Good Protein/Bad Protein
 

Is the protein found in say.. a quarterp ounder with cheese from McDonalds a good protein. I have heard that meats give good proper proteins but some pastas protein are incomplete. Seeing that McDonalds is junk food, are these still proper proteins?:weights:

the protein is fine....it's what you get along with that protein at mcdonalds that is usually not in your best interest.

A quarter pounder will work...it's beef, why shouldn't it work? Along with that good beef protein, however, comes an excess of saturated fat and refined carbs from a generic bun. You'd be wise (if you were serious) to do your own burgers (if you MUST eat a burger for your protein). Go to a grocery store, pick up some leaner ground beef (96/4 is about as lean as it gets), they do fatfree cheese nowadays, grab a pack of whole wheat buns and whatever "fixins" you can't do without. Keep the carbs complex and the meat lean with high protein. Fat isn't a bad thing in itself...it transforms into a bad thing when accompanied by the insulin spikes that refined/simple carbs will give you.

Personally, I'd say toss the bun and cheese and just cook up some beef, mix it in with some egg beaters and spice it up to taste. Or grab some fatty fish cuts instead. You could settle with McDonald's and get pretty ripped...but chances are unless you have the metabolism of a God, you'll have to bring your lovehandles along for the ride.

I think I know what you're getting at. Explain further. Then I'll explain...or clarify.

Well, the basic understanding I've garnered (as far as perused documents online and in more than a few diet/nutrition books) is that fat is a miracle calorie. Denser than protein or carbohydrate, it will sit in your stomach and keep you fuller longer. How that fat is used within the body all depends on the host's diet, activity level, etc. It can be a superior energy source, or excess baggage.

Saturated fat, in particular, serves no purpose in the body other than storage (excluding MCT's, a uniquely architectured saturated fat derived from coconut oil). Transfat simply cannot be metabolized and should be utterly avoided. Mono and polyunsaturated fats are mostly neutral and can be mobilized easily under the proper conditions (the same goes with the above with hard enough work). However, a high enough insulin spike impairs fat mobilization utterly, rather, it signals the body to store it (ie; a couple tablespoons of natural peanut butter is considered a healthy fat, but when it's slathered on enriched Wonderbread and sandwiched with sugary grape jelly, it'll rape your thighs).

So, if fat is to be ingested, best it be accompanied by quality (or tagalong) protein and complex carbs (or no carbs at all).

In summation, I'm not really telling you anything you can't learn in McDonald's UD2.0

not all saturated fat is worthless....alot of it does some good work in repairing tissues...cell membranes...etc.

So would you recommend it all the time?

I'll answer that one for you. No.

There are tagalong fats in nearly everything we eat, and a percentage of that (depending on the dish) is always going to be saturated fat. So even the biggest health nazi is going to get some saturated fat. Personally, I keep two eyes on saturated fat intake at all times, but I'm still a carnivore, and no self-respecting bodybuilder can go without the incredible edible egg. Still, whatever few benefits saturated fat may have, outweighing it are twice as many negatives...

So, dickydick, if you can help it, eat fish and eggs instead of McDonalds and your bodybuilding rewards will be reaped at a higher rate.

i'm sure some of mcdonalds stuff is outdated by now...since it was written more than a couple years ago i think...nutrition research changes every day.

Yeah, the last I read, a significant portion of one's fat intake should come from saturated fat. I don't feel like going back and looking for a percentage because it doesn't really matter. Most people get enough saturated fat without trying.

Elevated blood glucose levels trigger carbohydrate storage (insulin release), not fat storage. Digestion rates are different for carbs and fats. Fill in the link and make it significant, or I won't buy it.

This is where I knew you were going with this. I just wanted to go all the way through the logic before I posed the challenge of filling in that link. I'll be out of town till Sunday, so...don't expect a response from me before then although other people will probably chime in.

since you're not on aim....have fun rossco :)