provide 6g BCAAs per 10g powder in a ratio of 2:1:1 for Leucin (3g), Valin (1.5g) and Isoleucin (1.5g).

    According to wikipedia the following amounts cover the daily requirement:
    Leucin: 10-50mg/kg body weight (80kg male -> max 4g)
    Valin: 10-29mg/kg body weight (80kg male -> max 2.32g)
    Isoleucin: 7.5-28.5mg/kg body weight (80kg male -> max 2.28g)

    This will easily be covered if you eat 200g chickenbreast and 1 eggs and drink about half an liter milk (3.5% fat) daily.
    And this even respects the fact that some armino acids might get degraded during the cooking process.


    Most supplement producers reommend taking 10g of their powder twice a day. Which leads to 6g leucin and 3g of ech, valin and isoleucin.

    What's the natural alternative? Just add a 200g container of cottage cheese and half an liter more milk to your daily nutrition (see above). Or eat natural yoghurt or lowfat quark (around 250g).


    Taking more can't be processed by the body anyways :wink: ...everything has got it's limits.
  • Girlg0yle
    Girlg0yle Posts: 131 Member
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    Eggs are the food that has the highest per oz, turkey, chicken, lean beef, tuna, salmon are all good sources. if you want a protein shake whey protein is high in BCAA
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
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    Hi there! I think yogurt and especially Greek yogurt will never get boring for me....I miss the variety of quark cheese in Germany, though. I used to live of the stuff! Do not dismiss all the powders! I know many people who are lactose intolerant, and they have to avoid most of the milk products on your list. Most of them, however, including my step-son, can still tolerate whey protein isolate powder very well. For me, the supplements are a blessing, because 40% of my macros are protein, and I would never be able to hit my goal and keep the calories in check as well without protein shakes.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    your assumptions make my brain hurt

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