Incorporating Protein into the Diet
Unlike carbohydrate and fat, protein is a key feature of every meal in a diet, whether bulking or losing fat. It really is as simple as that. The amounts required will vary from person to person.
To build muscle, start out with around 2g per kg bodyweight a day and adjust accordingly. If gains are slow, try increasing the protein levels consumed, if too much fat is gained, try decreasing the levels of protein (while still ensuring balance with other macronutrients).
There is much talk of the biological value (BV) of protein. This is a measure of the percentage of protein ingested that is stored in the body. Whey protein has the highest biological value, with egg a close second. Further down the list is milk, followed by fish, beef, chicken, soy and pulses.
This method of characterising protein has significant flaws, such as ignoring the amino acid profile of a protein (which effectively could have a high biological value but lack an essential amino acid) and is disputed in the scientific literature.
When training to build muscle, eat as much of your protein from food sources (with the exception of whey post workout or first thing in the morning), keeping them relatively lean (grilled chicken and turkey, lean cuts of red meat, white fish, tuna, low fat cottage cheese, pulses, egg whites, etc) or containing healthy fats (oily fish).
However, for those with high protein requirements but not so big appetites, meal replacement protein shakes can be a useful addition.
If your aiming to lose fat and retain muscle, protein intake remains similar to when building muscle and therefore forms a greater overall percentage of calories, given that carbohydrate and fat are restricted.
However, the sources must on the whole be food based (apart from whey post workout) and very lean, unless contributing to essential fats.
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