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Originally Posted by Gem
I would certainly consider vegetarianism because of ethical reasons associated with cruel farming practices, and also, the amount of meat I have to eat as a primary protein source is pretty extreme and doesn't seem to me to be well balanced, though my veg intake is quite high at around 8 cups a day + a couple cups of fruit as well.
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I'm another lifter......In my 20's I was a competitive powerlifter....I still lift 4 days per week but have not competed for years and have backed off the weight as I've gotten older.
Your comment on the amount of meat you eat caught my attention.
This begs the question...just how much protein do you need???
Your hypothetical non-training "average person" can assimilate about 18 to 25 grams of quality protein in a single meal depending on health and physical condition
That same hypothetical "non-training person" needs about a 1/4 gram of quality protein per pound of body weight for maintenance.
I say "quality protein" ..IE, animal sources.....with vegetable sources of protein you will need more because vegetable sources of protein are not assimilated by the body as well as animal sources.
With vegetable sources of protein ....there is also the requirement to eat enough different types of protein bearing foods that you get a complete amino acid profile since most vegetable source don't have that or barely have that and so combining plant based foods becomes very necessary to get complete protein amino acid profiles.
So lets talk about a hard training lifter.
it is generally agreed by experts in the training field that hard training lifters will require 1/2 gram to as much as 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for not just maintenance but to support growth.
It is also generally agreed that the strength athlete can assimilate a bit more protein than a non-training person.....as much as 30 to 35 grams at a sitting
So if you're are talking about very lean red meat....you are talking about perhaps a 4 to 5 oz serving....about 200 to 220 calories worth.....Consuming more than that at a single sitting adds nothing but calories to the equation as the body just can't use it all at once
If you are talking about plant based protein you will require more grams of protein bearing food simply to offset the lower average uptake of plant protein.
Gem....I'm glad you started this thread.....as a life long lifter its something I'm extremely interested in!