Protein
- steviekelly1986
- Jan 9, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: May 21, 2024
The amount of protein supplements on the market now a days is incredible. So much choice and so many things to think about when purchasing a protein supplement. How much do I need? What specific type to buy? What brand to go for? And the questions go on and on. But is protein really that important for us and do we need to consume massive amounts of it daily to see body compositional changes. In this article I want to look at what roles proteins have in the body. How much is needed. What benefits it has to body composition changes and the different types of protein. I will also tell you what are the best sources are whether you’re a big meat eater or a vegetarian.
Firstly, apart from building muscle, protein has many other important processes in the body.
Maintaining, repairing and growing tissue, collagen and bone.
Causes biochemical reactions through enzymes.
Help to produce different hormones in the body.
Providing structure for our skin, nails and hair through proteins like collagen and elastin.
Helps to produce haemoglobin which transports oxygen around the body.
This is why having a diet which contains a good amount of protein from different sources is essential for keeping the body healthy and working at an optimal level. Another benefit of having a diet containing good amounts of protein produces a satiating effect after meals, and throughout the day which can help control weight gain and prevent overeating.
Additionally it seems certain amino acids (building blocks of proteins) have a beneficial effect on the immune system, and more crucially play an important role in the correct functioning of immune cells.
Now you know what the body needs protein for but how much does it need? The current recommended allowance for protein daily is (0.8g/kg/day) so a person weighing 70 kilo’s would require 56 grams of protein. For the average person this is probably acceptable but if you’re looking to make body composition changes and looking to build muscle then the value you should be consuming is (1.2g-1.8g/kg/day). That 70kg person would then require between 84g and 126g of protein a day. But why so much more? There is strong evidence to suggest that an increased protein intake has the ability to increase muscle mass and fat loss (with resistance training). Additionally, evidence suggest that high proteins diet have been able to improve body composition through three methods – firstly, increasing satiety (this is through hormones in the gut). This is beneficial for body composition as it prevents overeating and creates the feeling of fullness. Secondly, increasing muscle protein synthesis, so building and creating more muscle which makes you feel better about yourself, makes you feel stronger and makes you look great. Additionally, muscle as tissue is extremely costly for the body in terms of upkeep. It takes energy in the form of calories to repair muscles and building muscle can actually improve your metabolic rate. Increasing the metabolic rate of a person can be advantageous in burning calories. For example a person consuming maintenance calories of 1500 a day could then potentially increase calories consumed a day to account for the increase in metabolic rate. It is estimated that 1kg of muscle could increase your basal metabolic rate by 100 calories. Finally, the thermic effect of protein (digesting and metabolising protein burns calories). It would appear that protein has a much higher effect (20-30%) compared to carbohydrates (5-10%) and fats (0-3%).
The next challenge is then implementing changes in the diet to be able to consume more protein in the diet.. On the surface this can sound quite easy but like most things in life it never is that simple. Firstly, it’s a lot of eating. If you like eating then it’s not a problem. But if you’re a slow eater like me then trying to eat multiple chicken breasts a day is not fun! Not that you have to do this anyway. Secondly, is trying to add a mix of different high protein foods to keep meals interesting and your new eating plan fun, and most importantly adhered to. If you’re a meat eater then great protein sources would be chicken, beef, lamb, fish, shell fish, eggs and dairy products like yoghurt. The veggie friendly high protein foods would be soy, quinoa, rice, nuts, seeds and pulses. Typically its easier to get adequate amounts of protein from meat sources than it is compared to veggie sources. Consuming a higher protein diet as a vegan takes more effort and trying to consume a wide variety of foods to help meet protein requirements. I have added some foods high in protein down below so you can get an idea of the amounts of protein in certain foods. I hope this can give you an understanding of the foods you may need to consume and also the amounts you might need to meet daily protein requirements.
Chicken - 54.5g in a 6oz breast
Eggs - 6.3g in 1 large egg
Greek yoghurt - 19.9g in 7oz (200g container)
Lentils - 9g in 100g
Quinoa - 8g in 185g of cooked Quinoa
Salmon - 22-25g in 100g
When it comes to protein supplements I would suggest only using one as a top up, and to make it easier for you to consume higher amounts of protein. However, the priority should go to food sources first when possible. I use a protein supplement to top up my protein levels. I add a small amount to smoothies and yoghurt. I usually take one scoop of protein after weight training. That’s it usually with the rest coming from food sources.
I hope this article has shed some light on why protein is important and the quantities you need to improve body composition.
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