Protein is considered the ‘building blocks’ of our body. Encompassing a plethora of roles within our body, including but not limited to, repair and rebuilding of our muscles, giving structure to our bodies and the transport of substances around the body.
Proteins can be anything from antibodies in our immune system to neurotransmitters in our brain!
Protein 101-
- Provides 4 calories per gram of protein
- Should provide 10-20% of our calorie intake of the day
- Food first approach > Supplements
The basic structure of protein is an amino acid. So named because it has an amino, or nitrogen, group on one end of the molecule and a carboxyl group on the other. Amino acids also have an R group or side chain, which can vary between amino acids. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA’s) are named because they have a branched R group or side chain.
Essential vs Non-
Amino acids are classified Essential or Non-essential, this means that some, we can make endogenously (from within our body), but the others, the essentials, we HAVE to ingest via our diet.
Plant sources of protein (legumes, tofu, beans, grains etc..) are considered ‘incomplete’, this means they don’t contain all of the essential amino acids. Comparatively, meat & dairy sources are considered complete proteins.
So, as a vegetarian or vegan, to achieve all the essential amino acids, you need to ensure you’re mixing up your protein sources. ‘Complementary’ sources are plant based combinations of food that make a complete source. Some examples include:
- Bean soup and crackers
- Black beans and rice
- Pasta and peas
- Whole wheat bread and peanut butter
How much do we need?
- For sedentary, but generally healthy adults, 0.8g per kg body weight is enough to to cover basic daily requirements. This translates into:
- 55g protein per day for 68kg person
- 72g protein per day for a 90kg person
We have a higher demand for protein turnover when participating in resistance training due to the mechanisms involved in:
- increasing muscle mass
- increasing bone density
- The stressors placed on the muscular, skeletal but also neural systems
- For those who are active and have a healthy weight and body composition. 1.6-2.2g / kg bodyweight is the recommended dose. At the upper end this nowtranslates into:
- 149g protein per day for 68kg person
- 198g protein per day for a 90kg person
Take away-
- If you aren’t used to this amount of protein, you should slowly increase the levels so you can keep hitting them consistently. You could even start by trying to hit ‘x’ number of protein sources per day.
- Try tracking protein levels via a tracking app like ‘myfitnesspal’ or by using handful sized portions per day.
- Mix up your protein sources to ensure you’re hitting all the amino acids.