I’m sure you’ve all heard of protein before, or seen one of the thousands of protein supplements on the market. But have you ever stopped to think why we need protein, or how much protein our bodies actually need each day? Well you’ve come to the right place, let’s explore all things Protein!

 

What is Protein & why do we need it?

Protein is our body’s building blocks. When we digest protein, it is broken down into amino acids, which are used for the growth, maintenance, and repair of our cells and muscles. Along with physical activity, protein works to maintain our muscle mass. Studies have shown, protein also helps with satiety, which is important for those wanting to maintain or lose weight. 

 

How do I work out how much protein I need?

Everyone’s protein requirements vary depending on your goals (e.g. gain muscle mass, lose weight, decrease body fat percentage, etc), activity level, exercise regimen (e.g. strength training, running, etc), and health status. At a MINIMUM we require 0.8-1.0g protein per kg of body weight. However, if you have goals around gaining muscle and/or exercise regularly, your protein requirements may be between 1.6-2.2g protein per kg of body weight. 

What are sources of protein?

Protein rich foods are predominantly animal based products, but can also be found in nuts, seeds, legumes, soy based products, and whole grains. It’s important to get a variety of protein rich foods across the week, as different protein foods contain different vitamins and minerals. Following the below guideline is a fantastic start! 

• Red Meat (high in iron + zinc): 2-3 times a week 
• Fish (high in omega-3’s): 2 times a week
• Dairy (high in calcium): daily if you choose to consume dairy 
• Legumes (high in dietary fibre): 2 times a week
• Eggs + Poultry: on all other days 

 

Protein Timing

Spreading out your protein throughout the day helps our bodies to use the protein we are consuming more easily and optimise the benefits of protein. It is recommended to spread your protein out across 3-4 meals per day. For example, if your protein requirements were 100g per day, having 4 x meals with 25g protein in each meal is ideal. 

Are all types of protein the same?

As we mentioned earlier, when we digest protein, it is broken down into amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids, each with their own function in the body. Interestingly, our bodies naturally produce 11 of the amino acids themselves, therefore we don’t require them from food! YAY! We call these, non-essential amino acids. However, our bodies do not produce the remaining 9 amino acids naturally, therefore our bodies rely on getting these amino acids from food. We call these essential amino acids. 

When it comes to protein foods, we classify proteins as either “complete” or “incomplete” proteins. What this means is if a protein is classified as a “complete” protein, this means it contains all 9 essential amino acids that our body’s require. If we classify a protein as “incomplete” it means it is missing one or more of the 9 essential amino acids. 

Complete protein examples include: 

• Meat
• Poultry
• Fish
• Eggs
• Dairy
• Tofu

Incomplete protein examples include: 

• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Rice
• Peas
• Nuts
• Seeds

If you predominantly choose to consume incomplete protein sources, you can pair them with another incomplete protein source that has the missing amino acid/s to make it a complete protein. This is called a complementary protein. An example of this is pairing chickpeas with pumpkin seeds, or rice with beans. 

 

Protein Powders, do we need them?

Most of us can reach our protein requirements through eating protein rich foods. However, if you are someone who doesn’t consume dairy, animal foods, or has extremely high protein requirements, you may find it more difficult to reach your protein requirements through food. 

This is where protein powders can come in handy. Choosing a protein powder can be incredibly confusing, there are thousands of different protein powders on the market and it’s difficult to know which is the best to choose. From a nutrition perspective, choosing a protein powder should be based on the type of protein in the supplement and what its biological value is. Opting for a protein powder that has a high biological value (HBV) is ideal. This means it has all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies need. HBV proteins include:

• Whey Protein (animal based)
• Casein (animal based)
• Egg Protein (animal based)
• Soy Protein (plant based)

 

If you’re wanting to incorporate more high quality protein into your diet, explore our range of high protein meals by clicking here