Where to Get Glutamine Naturally?
There is this weird idea that dominates the mind of a person just starting to hit the gym to build muscles. The idea is that in order to gain muscles, you only have to carry lots of weights hit the gym every single day. We forget that while our bodies may have evolved quite well, we are still humans.
I know that sounded cliché but when I said we are still humans I was referring to the physical aspect. Humans in the sense that we still get tired and our bodies break down if we don’t take care of it.
If we want to go deeper, our bodies lose Glutamine after doing intense training. You know you are low on Glutamine when you feel tired, lose strength, and you can’t recover right away. The body requires at least 6 days to recover all the lost Glutamine. That’s why you need to get Glutamine from another source. What better way to get Glutamine than from natural sources, right? But before that. Let’s try to talk about it.
What is Glutamine?
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human muscular system. Around 61% of our skeletal muscles is Glutamine. It is also considered the primary transporter of nitrogen in our muscles because it is made up of 19% nitrogen.
Whenever we do intense training, our body uses all the Glutamine in your muscles. The depletion results in lowered strength, recovery, and stamina. Normally, our body can replenish the depleted Glutamine storage around 6 days. It is also key in the synthesis of protein in your body.
While it is undeniable that it is essential for somebody who wants to gain more muscles, our body just can’t keep up with one intense training after another. That’s why you need to get it from other sources.
Where do you get Glutamine Naturally?
If you are looking to replenish your Glutamine storage from regular food, then you are in luck. Unless you are vegan, you shouldn’t have a problem getting it from your regular meal.
Animal proteins are one good source of Glutamine. Of the animal proteins available for human consumption, the best option would be dairy products. This includes milk, yoghurt, and various cheeses.
As for meat sources, Glutamate can easily be found on pork, fish, beef, and chicken.
If you are a vegetarian or if you are trying your best to stay away from meat, don’t worry. Certain raw vegetables and beans are oozing with Glutamine. Vegetables such as spinach, parsley, and cabbage are just some of the best Glutamine sources in the plant world.
How About Glutamine Supplementation?
Alright, now that we know where to get it naturally, we must next discuss whether getting glutamine supplementation is warranted.
Just to set the record straight, getting more L-Glutamine won’t mean you will magically gain more muscles or lose fat. That’s not how L-Glutamine works. So if you are going to supplement because you think it will make you look better than stop now.
Glutamine supplementation works better for people who can’t get Glutamine from natural sources as much as the others. Although there are plant options for Glutamine, they don’t contain as much Glutamine as animal sources. This means vegetarians who want Glutamine will have to eat more of the vegetables and beans in order to get the same amount of Glutamine as a guy who eats a whole slab of steak.
If you are already taking various supplements, you might want to check the labels out because a lot of them might already have L-Glutamine as one of their ingredients. If not, ask your nutritionist or doctor about possible Glutamine supplementation to support your needs.
[product id=”137″]
