A couple weeks ago I wrote about the fact that “the best diet” doesn’t really exist. Instead, truly improving your nutrition boils down to learning a few basic principles and gradually implementing them more consistently.
Today’s tip elaborates a little on one of those principles: eating enough protein.
What’s adequate, what’s optimal, and what’s its purpose?
For a sedentary but generally healthy adult, about .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day (g/kg/day) is enough to cover the daily requirements for building and repairing tissues (e.g. muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage) and producing hormones, enzymes, and immune system chemicals, among other uses.
However, there are a number of factors that can very easily elevate this requirement:
- You have an active job and/or exercise intentionally. Exercise doesn’t mean just weight training either. In fact, cardiovascular training (e.g. running, biking, circuit training) often produces more tissue breakdown than strength training and requires a higher daily protein intake!
- You’re recovering from an injury or illness.
- You’re chronically stressed or have poor digestion.
- You’re restricting calories in an effort to lose weight. Protein is more satiating than carbohydrates or fat, so you’ll generally eat less during a meal and feel fuller for longer afterward if you increase the meal’s protein content.
If any (or multiple) factors above describe you, then the more common recommendation from organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is 1.2–1.7 g/kg/day. Some other recent research that I’ve read has suggested that 1.6 g/kg/day seems adequate in most of the situations above but also that some people may benefit from consuming up to 2.2 g/kg/day.
Those are some fairly large ranges. For a few hypothetical active people, a range of 1.2–2.2 g/kg equates to:
- 71–130 g/day for a 130-lb (59-kg) person
- 95–175 g/day for a 175-lb (80-kg) person
- 120–220 g/day for a 220-lb (100-kg) person
(To calculate your body mass in kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2.)
So how do you determine the amount that might be appropriate for you?
I’ll answer that in the Putting It Into Practice section. But first…
What are good sources of protein?
You probably already know that animal products are good sources of protein. In fact, animal sources generally contain the largest amount of protein for a normal serving size. Examples include:
- Lean meats including beef, pork, and wild game
- Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck)
- Fish/seafood
- Dairy products like cottage cheese and Greek yogurt
- Eggs
But did you know that almost all plants also contain some protein?
Some plants certainly contain greater amounts than others. For example, beans and legumes (e.g. black beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans) generally contain the largest amount of protein per serving size for plants. Still, all protein from any source counts toward your daily total, so remember to include plants in your tally.
Putting it into practice
The first step to making sure you’re eating enough protein for your needs is determining how much you’re already consuming during an average day. I typically recommend tracking (to the best of your ability) for 3-4 days and then calculating the average.
Once you have a general idea of your consumption, determine whether you fall inside or outside of the 1.2–2.2 g/kg recommendation from above.
If you fall within the range, are satisfied with your current body composition and training (exercise) progress, and aren’t concerned about the stress & injury/illness factors mentioned above, then you can probably keep doing exactly what you’re doing!
If you fall below the range and are concerned about the stress & injury/illness factors mentioned above or aren’t satisfied with your current body composition or training progress, then consider implementing the following steps:
- Most importantly: remember that you do not have to get your protein consumption into the suggested range overnight! Instead, repeat the steps below until you’re satisfied with your results.
- Determine how much of what foods you’re currently willing and able to add to your diet every day.
- Add what you came up with in step 2 to your diet every day until it becomes a normal part of your routine. That could be a week, a year, or anything in between.
- Once your new routine feels normal, evaluate your progress. If you’re not yet satisfied, repeat steps 2 – 4. If you are, give yourself a high-five and move on to a different project!