Everything You Need to Know About Protein - A Resource for All of Your Protein Related Questions
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about protein in the fitness and health community. When it comes to protein, there are many unanswered questions! People don't know what is protein, which foods contain high amounts of proteins, how much protein they need daily or weekly to optimize their health or maximize muscle growth? How does too little or too much protein affect their body composition and overall health?
That is why I will try to the best of my abilities to break down all that you need to know about protein so you can have all your questions answered in one single article! Bear in mind that your protein intake will change in different stages of your life and the presence of a disease. The protein requirements that I will discuss in this blog post will apply to healthy adults unless I specify otherwise. The protein in your diet comes primarily from animal or plant sources - including meat products like beef or chicken; milk-based food products like cheese; eggs; beans; nuts (such as almonds); soybeans (including tofu), and whole grains (including quinoa). There are many misconceptions about protein intake - here, we will address some common questions to help you better understand this vital nutrient.
Blog outline
What is protein?
Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps build muscle, maintain healthy bones, and support the immune system. Protein also supports various other functions in the body, including growth and development, maintenance of muscles, tissue repair, production of hormones and enzymes necessary for metabolism. Protein is built from essential amino acids, the building blocks of life. Our bodies cannot produce essential amino acids, so they must come from our diet. Protein is found in various animal and plant-based foods and is necessary for growth, repair, and overall health.
What foods are rich in proteins?
A wide variety of foods contain protein, but some are richer in protein than others. Animal-based foods like meat, eggs, and dairy products contain high protein levels and plant-based sources such as beans, nuts, and soy products. The main differences between high protein foods coming from animal sources and plant-based sources are that animal-based proteins are complete proteins, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids our bodies need. Plant-based protein sources are not typically complete proteins, but by eating a variety of plant-based foods throughout the day, you can still manage to give your body all the essential amino acids it needs. The most significant setback with opting for plant-based sources is that people often do not know to make the right choices to ensure they include all the essential amino acids. Even when they attempt to get enough protein, they often do it at the expense of pushing their calories way higher than what they need for their specific goal. In those cases, they often have insufficient amounts of incomplete protein.
My top 5 protein-rich foods that should be a part of your diet!
Steak
If your goal is to increase muscle mass and become stronger red meat must become a part of your diet plan. Beef is a top choice for those on a high protein diet. While helping you improve muscle mass, beef is also rich in minerals like zinc and iron, and vitamins, particularly Vitamin B12. If you want to find out more about red meat, steak, and the carnivore diet, check this blog post (hyperlink to carnivore diet blog post).
Protein value: 85g/3oz of lean steak contains approx 26g of protein and 158 calories.
Egg
If you are looking for an affordable yet delicious and healthy source of high-quality protein, then egg must be your top pick! Eggs are a great source of protein, healthy fats, and other essential nutrients like Vitamin D, copper, and Vitamin B6. If you are concerned about cholesterol in eggs, don't be - eggs do not raise harmful cholesterol levels in the blood. And if you are worried about ramping up your calories too high, then have 1-2 whole eggs mixed with egg whites which are low in calories, and give approx 4 grams of protein per egg white.
Protein value: 1 large egg contains approx 6g of protein and 71 calories.
White Fish
If you are looking for an easy-to-digest, low-calorie yet high-protein food, white fish might be the next best thing! Whitefish is an excellent source of protein, healthy fats and has a superb omega-fatty acid profile. You can have any white fish ranging from cod to halibut.
Protein value: 85g/3oz three contains approx 26 grams of protein and only 133 calories.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a versatile food that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Its thick and creamy texture with an add-on of fruits and nuts can make it a nutrient-rich, high-protein meal that makes you feel like you are not even dieting. Not all greek yogurts are excellent protein sources, so make sure to check the labels. Some yogurt brands can have up to 20 grams of protein per serving!
Protein value: A 85g/3oz container of 0% fat Greek yogurt has about 8-9 grams of protein and around 60 calories.
Whey Protein
Protein powder is a great, easy to consume, and cheap source of protein. The average human is not consuming enough protein to maintain and increase muscle mass, and therefore adding in a shake can make a massive impact on your fitness goals! There are many protein supplements out there, so I will soon write a review about whey protein powders so you can make an informed choice!
Protein value: 1 scoop of whey protein can contain about 22-30gm of protein and average 100-200 calories
What are the current protein recommendations from respected health & food organizations?
The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 0.8 gm of protein per kilogram of your body weight. RDA represents the minimum amount of protein needed to prevent disease. It may not be optimal for promoting the health and fitness goals that most individuals are trying to achieve with their diet. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the average requirement (AR) for healthy women and men to be 0.66 gm of protein per kilogram body weight, while the SLP (Safe Level of Protein) level of intake was set as low as 0.83g/Kg per day. Leading experts in sports nutrition like Dr. Jose Antonio at the International Society of Sports Nutrition; Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., CSCS; Alan Aragon, MS; recommend that adults consume at least 1.5-2.2 gm of protein per kilogram of BW. Even the American Dietetic Association now recommends that adults consume at least 1.5 gm of protein per kilogram of BW.
My stance on this is that the current protein recommendations from respected health organizations like World Health Organization and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are outdated. Most people would benefit from eating more protein than what these organizations recommend. All the personal training and online training clients I work with are in the 1.6 to 2.2 gram per kilogram of BW range.
The protein pyramid of importance!
Total daily protein intake
Distribution of protein throughout the day
Timing of protein relative to your workout
Total daily protein intake
The most important thing is to get your daily intake right. Whether you will split your daily intake into 2,3, or 5 meals will make an insignificant difference for most of you reading this blog post.
Distribution of protein throughout the day
Depending on your specific goal & health status, you can opt for regular feeding windows, restricted eating patterns, or any other approach based on your goal and individual needs. The important thing to note here is that the protein distribution throughout the day will be of secondary importance compared to your total daily protein intake. That means that some people will consume fewer meals in a day (1-2) while others might opt for higher feeding frequencies (5-7 meals daily), which will impact the amount of protein per feeding/meal.
Timing of protein relative to your workout
The timing of protein relative to your workout will be the least essential element in the pyramid of importance. Timing of protein relative to your training will increase its value when you have a restricted feeding window/very low eating frequency 1-2 meals daily, which goes out of the scope of this article.
How much protein do you need for maximizing muscle mass?
The most important thing you need to know is that you need to be in a caloric surplus and have a muscle stimulus to maximize muscle growth. Caloric surplus means that you are consuming more calories than you burn. Muscle stimulus means that you are stimulating your muscles through various bodyweight or weight-bearing exercises. There are cases where you can achieve muscle growth in a caloric deficit called hypocaloric conditions. This is mainly with beginners and people that have training experience but have taken long breaks from exercise (6 + months). The more advanced you are, the smaller your chance of increasing muscle mass while in a hypocaloric state, no matter your protein intake. Now, in this case, we are talking about maximizing muscle growth so let's look at the numbers required when it comes to % of necessary calories above maintenance to optimize the growth of your muscles.
Beginner or Untrained individuals
Surplus Recommendations: 600-1000 calories above maintenance
Surplus Sources: 15% of surplus calories to come from protein sources (20-40 grams) and remainder to go into carbs
Trained individuals closer to max potential
Surplus Recommendations: 400-600 calories above maintenance
Surplus Sources: 20-25% of surplus calories to come from protein sources (20-40 grams) and remainder to go into carbs
These recommendations are based on scientific data and information gathered from personal experience and over ten years of working with personal and online training clients in Dubai and around the world.
Expert Note:
The conclusion is that for muscle gain to occur, you need a strong foundation based on a sufficient total daily protein and energy intake. Surplus is required, and based on the demand of your exercise regimen or the requirements of your sport; you should adjust that surplus macronutrients (protein, carbs) accordingly. This means that if you are an advanced physique athlete focused on remaining as lean as possible, you should be more careful with the amount of surplus you want to have and the number of carbs that will be a part of that surplus versus the amount of protein. This approach might be beneficial to any individual focused on avoiding fat gain.
When calculating daily protein requirements, do you use your current weight, goal weight, or lean mass?
Protein requirements based on total body weight (TBW) or lean body weight (LBM) are often used in literature. This can become confusing, and I have even seen some misunderstandings amongst personal trainers and health professionals when giving recommendations to their clients. To simplify things for most normal-weight individuals, you can calculate your protein requirements by multiplying your current BW by 1.6-2.2.
50-kilogram person - 80-110 grams of protein/daily
60-kilogram person - 96-132 grams of protein/daily
70-kilogram person - 112-154 grams of protein/daily
80-kilogram person - 128-176 grams of protein/daily
90-kilogram person - 144-198 grams of protein/daily
100-kilogram person - 160-220 grams of protein/daily
When I say normal weight, I think normal according to the body mass index (BMI). To calculate your own BMI and see if you are in the normal range, you can click on this link. - (hyperlink to BMI blog post) The issue with this formula is that the margin of error can be pretty high for significantly over or underweight individuals. The best way to go around this is to base your protein intake on your goal body weight. This way, you do not need to calculate/estimate your lean mass or fat-free mass (FFM). You multiply your target BW by 1.6-2.2, and you will get your total daily protein requirements. For those that want to calculate how much protein they should eat based on their lean mass, my recommended range for maximizing muscle growth is 2-2.5 grams per kilogram of muscle mass. I draw this estimate based on research and review performed by leading experts in the health & fitness industry.
To summarize the above:
To maximize muscle growth, you need a sustained long term caloric surplus (you can, in many cases, achieve muscle growth when in maintenance calories or a slight deficit, but it will be far from maximized)
Based on scientific data and personal belief and experience, total daily protein intake for optimizing muscle gain is 1.6-2.2 g/kg of total body weight (0.7-1 g.lb)
Females should start at the lower end of the ideal range. This is due to personal preferences when it comes to macronutrient breakdown (preference for carbs) and the fact that they usually carry significantly more body fat than men should.
When creating their nutrition plan, highly over or underweight individuals should use target body weight when calculating how much protein to consume.
Can too much protein be bad for your health?
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, men aged 19-50 years consume 101.2-109.5 gm of protein per day. The NHANES data shows for women aged 19-50 years, an intake of 70.3-72.9 g/day.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average weight for men in the US is 89.8 kilograms, and the average weight for women is 77.4 kilograms
This means that the average daily protein consumption for men is 1.17 g/kg and for women is 0.92 g/kg.
So what is the safe upper limit for protein intake, and how close is the average person?
It seems that long-term consumption of protein at 2 g per kg BW per day is safe for healthy adults, and the tolerable upper limit is 3.5 g per kg BW per day for well-adapted subjects. Chronic high protein intake (>2 g per kg BW per day for adults) may result in digestive, renal, and vascular abnormalities but vary from individual to individual. This means that the average person should not worry about having excess protein; rather, quite the opposite. They are likely not consuming enough protein in their diet.
Protein intake and kidney function?
Protein intake and kidney function is perhaps the most common concern surrounding high protein diets. According to the first-ever longitudinal study on resistance-trained men, a high protein diet had no adverse effects on kidney function. A group of healthy resistance-trained men was consuming 3 g/kg of protein for six months during 12 months.
In 2018, researchers did a systematic review and meta-analysis that included 28 studies. They concluded that protein intake equal to or above 1.5 g/kg body weight has no harmful effect on kidney function.
It would be wise to consult with your doctor when it comes to individuals with renal disease (kidney disease). Still, I can confidently say that if you stick to the recommended daily allowance of 0.83 g/kg of your BW or even go as high as 1.4 g/kg of your BW, the benefits will far outweigh any negative effect such a protein intake might have.
How much protein do bodybuilders consume?
For natural bodybuilders, evidence-based recommendations for bodybuilding preparation are between 2.3-3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of fat-free mass (FFM). According to a systematic review done by Eric Helms, dietary recommendations for bodybuilding contest preparation would look like this:
Diet component Recommendation
Protein (g/kg of LBM) 2.3-3.1
Fat (% of total calories) 15-30%
Carbohydrate (% of total calories) remaining
Weekly weight loss (% of body weight) 0.5-1%
Fahad (the above should be a creative)
In natural bodybuilding, observational data shows that top-ranking bodybuilders consume protein intakes up to ~four grams per kilogram of body weight (g/kg).
In general, consuming more than three grams per kg of body weight appears unnecessary for strength training athletes who wish to maintain or gain muscle mass.
Does protein intake affect sports performance?
Athletes participating in endurance events do not require more protein than the general population. A range of 1.6-2 grams per kilogram of their body weight is enough, and their main focus should be on having adequate amounts of carbs to fuel their workouts and races. The same goes for most team sports which are intermittent. This means a combination of explosive bouts mixed with steady-state activity like football and basketball. A study done in 2020 high-level football players showed that they consumed in most cases adequate amounts of protein but were nowhere near the carbohydrate requirements for the specific needs of their sport.
This shows us that nutritionists working with high-level athletes need a more personalized approach when formulating plans for teams.
What happens to the body when you have an insufficient protein intake?
Muscles atrophy, you become frail, your immune system weakens, and you lose the ability to fight infections. This is especially important for aging populations who are more prone to protein deficiency which has detrimental effects on the quality of their life. With age comes Sarcopenia, which is the gradual loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. It's estimated that by age 80, people may lose 30-50% of their total muscle mass.
Sarcopenia decreases the quality of life, increases the risk for falls and fractures, and reduces the overall quality of life.
Your vitamin D metabolism also becomes impaired when you don't have enough protein, leading to other health concerns, including depression.
Is protein supplementation safe?
Protein supplements have been studied for almost 100 years. In the 1930s, Eugene Schiff found a way to extract whey from milk for human consumption. We do not have any studies showing the adverse effects of whey protein until today. I would always opt for unsweetened options first while minimizing the amount of artificial sweeteners that I consume with my supplements and other processed foods.
Top 9 high protein foods for vegans?
Here is a list of my top ten protein choices for vegans:
Tofu
Tofu is a great way to start your day. It's high in protein and low in calories, so it can help you lose weight or maintain your current weight while still eating enough food for muscle growth and repair. One cup of tofu contains about 20 grams of protein!
Black beans
Black beans are another excellent protein source for vegans. One cup contains about 15 grams of protein! Since they're so high in fiber and take a while to digest, black beans can help you stay fuller longer too.
Tempeh
Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans that have been combined with grains, so it's a complete protein source. One cup of tempeh contains about 30 grams of protein!
Lentils
Lentils are another great source of plant-based protein. They also contain high levels of fiber and other essential nutrients like iron. One cup of cooked lentils contains about 18 grams of protein.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a complete protein source, and it's also high in fiber, magnesium, and potassium. One cup of cooked quinoa contains about 15 grams of protein.
Hemp hearts
Hemp hearts are another tremendous vegan protein source. One ounce of hemp hearts contains about 11 grams of protein.
Peas
Peas are an underrated source of plant-based protein. One cup of cooked peas contains about eight grams of protein.
Spirulina
Spirulina is a blue-green alga that has been consumed in many different cultures for hundreds of years and is often described as the most nutritious food on earth. One ounce contains about six grams of protein.
Soy
Soy protein is a plant-based protein that's been shown to be as effective as whey protein for promoting muscle growth. It also has a high absorption rate, so it's a good choice if you have trouble digesting other types of proteins. One cup of soy milk contains about eight grams of protein.
Bear in mind that these plant-based proteins individually can not stand side to side with animal-based proteins. Still, with good knowledge and organizational skills, you can get most if not all of your needs met with a mostly plant-based diet if you know how to mix the food sources adequately.
Conclusion
Protein is an essential component of a healthy diet. It is not just for bodybuilders or people trying to lose weight. Protein provides the body with the essential amino acids needed to build muscle, repair tissue and carry out vital functions. In this blog post, I tried to answer some common questions about protein that should help you understand how to incorporate it into your diet plans according to the latest research on the subject.
For this information to be relevant, we need you! We want to know what other questions or concerns you have about protein? What are some of the most important factors in incorporating more protein into your diet plan? Let us know by leaving a comment below so our team can get back to you soon.
Stay Strong #BeFortius
