Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

PROTEIN, FATS & CARBS. That is your magic.

19 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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In this short explanatory segment, the speaker emphasizes that protein will be diverted to provide energy if an athlete’s diet lacks sufficient carbohydrates and fats. When carbs and fats are under‑fed, the body first uses protein to fuel the heart, brain, and other essential functions before it can be employed for muscle repair and growth. Consequently, the speaker stresses the necessity of consuming appropriate amounts of all three macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fats—to ensure that protein can fulfill its primary role in muscle building rather than being burned for energy.

Chapters

protein loves to do the job of other nutrients if you're not fueling your body enough. And so if an athlete is eating all the protein he or she needs to be eating, but is under fueling on carbs and fats, protein's going to basically be converted into carbs in the body and won't be used to help repair the muscle. It will first be used to help give your body energy, give your heart the energy it needs to beat, and your brain the energy it needs to function before it will ever help build the muscle. And so that's why we say like we need the proper amounts of carbs, of protein, and then we get to fats.