Protein!

Man, I love these blog posts where I just take wat Joe Friel said and spit it out like it's my own knowledge. It's brilliant.

Tonight's post is about protein, everyone's favorite amino acid chains. Protein is crucial for the growing cyclist, yet too many of us don't get enough of it. After a tough workout, a microscopic view of your major muscle groups would show that they look like a war zone, torn and needing to be rebuilt. Do you want to build your muscles out of potato chips and cake frosting, or fruits, vegetables, and meat*?

A cyclist should get at least 25% of his or her daily calories from protein, if not more. At 2500+ calories per day, this translates to at least 150 grams of protein. I bet you don't get nearly enough.

Here are some tips that I find helpful for getting enough protein:
* instead of soda or some other unhealthy beverage, have skim milk, with 8g of protein per glass.
* Clif Builder Bars pack 20g of protein each, and are a wonderful post-ride food.
* eggs, beans, skim milk, soy milk, and lean meat* are all excellent sources of protein.

Foods high in protein tend to sound "healthy". That's because they are. To be the best, you must fuel with the best. Go ahead, have steak* and eggs for breakfast.