Let’s Talk Protein – Why, How Much, and When?

Have you found that achieving certain goals to eat well is especially challenging? For some people, it might be eliminating sweets, or ensuring they get enough vitamin D, or just eating less to lose or maintain weight. For me, it’s protein. The amount of protein many experts recommend for older adults, as well as for those who move a lot and train regularly, seems daunting to me. Try as I might to eat the 1.5-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (in my case, that’s 112-150 grams per day), I find it hard to do. That amount is the equivalent of four or five 30-gram servings of meat or fish per day (you can get about 30 grams of animal protein in a portion the size of the palm of your hand)—and it’s even more volume if the protein is vegetarian! The recommended amount of protein is just too much for me to consume and feel comfortable. So, I needed a plan.

Why Do We Need Protein?

Ingesting enough protein is essential to maintain and increase healthy muscle tissue as well as all tissue in the body, particularly as we age and sarcopenia (natural age-related muscle loss) sets in. The immune system and any muscle rebuilding that happens in life and exercise recovery depends on the building blocks that protein supplies. Even if you don’t exercise that much, recent studies have shown that just eating enough protein, in itself, builds and maintains muscle without pumping iron. As I’ve discussed, the many forms of strength training accelerate the process. A rule of thumb for your health practice is to include at least 1 or 2 sessions per week of some form of strength training, whether that takes place in the gym, a yoga studio, or anywhere else you can use your bodyweight or added weight movement to build muscle strength.

How Much Protein Do We Need?

As mentioned above, this is where I get confused. The recommended amount mentioned above is advocated by later-life health advocates like Peter Attia and backed up by studies at the National Institutes of Health, which specifically say the amounts that nutritionists used to recommend were too low in light of newer studies. In fact, recent studies found that older adults who ate more protein retained or built muscle longer, and they had more energy, better metabolism, and stronger bones. The case for more protein is pretty compelling.

Nonetheless, the amounts recommended are, for me on most days, far in excess of what I feel comfortable consuming. I like protein, don’t get me wrong. It is my favorite food along with fresh vegetables, salads, and healthy fats like olive oil. But I also like to feel comfortably empty when I’m not eating. So, I am faced with a volume question: How much protein should I try to eat every day? Before I tell you what I do, here are some useful numbers to digest.

You Do the Math

As I noted above, the recommended goal for protein for active men my age is 1.5-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. For me, that’s 112-150 grams per day. You can find several protein calculators online that guide you to convert your weight in pounds to kilograms, then determine the total grams of protein you need to consume. However, keep in mind that older adults need more protein to help counteract the effect of muscle loss. So, if you see a recommendation of only, say, 1 gram of protein per day, I would look for recent studies that recommend higher amounts for older adults or read Peter Attia’s book, Outlive, and follow his advice.

Next, you can use the following list to add up how much protein you eat, on average, and then strategize ways to eat more, if necessary. (It’s helpful to know that 100 grams is roughly equivalent to 3.5 ounces.)

·      100 grams of red meat contains about 25 grams of protein.

·      100 grams of salmon contains about 25 grams of protein.

·      100 grams of chicken breast contains about 30 grams of protein.

·      100 grams of beans contains about 7 grams of protein.

·      100 grams of almonds contains about 21 grams of protein.

·      100 grams of Greek yogurt contains about 9 grams of protein.

·      100 grams of cheese contains about 23 grams of protein.

·      25 grams (one scoop) of plant-based protein powder contains 21 grams of protein.

What I Do to (Try to) Eat Enough Protein

I get as much protein as I can via 2 sources: eating protein-rich foods and taking some supplements. On the eating front I make sure I include protein in every meal, at least 20 or 30 grams. Fish, for me, is the least filling and effective source, so my go-to protein is fresh or canned fish (sustainably caught and packed) to complement the vegetables and/or salad I eat as well.

Since I only eat 1 or 2 meals a day, that leaves me far short of what I need. So, I snack on nuts and seeds, beef jerky (no sugar or nitrate), hard cheese like parmesan or aged cheddar, yogurt, and smoothies made of almonds, avocado, kale, ginger, and protein powder. I am not sure how much protein that gives me, but it’s as much food as I feel comfortable eating without feeling overly full. I’m not prepared to sacrifice my sleep quality or intermittent fasting schedule by overeating.

And so, I rely on some supplements as well. The “dirty little secret” about the protein our bodies need is that it is composed of 23 amino acids, 14 of which our bodies can synthesize on their own. That leaves 9 essential amino acids (EEAs), ones that we need to consume in order to have the complete array. I take a small dose of 5 grams of these EEAs every morning, as well as another 5 grams before going to the gym or working out to make sure that, even if I haven’t consumed enough protein in the last 24 or 48 hours, my body has an adequate supply of complete protein to do its work.

When to Eat Protein

Based on my research, the jury is still out as to how much protein the body can absorb at once. Many say it is only about 25 grams, thus it is best to spread protein consumption out as much as possible during the day, especially if your goal is around 100-150 grams a day. But I have also read that consuming larger amounts at once, especially when combined in a full meal with other macro nutrients, enables your body to admit much higher levels of protein. I let my body, and my mind, guide me on this.

Interestingly, many reliable studies show that there is a window of maximum protein uptake for 30-60 minutes following any strength building, muscle exertion (anaerobic) exercise. During that time the body does not absorb more protein but, instead, utilizes it to begin the process of rebuilding and strengthening muscles. There again, having some protein already in my system, either from an earlier meal or by taking amino acid supplements, helps me with this window when eating right after a workout isn’t practical or comfortable.

Natural Rhythms

 All this might be too much information, and you don’t have to listen to any of it. Nature has been doing just fine for millions of years with humans and other animals exerting themselves to find food by hunting, foraging, or farming and enjoying the fruits of that effort. We modern humans mimic those activities by exercising and feeling hungry afterward. Without getting too crazy about it, I am conscious that having enough protein in my diet is good for me and will give me more energy and muscle, especially with the amount of strength training and yoga I do. You can take or leave this information in any way that resonates with you. Let your healthy body and your own health practices be your guide.