Protein Intake with Diet or Exercise
In this article written by Rudy Mawer, The Super High Protein Diet - Safe & Effective? he mentions some noteworthy topics and articles that provide evidence for high protein intake. Below are the key points. I’ve linked some of the studies he mentions but if you’d like more of them, fellow the link above to get the full picture.
“The body consumes more calories when breaking down protein vs. carbs and fats. “Per 100 calories, approximately 25-30% of those are lost during the metabolism of protein, compared to only around 5-10% for carbs and 1-3% for fat.”
This results in the body burning more calories by the end of the day just because we ate more protein. Not because we exercised more, but because we ate more of a quality protein instead of carbs or fats.
If hunger is what causes you to make most of your decisions in a day, it’s time to eat more protein. Protein fills you up and keeps you full for longer periods of time vs. carbs and fats.
“ Protein helps reduce hunger via several mechanisms, including changes to hunger hormones such as ghrelin, controlling blood sugar levels and digestion and generally being based on low energy dense foods which contain large amounts of water such as meats and fish. “
Aids in Muscle building and Helps Maintain Lean Mass
In fact, if protein intake is raised while lowering carb or fat intake, it will lead to better body composition or in other words, a loss of fat mass. Plus, the more protein you add to the diet, the more potential you have to build more muscle, recover quickly, and there’s the benefit of a higher metabolism.
Improved Nutrition
Choosing a high protein food typically comes with the benefit of added micronutrients and healthy fats. When going for a breakfast of grits or oats, consider switching out or even adding a couple eggs to this. The nutrients that come along with eggs are of abundance and the ones that come with grits or cereal are typically synthetic and something someone sprayed onto the grains. It’s the same thing as the vitamin capsules you take, but sprayed on the cereals instead.
Whenever possible, eat whole foods in order to avoid taking supplements. The reason supplements are named supplements is because they are used to SUPPLEMENT a good diet. Find yourself a diet full of protein and micronutrients. Do your best to consume what you need through whole foods instead of relying on supplementation.
How much you ask?
If you’re looking to bulk up or lose weight, protein seems to be the best choice nutrient to eat more of. When wanting to lose weight, the higher protein intake will assist in keeping you full and help with burning more calories due to its thermogenic properties being higher than carbs and fats. On the other end, if you are wanting to gain weight but not so much fat, eat more protein than carbs or fat to minimize fat gain. The more you exercise, the more protein you’ll need to aid in recovery. The less you exercise, the less you’ll need.
“In summary, aim for around 0.7 – 1.0 g/lb/bw of protein per day, ideally made up of high quality proteins, high in essential amino acids, such as meat and fish. Additionally, this daily intake would ideally be distributed fairly evenly, or, at least spread out over 3-4 meals rather than consumed in 1 sitting.”
But didn’t the RDA recommend .8g/kg/bw? Yes, they still do but, .8-1.2g/kg/bw has been shown to be less than is optimal for building lean body mass and retaining lean body mass during periods of catabolism.
Everything is mostly made up of protein. Our tendons, cells, enzymes, antibodies, insulin, ligaments, bones, hair, nails, organs, and skin look to protein to keep themselves healthy and functioning properly. Protein is a part of everything that we are. When we exercise, protein is the first nutrient you want to optimize in order to stay away from soreness and build stronger, more quality muscle. There are products we use for our face that has protein in it. These include serums, lip balms and lotions, shampoos, conditioners, masks, and homemade remedies with egg and mayo, there are all kinds of products out there to keep protein from leaving us dry and brittle. Of course, this isn’t me saying everyone needs to purchase all the things that have protein in them. This is me telling you that your body needs quality nutrition to keep it from degrading.
