Are You Eating Enough Protein?
Higher protein diets can increase energy and encourage a seemingly effortless reduction in weight.
Of all the dietary changes that I have my clients implement, increasing their protein intake is not only the one I recommend most frequently, but also the one that seems to show the most benefit within a short time frame. My clients report feeling increased satiety, increased energy, reduced cravings for sugar, refined carbohydrates, and fats, and often a seemingly effortless reduction in weight.
It’s a common myth that only vegetarians or vegans have a difficult time consuming adequate protein- when analyzing the food diaries of my clients, I find that almost all of them are insufficient, if not deficient, in protein intake. Protein plays a vital role in every biological process our body goes through because it is a structural component of each and every cell in the body! Besides water, it is the most abundant substance in the human body.
Protein is essential in many principal biological processes in the body.
Repair, Maintenance, and Growth
Protein is required for each organ in the body, as well as hair, skin, eyes, and muscles, to build and repair themselves. This is why children require more protein relative to their body weight than adults do. However adults still need sufficient protein intake to recover from exercise and illness.
Hormones
Many hormones, such as insulin, act as messengers between different organs and tissues, ad rely on sufficient protein intake to be created. Many hormones that rely on protein are involved in digestion and food breakdown, which means that insufficient protein intake can lead to insufficient protein breakdown, which in turn leads to a lowered ability to absorb protein. To break this cycle, getting enough protein is essential! Steroid hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, are also protein based hormones.
Transportation and Storage of Nutrients
Nutrients like iron, that require short term storage and then mobility for use, need protein for these functions. Hemoglobin, which transports oxygen, is a protein that requires iron. Iron in turn is stored as ferritin, which requires protein for storage in the liver.
Antibodies
Our immune system relies heavily on protein to produce antibodies to viruses and bacteria.
Maintains Fluid Balance and pH
Proteins like albumin and globulin are proteins located in the blood that help maintain a correct fluid balance. Low levels can cause swelling and edema as water is retained.
pH levels maintain a proper balance of acids and bases in different parts of the body. Human blood maintains a pH of 7.4, where human stomach acid is a pH of 2, and protein levels help with both of these.
Appetite Reduction and Reduced Cravings
protein plays a very large role in reducing appetite and keeping you satiated. This means that without adequate protein intake, it’s easy to overeat. One study showed that overweight women reduced daily caloric intake by an average of 400 calories simply by increasing protein intake from 15% to 30% of their daily caloric value. This reduction occurred without purposeful restriction of anything. This is something I see on scalable levels with almost all of my clients as well!
Reduce Bone Breakdown
This can be of particular importance for women over 30, as we hit our max bone mass in our late twenties, and maintaining that bone mass as we age can help avoid bone breakage later in life.
Improve Heart Health
Sufficient protein levels can also lead to better heart health. It can help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides in those who struggle with these issues.
Protein is essential for multiple biological processes
Protein can assist in weight loss
Everyone’s protein needs are different, and can change periodically
Increasing protein intake over the course of a month can help find the right balance for your body
How Much Protein is Enough?
This will vary for everyone, but a general rule of thumb for protein intake is:
Non-athlete: 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight
Athlete: 1-1.2g of protein per kg of body weight
Pregnancy: 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight, or more
A non-athlete would be considered someone who is inactive. Whether you are participating in cardiovascular endurance exercise, weightlifting, or a combination of both, a higher protein intake is required to prevent breakdown of muscle and for muscle building and proper recovery to occur.
The average American only consumes about 16% of their caloric intake from protein sources. This means the remaining 84% come from fat and carbohydrates. If a sedentary, 5’6” woman that weighs 140 pounds is eating 16% of her daily calories in protein, and she’s eating about 1600 calories a day (the amount needed to maintain weight), she is only consuming 64g of protein per day. To meet the 0.8g per kg requirement, she’d need to be consuming 112 g of protein each day! A daily protein intake of 112g would put her just shy of consuming 30% of her calories in protein.
Transitioning to a higher protein diet can often feel like you are stuffing yourself with food initially. To avoid this, I recommend slowly increasing your protein intake over a month or two in order to allow your body to adapt. Adding in a high quality protein shake is also a really great way to allow you to consume protein without taking in a lot of extra food. Whey protein is the best type in order to get all the necessary amino acids, but whey isn’t always super digestible for everyone. If you feel like whey protein powders have upset your stomach in the past, trying a cold-processed, grass fed whey protein could make all the difference. The best I’ve found is Promix Protein Powder- very few ingredients, cold processed, from grass fed cows, no weird additives or preservatives. It is one of the cleanest protein powders on the market.
For those with a dairy allergy or who choose not to consume animal based products, there are numerous vegan protein powders available. Just be sure you are taking into account the ingredient list, and factoring in sugar content!
Some other great ways to get your additional protein in are to front load your day with protein- egg whites can be added to oatmeal or protein powder to a smoothie, beef jerky for snacks, and seafood like shrimp, salmon, and tuna are all great high protein options. A lot of people will turn to cheese and nuts for protein, and while these can be great in small amounts, they are really better considered as fat sources. One of the best high protein plant sources out there is whole food (not processed) soy, like edamame.
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