Don’t skimp on the protein! Being concerned with getting enough protein isn’t just for bodybuilders – protein is critical for everybody in their day-to-day lives.
Protein maintains healthy muscles and muscle mass is important for movement, balance and posture as well as everyday tasks like opening a jar or standing up. It also fuels immune function and your body’s healing. When you get a paper cut, proteins rush to the site to support the growth of new skin. If you have a larger wound or if you have a chronic illness, the immune system requires more protein to carry out healing. Basically, we really need to eat protein if we want to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Animal proteins (meat, chicken, fish) contain all the essential amino acids we need, which is why they’re known as a complete protein. Soy products and quinoa also contain all the essential amino acids. However, plant proteins often lack at least one of the essential amino acids, which is why they’re considered ‘incomplete’ proteins. This is why when following a vegan or vegetarian diet you have to ensure you get enough protein from various sources.
When choosing protein sources, it’s important to consider what each one has to offer. In addition to having all nine essential amino acids, animal proteins tend to have higher protein density and more iron, Vitamin D and B12. For example, 100 grams of beef contains more than 30 grams of protein, compared with the same measure of beans, which contains between about 8 and 26 grams depending on the type of bean. Beef also has significantly more leucine, the amino acid most responsible for muscle growth.
But don’t get me wrong, plant proteins also have their own unique benefits. They’re often rich in fibre, low in calories and low in fat. Many sources of plant protein, such as peanut butter and legumes, are also inexpensive. So with variety and balance, vegans and vegetarians can meet all of their protein requirements with plant-based sources.
So how much protein is enough protein? This differs from person to person – as every body is unique! As a general rule of thumb, you will need 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of bodyweight per day. This is enough to maintain health and muscle mass day to day. However, if you are hitting the gym to increase your strength and muscle mass, you should up that intake of protein to 1.4 to 2.2 grams per kilogram to keep your muscle growth going strong.
Have a look at this handy list of protein high foods and see how many you can incorporate into your diet. It can sometimes be tricky finding reliable information to compare the nutritional content of different foods, but this tool by the US Department of Agriculture’s research unit has lots of detailed information on a range of foods.
| Animal Proteins | Plant Proteins |
| Eggs (12.4g) *
Chicken breast (32.1g) * Unsweetened greek yoghurt full milk (8.78g) * Unsweetened greek yoghurt no fat (10.3g) * Cottage cheese (11g) * Cheddar cheese (23.3g) * Goats cheese (10g) * Salmon (20.4g) * Tuna (19g) * Whole Milk (3.27g) * Lean beef (20g) * Beef (cured, dried) (31.1g) * Lamb (16.6g) *
|
Edamame beans (11.9g) * Quinoa (4.4g) * Chickpeas (20.5g) * Brown rice (7.19g) * Tofu (8.08g) * Sunflower seeds salted, roasted (21g) * Pumpkin seeds (30.2g) * Walnuts (15.2g) * Almonds (21.2g) * Hazel nuts (15g) * Lentils (9.02g) * Black beans (8.86g) * Kidney beans (25.9g) * Navy (baked) beans (24.1g) * Soy milk unsweetened (2.78g) * |
* Amounts are for the protein content per 100g serving. Click the asterisk next to each food to get detailed nutritional information on each food.
There are three key factors to take into consideration when deciding how much protein you require:
Exercise
Working out increases your protein needs both in the short and long term. In the short term, you require some extra protein after a hard workout to repair your body. In the long term, as you build up more muscle mass, you will need more protein to maintain that mass.
A caloric deficit
If you are dieting to lose weight you actually need more protein. Eating in a caloric deficit will increase your muscle breakdown. One way to counter this is by increasing your protein intake so that all that hard work you are putting in with your diet does not end up wasting your muscles away instead of that pesky fat.
Ageing
As we age, our bodies decrease our anabolic response to protein, meaning that as you get older, the amount of protein needed to promote muscle growth increases, both per meal and in terms of your total daily intake. “Older” in this case means about 60 years or so.
There are many high protein foods that are healthy and will help you achieve your goals. Just keep a nice variety of proteins in the mix, avoid those ugly over-processed carbs and make sure you enjoy the foods you are eating.
