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Of the three macronutrients, protein is the most important for health and achieving the body you want. The bottom line is that protein is the ONLY nutrient out of the three that restores and repairs every single cell in your body. Now, every day your body with its trillions of cells is constantly being broken down and being rebuilt. In fact every 7 years you are literally a completely new person - there is not one cell in your body that was there 7 years ago. To stay alive we need enough protein to grow new cells to replace the old ones. It's that simple. With our hectic modern lives, the breakdown is even greater and so to stay healthy we need to make sure we are getting enough each and every day. Individual requirements will vary however a good minimum is anywhere from 1.5-3 grams per kilo of bodyweight when you are exercising depending on your specific goals and needs. This amount is necessary because as you exercise you breakdown a great deal of protein in the body to train it to adapt and grow new muscle that will fire up your metabolism and help you burn more body fat.

Now when we talk about quality protein sources you can always look to red meat...but not just any red meat, more to the point, quality organic red meat.

One of the most compelling reasons to eat only organic meat is the massive use of anti-biotics in the stock feed of mass commercially produced meats. In the United Sates Almost 17.9 million pounds of anti-biotics was added to stock feed of farm animals in an attempt to prevent the diseases caused by mass farming as well as a growth promoter to fatten the stock more quickly.

Considering most dosages of anti-biotics if you are unlucky enough to need them once or twice a year are measured in milligrams (1/1000th of a gram), anti-biotics in livestock feed create a massive overdose of 27g of anti-biotics per year for every man woman and child. This means that as a population, our natural resistance to disease is being steadily eroded. The situation in Australia is little better with approximately 20g of anti-biotics from stock feed ingested per person each year.

Once you have converted to organic meat there is no going back as it is far more carefully produced in smaller batches and the superior quality and taste is self-evident.

Eating meat can make you feel heavy at times but after eating organic meats you will probably find yourself feeling energized, as you should after having a good quality dose of protein. Game meats such as buffalo, bison, venison, kangaroo and ostrich are an excellent source of clean chemical free protein. They is also very low in fat, taste great and can be very good value for money. In larger pieces game meats with their lower fat content need to be cooked fairly rare, but if you prefer well done, slice thinly and use in stirfrys.

Your protein intake may be supplemented by good quality protein powders, which are particularly good before and after training due to their quick absorption, and convenience.