05 May Perfecting Your Protein Intake

Protein has been a hot topic of conversation amongst our clients for a while now, and for good reason. Protein is essential for countless functions throughout the body, but how much should you be eating? Where should you get protein from? Is too much protein dangerous for your health? And what about protein bars and shakes?

The word protein itself comes from the Greek protos meaning “first”, demonstrating it’s integral role in human health. Protein is needed for building and maintaining muscles, bone, skin and hair. It’s required to make enzymes and hormones and it’s essential for a healthy functioning immune system. Too little protein in our diet can not only compromise our health, it can leave us feeling constantly hungry, struggling to feel satisfied and craving sweet and starchy foods.

There is a lot of confusion around protein. Some women worry that increasing their protein intake whilst exercising will make them bulky. Ladies, unless you’re genetically unique or using steroids (not recommended), it won’t. In this article we’ll talk through what you need to know about protein.

If you’re working towards reaching and maintaining your ideal weight, we can help. We are a team of qualified, experienced nutritionists who specialise in weight loss. Schedule your complimentary call today to find out how we can help you. 

WHY IS PROTEIN IMPORTANT?

Every cell in the body requires protein. We need protein to build and repair tissues such as bones, muscle and cartilage. It’s needed to make enzymes and hormones, and for healthy immune system function. Maintaining adequate protein intake as we age helps preserve muscle mass and strength in older adults, helping to mitigate frailty associated with ageing.

So how much should you be eating?

BASE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE ON YOUR NEED

Protein recommendations are worked out based on our body weight and given as grams of protein per kilogram body weight. If your goal is to lose weight, it is advisable to base this on your ideal body weight, rather than your current weight. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consumption of 0.8g protein per kg body weight for sedentary individuals, however, this is a minimum intake recommended to prevent deficiency. Most people do better with more.

To arrive at the conclusion of what I believe is an optimal protein intake for our clients, I have taken into account a lot of scientific literature, as well as two decades of clinical experience. Using a sophisticated body composition analysis machine, I have been able to monitor many clients to ensure their protein intake was at least maintaining, if not increasing, their muscle mass which is a primary consideration when assessing optimal protein intake. I have also researched and observed the protein intakes that ensure satiety for an optimal duration of time after eating. One thing that is sure to compromise compliance to a dietary strategy when losing weight is excessive hunger.

My team and I work with calculations of between 1.2-1.5g protein per kg (ideal) body weight which I have found to be optimal. Working one to one with clients we can monitor protein intake and adjust their intake if we believe this to be necessary. 

HOW MUCH PROTEIN SHOULD I EAT?

Whilst optimal protein intake is important, unless you have a very specific body composition goal (which most of our clients do not) then you likely don’t need to worry about finessing your protein intake down to the last gram.

You can calculate your protein intake by multiplying your ideal body weight by between 1.2g – 1.5g protein. If you’re more sedentary you can lean towards the lower end, if you’re active, lean towards the upper end. 

To give an example, if you desire to be 60kgs, you should be looking to consume between 70-90g protein per day, spread across meals. This could look like 20g at breakfast from three medium eggs or a serving of protein powder in a smoothie, 25g at lunch from a salmon fillet or 28g from 150g tempeh, and 36g protein at dinner from 150g organic chicken breast. 

SHOULD YOU TRACK YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE?

If you’re keen to track your protein intake to ensure you’re getting the right amount for you, the easiest way is by tracking your food intake for a couple of weeks using an app like MyFitnessPal. You can use the app to scan the food you’re eating and find out how much protein is in your meal. If you scroll to the bottom of the food diary page and click the ‘nutrition’ button, this will tell you how much protein you’ve consumed in total that day. 

I’m not suggesting that you need to meticulously track every bite of food forever more, but tracking what you eat for a couple of week can be a very enlightening experience. 

As well as using data, you can also monitor how you feel. How much protein do you need to consume to ensure you don’t end up feeling hungry again soon after eating?

EAT PROTEIN AT EACH MEAL

Instead of loading your daily intake of protein into one big meal, space it out over the day. Having a palm sized portion at each main meal is a good start. As with most nutrients, the body can only effectively break down and use so much as once so little and often is the key.

CHOOSE YOUR SOURCES OF PROTEIN CAREFULLY

When we think of protein, we often associate it with meat. Whilst meat is a good source of protein, it’s not the only source and it’s good to vary where you get your protein from. If you eat meat make sure that it’s organic or at least traditionally reared (grass fed with beef). Wild fish, free range / organic eggs, seafood, pulses and tofu are also good sources.

Protein is made up of amino acids, some of which the body cannot make, known as essential amnio acids. Animal proteins such as meat, fish, eggs and seafood provide all of these essential amino acids and are therefore known as ‘complete’ proteins. If you’re a meat eater, ensure you choose meat from animals raised traditionally – look out for organic, free-range and grass-fed. Fish and seafood are high quality protein souces too. Look out for the blue Marine Stewardship Council label to ensure your fish is sustainably sourced. As well as being protein-rich, eggs provide a variety of other essential nutrients, making them a nutritious breakfast choice. Choose free-range eggs.

PLANT PROTEINS

The best soy products are those that have been fermented, such as tempeh, rather than highly processed soy products like soya milk. Nuts, lentils, beans, chickpeas and quinoa are also vegan protein sources.

Unlike animal proteins, plant protein sources typically do not contain all essential amino acids. Therefore it’s important to combine difference sources to ensure you’re getting enough. High quality protein powders can be a valuable addition to vegetarian and vegan diets in particular.

WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN BARS AND SHAKES?

Protein shakes and bars can be a useful way of adding easy to absorb protein into our diets, particularly for vegans and vegetarians. That said, it’s important to choose good quality products. Avoid protein powders and shakes with added sugars and artificial sweeteners, flavours and colours. Discover the protein powders my team and I rate here. My favourite protein bars are from Pulsin’ – especially the Vanilla and Chocolate Chip.

Not all high protein foods are created equal though. An increase in awareness of the importance of protein has led to an increase of processed protein foods on the market. Here’s an article we put together article on the problem with some ‘high protein’ foods.

In the past there has been concern that a high protein diet is bad for our health, particularly the health of the kidneys. Too much or too little of anything isn’t good. As usual, the key here is moderation. In one review of studies, researchers analysed the evidence available on protein intake and concluded that: ‘protein restriction may be appropriate for treatment of existing kidney disease but there is no significant evidence for a negative effect of high protein intakes on kidney function in healthy persons‘.

WORK WITH US

We are a team of qualified nutritionists who specialise in weight loss. If you’re ready to overcome your weight challenges, achieve your goal weight and maintain it long term, we can help. You can use this link to book in for a complimentary call today. This is an opportunity to talk through your challenges with a member of our team and decide together whether one of our Intelligent Weight Loss programmes is right for you. Or contact us to request a copy of our brochure and we will get back to you soon.

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