From bodybuilders to doctors, they all say protein is important for your health. However, they fail to explain why it’s important, and how much you need. Let’s address these issues today.
What does protein do?
- Protein is an important macronutrient – meaning it’s a major part of basic nutrition and we need to eat more of this than something like iron.
- It makes you feel full (sated).
- If you feel like you are always hungry, you may be missing out on it’s satiating effects.
- It has also been shown to help maintain your lean muscle mass while losing weight (this is a VERY good thing).
- It helps your strengthen and boost your immune system.
- If you always seem to be catching colds or bugs, you just might not be getting enough protein.
Recommended amounts
This is where most debate comes in regarding protein. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams/kg of bodyweight. However, if you are more active you will need more. If you fall into that camp, it’s recommended to consume 1 – 2.2 grams/kg/day.
If you are an older adult your need for protein also increases, partly because of the need to prevent/fight sarcopenia, and also because your body becomes less effective at using it as you age. For older adults, the recommendation is 1-1.2g/kg. For those who don’t use the metric system let’s convert these numbers.
RDA = 0.36 grams/pound each day
Active adult = 0.45-1g/pound bodyweight daily
Older adult = 0.45-0.54 g/pound daily.
If you are an active older adult, you’ll be somewhere between the 1.2-2.2g/kg.
So if you weigh 135 lbs (61.4kg), you should shoot for eating 61.4 – 135 grams each day. If you weight 200 lbs and are an active older adult, you should be getting 90.9g-200grams daily!
Protein’s dirty secret
There are many foods that claim to be ‘high protein’ that fail to deliver. I’d like to thank my colleague Bret Contreras for his recent piece on this.
To really tell if a food is high in protein you can’t just read the label on how many grams of protein it has per serving. You really need to divide the protein grams into the calories per serving to see if the food really is high in protein.
- Ex. Peanuts, dry roasted: 160 cals with 6 grams per serving. That’s good right?
- 6/160 = 3.75% of all the calories are from protein. Not that impressive.
Check out this table Bret put together for foods that better options for this macronutrient.
Courtesy Bret Contreras
Protein summary:
Strive to get your recommended protein allotment each day as your most important macronutrient. Focus on getting your recommended amounts.
You may need to create a game plan to make this happen. An easy way to track this information I’d recommend is to download a tracking app, like the free myfitnesspal app (apple or android). Track your consumption for a couple of days. Or enter what you normally eat each day and see how much you consume. When we do this with our senior fitness clients they are surprised at how little protein they really consume. From there, you can add some foods that will bring your total up without a huge bump in total calories.
Remember that it’s not just about putting on more muscle or looking like a bodybuilder. Protein is essential for your healthy lifestyle.
