Stormblood said:
My problem with them is that they are processed and denatured from their original source. In addition, the original source is just whey or soy, which is then processed again to get it into a powder. So I think the source of protein is questionable, but then they go ahead and further ruin the quality of it by processing it.
The body can "tell" what it has eaten, although modern science considers 1oz of destroyed protein practically similar to 1oz of steak. The exact molecular composition is of course different, and same with the energetic profile.
Eating whole food items will always be better, so the focus should be placed here.
Consumed in bulk, likely mixed in milk, it would just lead to improper digestion. This would be clear in the case of rancid "protein" farts, which shows some is going into the intestines undigested. Looking at TCM, it is the spleen/stomach that nourishes the muscles, so this is further reason to not upset it.
For the above reasons, I think it is not worth bothering with. If he wants to increase his protein, he should consider clean cheese or boiled eggs that can be yoinked down the hatch with ease. An egg would also nourish the jing (stem cells), the blood, and so forth, providing a much more balanced protein source than just whey, soy, or casein powder.
Not only would he be eating too much protein, but just trash protein with little value to the body. Eating too much steak can upset the digestion or be too warming, but at least it still nourishes the blood and provides vitamins and so forth.
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I think your assessment was correct in that
if he is already eating a vata-pacifying diet, this is heavy enough. Engorging yourself would not lead to significantly more muscle, not anything that would make worth the digestive stress. In other words, he should look beyond the diet for help here.
Anything that increases the body's bioenergy will help significantly. Yoga will help the muscle recovery, as well as aid in testosterone creation. I assume he is already doing this, but if not, he should. Also, focusing on proper sleep will keep the blood at a higher quality, since the liver does its job at 1-3am.
Focusing on his testosterone will help, and he should check the other threads for help here. One can see from racial/gender differences that the
androgenic profile of the body is responsible for the majority of the muscle mass. At the same bioenergy, the body will just refuse to add more muscle on, unless he starts adding hours to his training. Higher androgens will convince the body to put on more muscle, however.
Being vata, his build is part of his constitution and who is he. Vata is slender and agile with a smaller frame and muscles. With this and the testosterone info in mind,
he should focus instead on a working, when he gets the chance. If he is hitting the limit with his training, diet, and androgenic profile, then he needs to look elsewhere besides stuffing himself. He is hitting the physical limits, now he has to turn to metaphysics.
A big part of being an Zevism is time management. 30 minutes spent on a working would return better results than a cumulative hour or more spent on more training, more eating, and dealing with food coma feelings.
One last thought: It might be worth developing a workout plan that rotates the exercises done for each muscle group or area of the body. Rotating between as many exercises as possible would add "quality" to the training session without increasing the quantity of time spent.