The terms muscle mass and lean body mass are often thrown around and used interchangeably, but they’re different. All muscle is ‘lean,’ primarily composed of proteins, however lean body mass (LBM) refers to your total weight minus the weight composed of fat mass. Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is part of your LBM but are only the muscles that are controlled voluntarily for movement and posture. When thinking about gaining muscle, you’re referring to your SMM, as an increase in LBM can be a result of water weight.
So, what is protein and why is it important for muscle growth?
Protein is a macronutrient built from amino acids, which are stitched together in long chains. The body can manufacture many of those amino acids, however there are nine amino acids, known as the essential amino acids (EAA) which can’t be made in the body. These amino acids must be consumed through food from sources like beans, meat, soy, nuts, or eggs. Eggs are considered a high-quality protein because they are one of the few foods that contain all nine of the essential amino acids in the correct rations.
Leucine is the amino acid responsible for a lot of the muscle-building process. It is known as the leucine trigger concept because enough leucine triggers muscle protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is a process in which protein is produced to repair muscle damage caused by intense exercise, it is the opposite of muscle protein breakdown (MPB) where protein is lost as a result of exercise. Scientists measure the intensity of exercise by one-repetition maximum (1-RM), meaning the maximum weight you can lift for one rep. Even when exercising to failure, low intensity exercise will do little to increase muscle protein synthesis (MPS) so therefore won’t increase muscle mass.
MPS can be enhanced by increasing your protein intake immediately after exercise. The amino acids from the protein will be transported to your muscles, replacing any lost during exercise. This can also help improve recovery, performance, and endurance. Many studies have been undertaken to examine the role of protein in building muscle. A study published in the journal Nutrients, found that protein intake ‘was shown to promote additional gains in lean body mass beyond those observed with resistance exercise alone.’ Protein can also play a role in weight loss. Studies suggest that eating protein can increase the number of calories you burn by stimulating your metabolic rate.
One large egg contains 50 grams of protein. To put that in perspective, the average sedentary man is recommended to consume 50 grams of protein per day and the average sedentary woman 46 grams. However, protein intake varies for each individual and relies on a number of factors. You can find out your recommended protein intake using a protein calculator.
The way in which eggs are prepped can actually affect protein absorption. A study looked into how much protein was absorbed from cooked eggs compared to raw eggs. The results showed that participants absorbed 90% of the protein from cooked eggs compared to only 50% from raw eggs. For some inspiration check out the recipes on our blog and follow us on Instagram for more - every fortnight we share recipes you can make using egg whites!
]]>It’s the age-old question that we’ve been arguing over for years.
Well if you don’t know, you’re in luck. The team at Eazy Egg have the answer for you right now, keep reading as we unscramble this riddle for you.
Historically speaking, it’s a simple one… it’s the egg! The oldest examples of eggs fossils date back around 190 million years and the oldest commonly accepted bird fossils (Archaeopteryx) only go back a measly 150 million years.
That’s not what you came here for though? We don’t only want to know if an egg came first, we want to know if a chicken egg came first.
It’s now accepted that the first chicken would have come to being from the genetic mutation of two almost-chickens (or proto-chickens as they’re known). At some point their mating would have combined DNA to replicate and grow to produce an egg what would have hatched what we now know as today’s domesticated chicken.
If you accept that the egg that this first chicken came from… came first, then the answer is made for you… It’s the egg!
If you think that the ‘chicken egg’ can only be laid by that first chicken, then it looks like you’re team chicken.
If you’re wondering, we’re 100% team egg. Surprise, surprise!
There’s a huge body of evidence out there that eggs came first in general and we agree with the argument that this first mutated chicken of today came from an egg of two proto-chickens. So that egg definitely came first too.
We’re not alone either, if you want to know more… check out the fantastic articles below for more information on which birds created the chicken and when the first eggshell was created.
Come back soon for more eggcellent chicken mysteries… or maybe we’ll finally get to the bottom of the other big questions you’re asking… Anyone curious about a tree falling in a wood with no-one there to hear it?
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx
https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/which-came-first-chicken-or-egg
https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-635X2005000200001&lng=en&tlng=en
Egg whites: all the essential amino acids you need!
There’s an awful lot of talk about proteins in the healthy diet world. How do you make sure you’re getting enough, how much is enough and can you get enough protein if you don’t eat meat?
But to understand all of that, we need to first understand what protein is made of. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and there are 20 different amino acids – each different type of protein in the human body is made up of a different amount and combination of these 20 amino acids.
The body can manufacture 11 of the amino acids, and they’re considered ‘non-essential’ amino acids because it isn’t essential that we consume them in our diets. The other nine amino acids are considered essential, because we cannot get them from anywhere aside from our diet.
Foods that contain all nine essential amino acids are known as ‘complete protein’ foods and tend to be animal-based foods such as meat, dairy products and eggs. (It’s also possible to get all nine essential amino acids from plant-based foods such as peas and beans, but it might require some extra thought.)
Egg whites are a naturally occurring complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, and contain, on average, around 3.4 grams of protein per egg white. Around 40% of the protein content of an egg white is made up of the essential amino acids.
It’s for this reason that many nutritionists consider eggs to be one of the healthiest foods around and eating them regularly can help us make sure we’re getting enough protein to meet our needs, whilst not overgoing it on the calories, since egg whites are low in calories and fat, and despite the rumours of the 1990s, are also low in cholesterol (more on that later).
The importance of protein
The human body contains thousands of different proteins, and they’re found in everything from our muscles to our cells to our hair and nails. Each protein is constantly being broken down and replaced by newly made proteins.
When a protein is broken down, it releases its amino acids, some of which can be used to make new proteins, but others become oxidised and therefore cannot be used, so it’s essential that we eat enough.
The nine essential amino acids are as follows:
Egg whites contain all of these, as well as some of the non-essential amino acids, making egg whites an extremely nutritious food.
The quality of protein in egg whites
There is a system, called the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS), developed by the Food and Agricultural department of the World Health Organisation (WHO), that is an internationally recognised way of scoring and grading the protein quality of foods.
The DIAAS score of a food depends on how many essential amino acids it contains compared to non-essential and how well the body can digest them.
Egg whites are around 93% protein and contain mainly the protein albumin. Albumin has one of the highest DIAAS scores of all foods due to its availability of essential amino acids. The amino acid profile of egg whites is as close to a perfect match for amino acid requirements as is possible.
As well as the essential amino acids, egg whites contain some of the non-essential amino acids, so consuming them regularly can mean that we’re preventing a protein deficiency and looking after our health and wellbeing.
Egg whites contain the following non-essential amino acids as well as all nine essential amino acids:
Why do we need protein?
As we mentioned above, the body needs protein from our diet for healthy cells, muscles, hair and nails, as well as for important functions such as building new proteins and tissues, to helping us meet our energy requirements, regulating our appetite and helping us recover from injury.
We also require amino acids to help us regulate our mood and they can help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some amino acids also help to keep the blood vessels healthy by reducing plaque build-up and for stimulating the production of collagen that we need for youthful skin and healthy wound healing.
Another benefit of the essential amino acid content of egg whites is that they contain the three branched chain amino acids (BCAA) that help to build lean muscle mass.
The nutritional benefits of egg whites
The number of calories in egg whites is very low compared to their high protein content and they’re free from saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates and sugar. This makes them super healthy, especially if you’re on a calorie controlled diet or you have diabetes or heart disease.
Egg whites are also rich in vitamin B2 (also known as riboflavin) and the mineral potassium. We need vitamin B2 to help release the energy from the carbohydrates in our food which in turn can help to speed up our metabolism. More than 60% of the vitamin B2 in eggs is found in the egg white.
Potassium is essential for heart health by helping to keep the blood vessels open and vasodilated. This in turn helps to lower blood pressure, helping to keep the heart pumping as it should and the blood flow healthy.
The whites of an egg also contain a relatively recently understood compound called RVPSL. RVPSL can lower blood pressure with results equivalent to the blood pressure lowering drug Captopril by blocking the effects of angiotensin converting enzymes that can increase blood pressure.
Egg whites are also extremely versatile, and can be used in many recipes from omelettes and savoury muffins and frittatas to meringues and macarons. Since they’re so high in protein and low in calories, they’re popular with those who exercise a lot to help build lean muscle mass. Such high protein foods also help to keep us feeling fuller for longer and sustain energy levels, which can help with weight loss.
Studies also show that eating a high protein breakfast, for example one that contains egg whites, helps to dampen down our insulin and glucose responses after eating, meaning lower blood sugar levels and less risk of energy spikes and dips. This means that we’re less likely to overeat at our next meal as we’ll already be feeling fuller.
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