Protein is the very stuff we are made of, and yet most of us don’t know how much we need, or why. Here’s a few facts I found really helpful in improving my physical & mental health.
The amount of protein you should eat depends on loads of things, including:
– your gender
– your age
– your level of physical activity
– your health
– The basic recommendation for protein intake is 0.8 grams per kilogram of weight in untrained, generally healthy adults. So a person who weighs 68kg should consume 0.8 x 68 = 54g of protein a day.
– You can calculate exactly how much protein you should be eating here: https://www.calculator.net/protein-calculator.html
– There are tons of good reasons to eat protein, but one of the most important is that it reduces age-related muscle loss. As we age, we lose muscle, which reduces life expectancy, health, & well-being … but eating protein slows down this process. So if you’re over 65, please read this article, weigh yourself, and then start eating more than 2g of protein per kilogram of your body weight.
– We can only process a certain amount of protein in our bodies in one go. So going without protein all day, then eating a massive steak for dinner, won’t fulfil our protein needs that day. We have to eat protein at regular intervals, to stock up our bodies’ protein stores.
– In particular, ideally we eat protein in the 45 minutes after a workout to help the body recover.
– 20g-30g of protein is the optimal amount the body can process, and maximize recovery.
– We can get some protein from starchy carbs, but it’s quite little:
| grams of protein | |
| 2 slices of toast | 5g |
| 100g rice | 2.7g |
| 180g potato | 3g |
… so I’m now going to write another blogpost showing what 20g of protein from a high-protein food looks like.
Go n-éirí leat on your protein journey!
Úna
References:
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-protein
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/protein-limit
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/will-a-high-protein-diet-harm-your-health
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eat-after-workout#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/90862/not-overestimate-consumer-awareness-protein/