What is Fact and ‘Fashion’ with Proteins in our Diets?

What is Fact and ‘Fashion’ with Proteins in our Diets?

MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release - 23 June 2015

It’s often hard to decide what is fact, and what is fashion when it comes to nutritional areas such as protein requirements around sport and exercise, or even the latest research on exercise areas such as high intensity training.

It can often feel like there is a lot of conflicting information from varied sources.

REPs (NZ Register of Exercise Professionals) understands that getting the right information in terms that you can understand is important. They also know that the person you see most often about maintaining your health is quite likely to be an exercise professional, or an exercise facility. Knowing this, REPs have solutions to make sure the professionals you deal with are up to date on areas including nutrition and exercise trends that will make your life easier.

REPs accesses the best in evidence based training and nutrition sourced from highly educated and respected scientists, and professionals. REPs then shares this information with REPs Registered Professionals who can pass it on to you, in plain language, and in ways that are relevant to your needs.

By getting your exercise advice from a REPs registered professional, you know that your trainer is accessing the latest summaries of peer-reviewed science, with an emphasis on practically useful information.

An example of this? Your trainer right now has access the latest research on the role of protein in an active, healthy body.

Protein is important for health, fitness and performance, but knowing how much protein you need to consume and when can be confusing, especially when there is conflicting information and plenty of inspiring looking spokespeople who promise you can look like them if you do what they say.

We all tend to get taught that protein plays an important role in our body. In the form of amino acids, protein is involved in growth and repair and building of muscle tissue. But its role goes beyond this, playing an important role in metabolic health. Our muscles serve as the largest site for taking glucose from the blood for use by the body, and inadequate protein decreases the ability to do this effectively, leading to an increased risk of metabolic orders such as type 2 diabetes in at risk individuals, so you need to make sure you are getting adequate protein in your diet.

Those who are physically active have an increased protein needs for protein to support recovery after their session. For those looking at getting or maintaining a healthy weight, it’s good to know that protein also plays an important role in appetite regulation. A lower protein intake will drive our intake of the other nutrients until the amount of protein required is satisfied.

It’s best to get advice and referral to a dietary professional from someone who is trained in health, rather than sales, as it often seems that those telling you how much protein you need to consume, are also telling you to buy their product to get that protein.

REPs Registered Exercise Professionals are also trained to know when to refer you on to someone specialised in dietary and nutrional advice appropriate to your circumstances who can help you.

To stay up to date with the latest evidence based exercise and nutritional research, then talk to a REPs Registered Exercise Professional who can lead you in the right direction. Go to www.reps.org.nz to find an REPs Registered Professional or exercise facility in your area.

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