I consider myself among the truly fortunate. I received all of the right information at exactly the right time about protein; good protein, not so good protein, how much, and when… and I put it to use when I started lifting weights with my wife.

It goes something like this…

Carbs are useless for muscle growth (they’re great for fueling endurance activities like cycling and running), animal proteins are fantastic for growing muscle, eggs are better than meat, but meats are a very close second. Plant-based proteins either need processing, or a mixture of other foods to get the amino acids right so they can be useful – as useful muscle-building fuel, they’re quite far behind meats. That said, however, whey protein is slightly better than eggs – the gold standard.

This truth… this reality, of course, is controversial. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Now, this isn’t to say you can’t build a good plant-based body. There are plenty of people out there who do exactly that (or they build it on meat and switch). I’m pointing at the most efficient way, because at 55, without any drugs, I want the simplest path to victory.

Anyway, getting into the weeds of the topic of food, or more to the point, protein and muscle growth, I read an article (link below) about the best foods for an after lifting session meal for muscle growth and what they tested is hugely important – even more so than what they didn’t. They tested lean protein, high-fat protein, and a carbohydrate shake. They did not test a whey protein shake (presumably because it would win – I’ve read other articles on the same study that said the carb shake was a “control” but call me skeptical).

It’s not mysterious, though the MSN article quotes the doctor who ran the study and was, for some reason, flummoxed: “Burd says it’s not clear why the lean burger performed better for muscle-protein synthesis than the high-fat burger in the latest study. But he suspects that it could be because the meat was manipulated to add fat back in—and that may have impacted the outcomes.”

It is clear, and it has nothing to do with manipulation of meat – that’s for another type of website – not this one. There’s a very simple explanation for why lean won over high fat pork. Fat slows digestion. If you’re on a diet, some fat in that meat will help you feel “full” longer. That’s a good thing for those on a diet (and why they like butter so much in carnivore and paleo diets). Fat keeps you feeling full, longer. That’s what moderate and wise fat is good for – because fat comes with a calorie cost. Anyway, lean protein is digested quicker, so the creatine synthesized by digestion can transport nutrients to the muscles quicker. Now, the next paragraph in the article teases this concept, but doesn’t fully embrace the simple truth.

The study confirmed (not found) lean protein, because it digests quicker, will aid in the body sending the nutrients where they’re needed; rebuilding muscle. Fat slows the process, so nutrients aren’t as readily available for muscle building. And carbs are great for spiking blood sugar (unless you’re riding a bicycle on a long ride, but that wasn’t in the study).

I’d bet my lunch, if they’d used a good whey protein shake in this test, it would have won, but the test was paid for by a pork advocacy group. It doesn’t take a doctor to read between those lines. One thing missing from the article, and this was a breath of fresh air, was the tag-line; “more research is needed”. It really isn’t. We know what works and what doesn’t. Body builders have known this for decades since I was a kid.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/this-food-beats-protein-shakes-for-building-muscle-new-research-says/ar-AA1OC8ly

Sadly, and shockingly, Men’s Fitness jumps the “more research is needed” shark on the same study:

“However, “there is a food matrix effect between lean and high-fat pork, which needs to be investigated further as it indicates that there are other nutrients in the food matrix that interact with the utilizability,” explains Kristen Hicks-Roof (click to learn more) Ph.D., RDN, LDN Director of Human Nutrition at National Pork Board.“

https://www.mensfitness.com/news/your-muscle-gains-could-depend-on-which-animal-protein-youre-eating-new-study-finds

No, more research isn’t needed. More research is needed is a prettier way of saying
“more funding is sought by scientists to further beat a dead horse”.

Lift weights, eat meat, build muscle. Rinse and repeat. We can make it rocket science if that fits your “geek mode”, but it really isn’t all that difficult. I’m living, breathing proof at how efficient and effective this is. It’s shockingly simple.

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