Nutrition: Difference between revisions

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===Protein===
===Protein===
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====Get enough protein====
{{talk|~ complete vs incomplete proteins: boils down to: essential amino acids and total protein.
The amount needed is surprisingly modest, even for people who are extremely active.
{{pbr}}~ even if u lift, your protein requirements dont increase that much (show maths and why)
{{talk|TODO: add chart for various sized adults and kids, various activity levels}}
{{pbr}}~ digestibility: there are ways to make the proteins in plants as digestible as meat.}}
'''''Most''''' of the protein you need is just to ''maintain nitrogen balance'' - in other words, replace protein that was burned as calories. This is true for everyone - even for kids that are growing quickly.
{{talk|TODO: show maths.
{{pbr}}DRAFT:
The human body is approximately 20% protein.
[https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/humannutrition/chapter/defining-protein/]
On average, a healthy person grows fastest at age _, where they gain _ kg of body mass in a year.
{{talk|Maybe just show a typical growth chart, and say "At the fastest growth spurt (age _), the average healthy person gains _ lbs of body mass in a year.}}
[https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/index.htm]
This amounts to just _ grams of protein per day becoming new body mass.
}}
Even in extreme bodybuilding, the amount of protein that actually becomes muscle is relatively small.
{{p2|(''See maths'')|
Human muscle is 20% protein, and 70% water (the rest is mostly sugars and electrolytes).
[https://www.physio-pedia.com/Muscle_Proteins]
[https://parallelcoaching.co.uk/how-much-protein-is-in-skeletal-muscle]
A pound (454g) of muscle therefore contains 91g of protein.
So even in an "absolute best case" scenario of gaining 50 pounds of muscle in a year (extremely rare to achieve this), only '''12 grams''' of protein are becoming muscle every day. And that's a very high estimate.
For most people, the best case is lower: about 20 pounds of muscle in a year{{x|that's in the first year of training. the next years see slower gains}}. This amounts to just '''5 grams''' of protein becoming muscle every day!
So where does all the other protein go? It gets burned just like any other calories.
All this goes to show just how little difference it makes when you're building muscle: Your protein requirements are only slightly higher.
}}
{{talk|TODO: add expandable section: So why do some websites have protein recommendations that are so much higher?}}
 
====Get enough of the 9 essential amino acids====
 
Sometimes this is conceptualized as "complete protein", but that term can be a bit misleading. {{talk|TODO: explain examples of it being misleading}} The more fundamental principle is: You have to get enough of each of these amino acids (which are found in protein):
 
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:75%"
|style="border-right:none"|
* Histidine
* Isoleucine
* Leucine
|style="border-left:none;border-right:none"|<ul style="margin-top:-0.5em">
<li style="line-height:0.5em">Lysine    </li>
<li style="line-height:0.5em">Threonine </li>
<li style="line-height:0.5em">Tryptophan</li>
<li style="line-height:0.5em">Valine    </li></ul>
|style="border-left:none"|
* Methionine and/or Cysteine {{p|Technically, methionine is the essential amino acid while cysteine can be made ''from'' methionine in the body.}}
* Phenylalanine and/or Tyrosine {{p|Technically, phenylalanine is the essential amino acid while tyrosine can be made ''from'' phenylalanine in the body.}}
* Arginine, in some cases {{talk|This is a "conditionally essential" amino acid. TODO: Research under what conditions it's essential, and how common that is.}}
|}
 
You also still need to get enough total protein, as mentioned in the section above.
{{talk|TODO: explain why, and the meaning of "non-essential amino acids"}}
 
By eating a variety of proteins, you can meet all of those targets. {{talk|TODO: talk about incomplete proteins ''here'' a bit, and that proteins don't need to be combined at the same meal}}


===Essential fats===
===Essential fats===
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* Omega-3 {{talk|TODO: Talk about various forms of omega-3: ALA, DHA, EPA}}
{{talk|~ omega 3 and 6, talk about ALA, DHA, EPA
* Omega-6 {{talk|TODO: Reseach: What about omega-9? Is that also essential?}}
{{pbr}}~ absorbing vitamins A,D,E,K}}
* Vitamins A, D, E and K need to be combined with at least a small amount of fat at the same meal (any type of fat will do) to ensure absorption. {{talk|TODO: more detail about the time window within which they can be combined. Also list examples like carrots}}


===The ''total'' amount of calories===
===The ''total'' amount of calories===
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===Fiber===
===Fiber===
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===Gluten===
Only a problem if you have a gluten intolerance (such as celiac disease). Gluten is a protein found in wheat. {{talk|Maybe mention something about gut flora and how its biodiversity could help in providing the right enzymes to digest gluten?}}