Protein Food Sources and Supplements for Performance

ESPN Jason Hehir

Introduction:

Elite basketball players and those who aspire to be often train more than 3 hours per day, most days of the week to physically prepare their bodies and perfect their skill sets. They are often in the gym performing court drills and strength and conditioning exercises to prepare their bodies for the physicality of the sport. Professional and collegiate basketball players often play back to back games and/or several games over one-week period. To properly fuel basketball players must consider their energy, carbohydrate, and protein needs to meet the demands of the sport.

Energy (Calorie) and Carbohydrate Needs Recap:

As discussed in the previous post, to properly fuel for high intensity exercise, athletes should aim to eat 55 kcal/kg/day based on the Harris-Benedict total energy expenditure equation (Kreider, 2019).

Total energy expenditure (TEE)= 662 - (9.53x age) + PAL x [(15.91 x W) + (539.6 x H)]

PAL= 1.42-1.56 for professional basketball players.

Weight (W) kg of body mass

Height (H) measured in meters

Based on research elite basketball players should aim to eat:

6-8g/kg/day of carbohydrates on practice and rest days.

8-10g/kg/day of carbohydrates on heavy training and competition days.

While carbohydrates are the preferred source of fuel, protein is needed to build and maintain muscle, repair tissues, and make enzymes and hormones such as the growth hormone (Kreider, 2019). If basketball players are eating enough carbohydrates they can reduce the chance of their body breaking down their muscles for energy during exercise. Eating protein with carbohydrates prior to and following exercising also helps prevent the breakdown of muscle for energy (Kreider, 2019).

When and how much protein do basketball players need to build/maintain muscle?

Ideally distributed every 3-4 hours, throughout the day (Jäger, 2017).

On:

Heavy training (>3 hours) days they will need 1.7 - 3.0 g/kg/day

Moderate training (1-3 hours) days they will need 1.2 - 2.0 g/kg/day

The average elite basketball player is 100 kg (219 pounds) according to statistics provided by Case, 2019. So for example, this basketball player would need 169-219 g/day on heavy training days and 120-199 g/day of protein on moderate training days.

Benefits of protein

1. Protein maintains a positive nitrogen balance because protein is the only macro-nutrient that contains nitrogen (Kreider, 2019).

· Meaning you consume more nitrogen than you excrete so you can build muscle and bone mass.

2. Protein provides the building blocks for muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones so it is essential for healing and growth of these tissues (Kreider, 2019).

3. Protein has the potential to inactivate foreign invaders that attack our immune systems, thus protecting the body against diseases (Kreider, 2019).

Considerations when choosing protein sources:

1. Complete versus incomplete proteins

A complete protein means the protein has adequate amounts of the essential amino acids (Kreider, 2019). There are 9 essential and 7 conditionally essential that the body cannot make or has difficulty making. Therefore, the best sources of these amino acids are from foods that provide complete proteins (Kreider, 2019). Meats, fish, and poultry provide complete proteins. I would recommend planted-based eaters combine foods that make a complete protein. Suggestions are listed below.

2. Quality of protein

Complete proteins tend to have higher available amounts of essential amino acids and tend be higher quality proteins. Quality is determined by the amino acid profile of the protein source. The more amino acids the source provides the more likely it is to be of higher quality. Protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) is the standard way of categorizing protein quality. Complete protein sources have a score of 1.0 or better. Eggs for example have a PDCAAS of 1.0, indicating they are an excellent source of protein and the essential amino acids that the body needs.

3. Slow versus fast digesting proteins

Different proteins have varying digestion rates and impact availability of amino acids and protein synthesis (Kreider, 2019). For example, whey protein is digested relatively faster than casein and soy protein.

Protein Recommendations:

Food protein sources:

· 2 cups of pinto beans and 1 cup of quinoa contain a total 20 grams of protein

· 3,5 oz Salmon filet contains 17 grams of protein per serving size (1 small fist)

· 3.5 oz Skinless light chicken contains 31 grams of protein ( 1 small fist)

· 3 Eggs each contain 6 grams for a total of 18 grams

· 1 cup of Greek plain yogurt contains 6-8 grams of protein

Supplemental protein and amino acid sources (Kreider, 2019; Rosenbloom, 2012):

Supplemental shakes can be helpful to meet protein requirements on the go, with most containing 20-30 grams per servicing. Eating algae tablets, nutrient dense dry goods, and dried meats, fish, and poultry can also be helpful to meet their protein needs.

1. For Vegan basketball players

Pea protein based protein shakes combined with rice or sunflower seed protein shakes are beneficial for those who are planted-based eaters who want a quick source of protein to encourage muscle protein synthesis.

Recommendations for foods high in amino acids: spirulina, chlorella, lentils, pumpkin seeds, black beans, quinoa, nuts, seeds,

2. For Ovo-vegetarian basketball players

Egg protein based shakes promote a positive nitrogen balance and have been reported to improve physiological adaptions to training.

Recommendations for foods high in amino acids: spirulina tablets, chlorella, lentils, pumpkin seeds, black beans, quinoa, nuts, seeds, and EGGs.

3 For Meat-eating basketball players

Whey protein isolate based protein shakes are fast digesting and stimulates protein synthesis and immune function.

Casein protein based shakes digest slower. It is beneficial to take at night to increase anabolism. Casein prolongs amino acid concentrations in the blood stream and promotes protein synthesis for longer period of time.

Recommendations for foods high in amino acids: spirulina, chlorella, lentils, black beans, quinoa, nuts, seeds, eggs, dried LEAN BEEF, CHICKEN, and FISH

Beneficial amino acids for performance and recovery:

Protein digestive enzymes are released in the stomach and small intestines to breakdown protein into fragments and eventually into amino acids. Amino acids can be ingested through supplements as well.

A few amino acids that are worth purchasing:

1. BCAA's (leucine, isoleucine, valine) are beneficial to take pre- and post-workout. Recommended intake 4-6 grams containing 2-3 grams of leucine (Rosenbloom, 2012).

· Promotes resistance to fatigue and exhaustion

· Enhances lipid oxidation and promotes muscle protein synthesis

· Reduces muscle breakdown and serves as a fuel source during prolonged exercise

· Lessens the impact of intense prolonged exercise on the immune system

2. Histidine enhance buffering capacity during high-intensity exercise performance, Recommended intake 10 mg/kg/day (Kreider, 2019).

· Allows you to perform at higher intensities for longer periods of time

3.Tryptophan can help with perceived pain and promote calmness. Recommended intake 5mg/kg/day (Kreider, 2019).

· Promotes restful sleep which could be beneficial for recovery after practices and games.

Conclusion

Basketball is a high-intensity intermittent activity that requires high caloric diet with adequate protein and carbohydrates to meet the demands and physicality of the sport. For peak performance a player should fuel properly by eating 55 kcal/kg/day to include 8-10g/kg/day of carbohydrates and 1.2-3.0g/kg/day of protein. Basketball players can take amino acid supplements, drink protein shakes and keep handy protein packed snacks to supplement their diet to meet their protein needs. Proper protein intake can improve their ability to maintain and gain muscle muscle mass, improve their immune function, and recovery after games, practices, and strength and conditioning sessions.

References

1. Case, J. (2019). 13 facts to know from 2019-20 NBA Roster Survey. Retrieved September 03, 2020 from https://www.nba.com/article/2019/11/01/2019-20-nba-roster-survey

2. Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D., Skwiat, T. M., & Smith-

Ryan, A. E. (2017). International society of sports nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1), 1-25.

3. Kreider, R. B. (2019). Essentials of exercise and sport nutrition: Science to practice. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.

4. Rosenbloom, C. A. (2012). Sports nutrition: A practice manual for professionals. E. J. Coleman (Ed.). Chicago, IL: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.