Proteins are one of the three main macronutrients, carbohydrates and fats being the other two. Fortunately we all agree that proteins are essential and thus they have never been subject of a low protein diet like carbs and fats. So I do not have to convince you that you should be eating protein. The more important, and something that comes up quite a lot in my clinic visits, is what kind and how much to eat. The short answer is you should eat various sources of protein, and the quantity depends on your age, sex and lifestyle. So, lets take a deeper dive.
What is protein:
Proteins are made of many smaller units called amino acids. Amino acids are chains of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms attached to each other in very specific special orientation. Think of a small round structure of Legos with different shapes and colors. There are a total of 20 amino acids in nature. These amino acids can combine in various combinations and special arrangements to form different proteins.
What are proteins used for?
Well, we all know that proteins make muscles, and we all love muscles. And yes, although proteins are the essential building blocks of muscles, but we use proteins in many other essential body functions. Our immune system is essentially made of various proteins (for starters, antibodies are proteins), our nervous system uses various proteins for signaling and our cells use proteins for many essential functions. Even some famous diseases like Alzheimer's and Amyloidosis are due to proteins, in this case excessive abnormal proteins that deposit in the brain or heart. So, besides building muscles, we need proteins for various essential body functions. And since we do not store protein like we do with fats and carbs, our body needs a daily intake of protein. In fact, in cases of protein deficiency our body breaks down our own muscles to use the protein for the more essential body functions.
How do we obtain proteins?
We obtain our protein from our diet. You probably already knew that. But what you may have not known is that the dietary protein is rapidly digested in our stomach and small intestine into the more basic amino acids. It is the amino acids that we can absorb through our digestive system, not the whole protein. Proteins are first broken down into smaller units by the acid in the stomach. Then special proteins released by the pancreas break them down further to the individual amino acids in the small intestine.
Fun fact: we use our own proteins called proteases to break down the dietary protein! Yet another essential function of proteins.
The amino acids are then taken to the liver. Liver is the main factory where we use digested amino acids to make our own human proteins. Some of the amino acids are also transported to various tissues where more organ specific proteins are made. In fact we can use the digested protein to make our own amino acids, well at least 11 of the 20. So no matter what kind of protein you eat, as long as you eat enough, your body will use the carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen atoms in these proteins to synthesize its own amino acids and proteins. However, we lack the capacity to make 9 of the 20 amino acids, so we depend on our diet to obtain these amino acids. These 9 amino acids are therefore called essential amino acids and have to be part of our diet.
Essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
If you are not a vegetarian, then you have nothing to worry about as you get all 20 amino acids from your meat. But if you are vegetarian then you should be more mindful and make sure you either include "complete proteins" or combination of proteins that provide you with all essential amino acids.
Complete Proteins are those that include all 9 essential amino acids and include: Tempeh, Hemp seed, Chia seed, Tofu, quinoa, buckwheat, lentils, beans, edamame and peas. Small portion per day is all you need.
How much protein do I need?
And now, the part that most of you are really interested in. How much protein do you actually need? Well, we all need a basic amount of protein to maintain our daily needs for just being alive and doing essential daily activities. This is called the recommended daily allowance (RDA). It is enough for sedentary or mildly active healthy adults.
For healthy adults this comes out to be around 0.75g/kg body weight, or 0.36g/Ibs.
If you are an active person, meaning you either exercise or have an active job that requires significant amount of physical activity, think construction worker or mine worker, then you need extra protein to help repair and build new muscle. Here is a rough estimate of what you need:
Mid activity | Moderate activity | Intense activity |
Ex: standing/walking job, short walks or exercises | Very physical job, exercising up to an hour a day | Professional athletes, endurance athletes, body builders. |
1g/kg | 1.3g/kg | 1.6-2g/kg |
0.4g/Ibs | 0.5g/Ibs | 0.6-.9g/Ibs |
Fun Fact: Pregnancy and breast feeding is another period where you need a lot of protein. After all, a new baby needs its own proteins for its muscles, immune system, nervous system and slue of other body functions. And only source of protein is the mother. 2g/kg is the recommended daily intake.
Now, remember, these are estimates. You do no not need to stress and start counting proteins every day to make sure you are meeting your daily requirement. At 170 pounds and my peak triathlon training, I needed around 120g of protein per day. Three meals a day with healthy proteins, two snacks during the day with healthy amount of protein and a night snack gave me just that. No counting. No keeping track. Once I cut down on my training and went from intense to moderate, my requirement changed to 100g per day, so I simply dropped my evening and night snacks. Here is some general rule on how make sure you are getting enough protein:
Sedentary: 3 meals a day, each meal has a good source or protein.
Mild activity: 3 meals plus a snack.
Moderate: 3 meals plus 2 snacks
Intense: 3 meals, plus 2 snacks, plus bedtime protein source.
Here are some examples of good protein sources for each meal:
Breakfast: aim for about 20g.
2-3 Eggs | 6g per egg |
1 cup Greek Yogurt | 20g |
1 cup oats plus crushed nuts | about 15g |
Smoothie with greek yogurt, milk or/and peanut butter | 20g with yogurt or 8g with peanut butter and 8 g with cup of milk |
2 table spoon chia seed | 4g per tbs |
3 table spoon Hemp seed | 3g per tbs |
1 cup milk | 8g |
pancake made with one egg and 1 cup whole wheat or oat flour, use milk instead of water. | 12g (add some crushed walnuts or almonds for extra protein). extra 8g with milk. |
Lunch and Dinner: aim for 20-30g
1 serving of chicken, beef or fishhe | 30-40g |
1 serving of pork | 25g |
1/2 cup tofu | 21g |
1 cup garbanzo beans | 38g |
1 cup black beans | 24G |
1 cup quinoa | 8g |
1 whole wheat pasta | 8g |
1 cup brown rice | 5g |
1 cup peas | 8g |
1 cup Edamame | 17g |
1 slice cheese like cottage, mozzarella | 8g |
Some examples of healthy protein rich snacks include handful of nuts, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, hummus, eggs or homemade protein bars.
Be sure you include various sources from the table above. This ensures you get all the amino acids you need. For vegetarians, some great sources of protein are tofu, tempeh, legumes, peas, whole grains and Edamame.
Unhealthy Proteins:
Unlike carbs and fats, there is really no unhealthy protein. Proteins are all digested the same way. And we really make our own protein, so does not matter what kind of protein you eat, its all broken down in your digestive system anyway. But proteins are rarely found in pure form, rather they are usually surrounded by fat and carbs. So, what makes some proteins healthier than others is really the carbs and fats that come with that protein. Protein by itself also has a low caloric index, but the fat or carb source associated with that protein makes a big difference. For example a 4oz serving of 80% lean ground beef has 19g of protein and 287 calories, whereas a 90% lean beef has 22g of protein and about 200 calories. The protein in serving of bacon is significantly higher in unhealthy fat than same serving of protein in a pork chop. Cup of plain greek yogurt has 20g of protein and 0g of added sugar, whereas a flavored brand has the same protein and about 10-15g of added sugar.
So, when it comes to choosing your protein, focus more on the fat and carb content than the actual protein. Legumes, tofu, peas are some of the healthiest form of protein with least amount of calories (20g of tofu is only about 20 calories). Now, this does not mean that you should always aim for the lowest calories (unless you are trying to lower your calorie intake). In fact the fat and carb in most proteins are healthy. Even red meat and dairy products are now considered to be healthy if consumed in moderation. What you really want to stay away are all the processed forms.
Another important but somewhat controversial topic in protein consumption is the maximum amount of protein you can digest per meal. There is some limited and inconclusive evidence that your body can only process about 25-30g of protein per meal, anything past this is simply used as energy and not really processed to make new proteins. But the evidence for this is somewhat murky. This is really irrelevant. After all, it is really hard to actually eat more than 30-40g of protein per meal. I mean how many of you can eat more than 4oz of steak in one seating (ok, besides the occasional over eating). Even if you are scooping in protein powder, you need close to 3-4 scoops to break the 40g barrier. That is just disgusting, not to mention the bloating you get after. So, forget the research, common sense really does not allow for a meal to pack more than 30g of protein (I even looked back at Rocky, he broke in 5 eggs in his smoothie, that is 30g of protein). So, for those of you who need more protein per day than you can get from your major meals, high protein snacks become an essential part of your diet. Rememebr, food is for pleasure and survival, so dont try to pack all your daily needs in one or two meals and then feel sick. Have 3 healthy meals in moderation plus some healthy snacks. Make this into a pleasant experience, not a dreaded assignment.
Extra points for my super athletes:
Over the past 6 months I have had quite few endurance athletes as my patients which I love since I am one myself. So, this section is for you freaks.
Protein, besides carbs, is a main source of obsession with recreational endurance athletes. Whey vs Casien, timing of intake, source of protein, amount of protein, recovery versus peak phase intake, the list goes on and on. Please, stop. You are making this a whole lot more complicated than it should be. So, lets cut to the chase and address some common topics:
Timing of Protein intake: Unlike carbs, protein intake is not a time sensitive nutrient. We all know that we need high index carbs during and immediately after our hard and long exercises for proper muscle glycogen restoration. It turns out that our muscles are not as sensitive to the timing of protein intake, rather they just need a total amount per day. So, as long as you are meeting your total daily requirement, it does not matter when you take it. Some advocate for a 10-20g protein intake post exercise. This is usually combined with a high index carb, Chocolate milk is a perfect example. Well, this is a myth, you do not need to take 10-20g within 30 minutes of finishing. I personally do because it makes me feel less hungry than if I just have a high index carb, but if you don't feel like eating a heavy protein rich snack after finishing a long ride or run, then don't. Just focus on hydration, electrolyte replacement and 20g of high index carb within that first 30 minutes post exercise. Eat your protein with your next meal or snack. Focus on total daily intake, not timing with your work out.
Type of Protein: Casein is fast absorbing since it is already somewhat digested, whey is slower digested. Remember, you don't need to slam your body with protein right after exercise, so slow versus fast absorption does not matter. Save your money and don't buy those expensive fast absorbing brands of protein powder.
Protein intake during recovery: If you are dialing down your training for more than a couple of weeks after a major race, then you can cut down on your intake after two weeks. I usually dial my running down to half volume for Nov and Dec, so I eliminate two snacks. But for recovery days during training and even up to two weeks after a major race, your muscles are still recovering and need a lot of protein, so stay with the 1.6-2g/kg per day. No need to change on a daily basisi based on that day's intensity or duration. Once you have entered the moderate/advanced stage, you should be consuming 1.6-2g per day regardless of your daily regiment. In fact most of your muscle repair and growth occurs on easy and rest days. Hard days you really just damage and stimulate the muscle, the prize comes days after when your muscles rebuild stronger. This is in fact the idea behind the 80/20 rule.
Protein Powder: If you are up to 2g/kg/day, and you need a break from yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, then fine, use protein powder as one of your meals/snacks. But remember, protein powder is just that, protein powder, it does not have all the other beneficial nutrients of a natural protein like Calcium in yogurt, healthy fat in peanut butter or minerals and healthy fats in nuts. But do not waste your money on fast absorbing or amino acids, any whey protein or plant based protein powder will do. Always pay attention to sugars added.
OK, time for my post blog snack!
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