Power of Protein: The Truth of It’s Importance, Why Not Getting Enough is Ruining Your Life
Protein.
You've heard it a bazillion times.
You need to eat protein, and you need to eat more of it.
If you have ever had a coach or trainer then you've probably heard it screamed into your head for weeks, months or even years.
If you scroll social media, you've seen it there too in every fitness account.
You've also probably seen it and thought "ok, cool, eat more protein. Got it."
But nothing has really come of it, or you don't know what to actually do next.
So why is it so important? How much do I need? and how do I get it?
That's what we will help you clarify today.
We need to start with why it is so important.
Why Protein is Important
Protein is made up of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential.
Your body uses amino acids to build, repair muscle, organs, tissue, skin, bones, tendons, ligaments, etc.
They regulate cell functions, hormones and influence every cell in your body for every little thing your body does. Its what makes your body function either great, not so great, and everything in between.
Think of your car and all of the parts. Protein would make up the wheels, steering wheel, leather interior, metal, rubber, etc.
Without proteins you don't exist.
In the case of the car, you don't have a car without its parts.
So you can see why it is so important. It's literally at the foundation of everything that is YOU.
In fact, even viruses, disease, etc attack the cells and influence proteins in the body.
For our chat today, we will keep most of the rest of the discussion in regards to body composition.
What Happens When I Get Enough Protein?
When you have enough (we will get into how much that is shortly) your body will thrive. Protein takes a lot of energy to digest and process, which in turn means you will also stay full longer. This is a good thing when fat loss is the goal.
Protein, compared to carbs, fats and alcohol, will be the MOST filling macronutrient. Combined with fiber (veggies) and you've hit the jackpot when managing hunger.
Getting enough protein will also ensure that your body has all it needs to recover and repair from exercise. When this happens your body can adapt and recover quicker. This is good because the more often you can train at a higher level, then the better results you will get.
Getting enough protein will also ensure strong joints, bones and overall body. I can't stress the importance enough, especially as we age.
What Happens When I Get Too Much Protein?
On the flip side, you might overdo it. If you've gotten too much protein you might know it because you could have gas, bloating, constipation, intestinal discomfort.
In a society of ultra processed foods, too much protein is less common.
What Happens If I Don't Get Enough Protein?
Most people don't get enough protein. There are many ways to know this in the form of biofeedback signals.
First, if you find yourself not managing hunger or cravings, it may be very likely you are not getting enough. Its rare to be getting enough protein and still be chronically very hungry. Cravings on the other hand could differ, since they are often psychological as opposed to a physiological with hunger.
Think of if like this, if you are full but dessert still sounds good? that's probably more of a craving.
Energy will drop. Many people think that if their energy is low its because they needs more carbs (which could also be true) but not getting enough protein means your body isn't functioning as well.
Lets use the example from earlier with the car. If the parts of the car are the proteins which make it strong and capable, then the fuel can be the carbs. The fuel is the energy source the car runs off of. You may have a full tank of gas (carbs in your body) but if the parts of the car are run down, missing, incomplete, rusty, not fastened properly then the car will not run properly no matter how much fuel is in it. If you don't have enough protein your body will lack the energy or capacity to have a healthy output.
Loss or lack of gaining muscle may also be a sign that you aren't getting enough protein. Its like trying to drive your car without all the parts it needs to run optimally. You might have gas in it, but without the steering wheel you're in for a problem. Same with lack of protein. You'll function to a certain degree, but it won't be pretty. Also, loss of muscle will also damage your metabolism. If your body is losing muscle it means your body doesn't have enough energy in store and will start pulling from muscle. Less muscle means slower metabolism, slower metabolism means a less healthy hormone structure, less healthy hormone structure means less efficient immune system and the list goes on.
Let me restate it again here; loss of muscle because of lack of calories and proteins will ensure a weaker immune system. At this point, I think we all know how important that is, no?
When you are losing muscle, or even if you aren't, you will see a loss in strength. We see this happen as people age. Obviously metabolically things slow down, but in large part people aren't using their muscles and they aren't getting enough protein so they deteriorate much quicker. Bone density loss is also a product of this.
So now that we know the importance of protein and what not getting enough will look and feel like, how much do we need?
How Much Protein Do I Need Per Day?
You will read a million different opinions on this, even studies.
I will simply share what I have personally found useful as well as my clients (some who've lost 80 lbs and some who've gained 30 lbs of muscle)
If you are an active male or female (exercise at least 3x a week, 10k steps a day) then aim for 1-1.2g per pound of bodyweight. For example, if you weight 200 lbs, then 200-240g of protein per day. I have found the age to be a non-factor and have seen results regardless of age (as young as 12, as old as 70)
If you are not as active (minimal structured exercise, walk 6-10k steps a day) then aim for 0.75-1g per pound of bodyweight. For example, if you weight 150 lbs, then 112.5-150g of protein per day.
Ironically as it may seem, this is true of both fat loss AND muscle gain. Keep protein the same. To gain or lose, we would simply add or subtract from fats and carbs. Another topic for another day but you can read more on this in a previous blog HERE.
How Do I Get This Much Per Day?
Now that you know why its important, and how much to get, now we dive into the hard part...how to get enough.
It is estimated that people who log and track food will be off my up to 30%, and they usually underestimate. This is pretty substantial, especially if you are trying to lose weight. So we don't want to simply track calories and protein, and we certainly don't want to just assume the labels are 100% accurate either (i've seen so many be off!)
So what I suggest is that you weigh your proteins to start. I get this may sound obsessive and for some triggering especially if you have struggled with your relationship with food. I hear you and see you. I would urge you to keep doing the work to heal that relationship. This is by no means the only way, but from my experience, it is the best way and because we are using numbers and data today it is important to leave the guesswork out of it. At least until you can drift into a mindful/intuitive approach.
If you have a food scale, great, you are set. If you don't you can get one for as little as $10-15 off Amazon.
Now I want to preface here and say that protein is going to be primarily a meat source. Yes, there will be fats, but protein will be the main macronutrient while fat will be a secondary one. What makes fat secondary? There will be more protein than fat.
Vegetables, beans, dairy, peanut butter will ALL have protein as well. However, like fat with meats, protein will be a secondary macro compared to fat, carbs. All this means is that it will be very difficult to get enough protein from veggies, beans, dairy, peanut butter without either eating A LOT of food or eating too much fat or carbs.
For example, you could get about 20-30g of protein in a cup of pinto beans BUT you will get 40-60 carbs in those beans as well. For that reason its primarily a carb source. Make sense? ok, cool.
Again, its not that you can't eat beans or veggies to get protein, it just means you have to get more creative with your foods around those to manage overall calories.
Back to the scale.
I typically use ounces or grams to weigh.
Here is what the most common protein sources contain in 4 ounces:
Chicken breast: Approximately 26 grams of protein.
Beef (lean ground beef): Approximately 24 grams of protein.
Pork (lean cuts like pork loin): Approximately 22 grams of protein.
Turkey breast: Approximately 25 grams of protein.
Fish (such as salmon): Approximately 23 grams of protein.
As you can see, you get about 5-6.5 grams of protein per ounce.
If you are to weigh in grams, here is what you'd get for 100g:
Chicken breast: Approximately 31 grams of protein.
Lean ground beef: Approximately 27 grams of protein.
Pork loin: Approximately 30 grams of protein.
Turkey breast: Approximately 29 grams of protein.
Salmon: Approximately 20 grams of protein.
Now remember, if you are 200lbs then 200g are your goal for the day ( this isn't weight grams.)
If meat is your primary source, then in this example you'd be eating roughly 2lbs of meat to get 200g of protein.
32ounces = 2lbs, 454g = 2 lbs.
Don't overthink it here, use the scale to tell you.
Sources of Complete Protein (all amino acids)
Primary Sources of Protein *
Meat (such as beef, pork, lamb, venison, elk, bison and poultry)*
Fish (such as salmon, tuna, and trout)*
Poultry (such as chicken and turkey)*
Eggs *
Dairy products (such as milk, cheese, and yogurt)
Soy products (such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame)
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Amaranth
Hemp seeds
Chia seeds
Whey or Plant based protein supplements
In Summary:
We've discussed what protein is and why its important. We also broke down how much is ideal, what sources contain it and how to get it.
At this point my hope is that you have enough information to prioritize it and make it the first part of every meal during your day. By starting with protein and then adding in carbs, fats and veggies you will ensure not just a balanced meal but a strong and healthy body from the cellular level.
What could be more important than that?
I realize that having information is only the half of it and you may need extra support and guidance to help you make this a reality. If that is you, I have space available for new clients. You can apply below or visit alexcookhealth.com/workwithme for all the options currently available.
Until next week....
