Protein is having a moment.
You can’t go into a supermarket these days without being bombarded by different foods and packets all labelled “with extra protein!”
It’s as if we’ve discovered El Dorado.
On social media we’re extolled to eat more protein, especially as we age because we need to maintain our muscle mass and stay strong.
Then the muddle starts as different people recommend different amounts and it all gets very confusing.
Am I eating enough protein?
You probably are if you’re including some form of protein with every meal as part of a balanced diet.
But people’s protein needs will be different according to your weight, age and activity levels. A 60kg sixty-five-year-old woman’s protein needs will be different from an 85kg 35-year-old’s.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of protein intake suggested the following.
Under the age of 65 years 1.6g/kg/bw
Over the age of 65 years 1.2-1.59 g/kg/bw
What constitutes protein?
For many of us, we see protein as a steak. But that’s far from the complete picture, as I frequently have to remind my husband when he’s presented with one of my vegetarian dishes and he asks “but, where’s the protein?”
For example, for breakfast this could be eggs, fish (salmon), Greek yoghurt, chia pudding, whole grains wheat, rice, oats, buckwheat), quinoa, beans, tofu, soy, seeds and nuts, nut butter, cheese or lean meats and milk.
For lunch and dinner, good protein sources as above plus chicken breast, beef, shellfish, lentils.
Protein is part of a healthy balanced diet.
Following a healthy diet is one of the cornerstone pillars of Lifestyle Medicine. It’s well recognised that eating more healthily supports mood, cognition and physical well-being, and we are learning more about the gut-brain axis all the time.
It’s also important to factor in personal and dietary preferences, cultural influences, availability and financial constraints.
There is no one diet that suits everyone, but we can work towards consuming the right balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins by including as wide variety as possible of fresh fruit and vegetables, leafy greens, seeds and nuts, legumes, lean meats, fish, healthy fats including olive oil and some dairy.
It’s the consistency of our dietary habits that matters, rather than what we do occasionally.
If it’s your birthday – eat cake!
If you’re hungry and the only option is hot chips – enjoy!
If you’re craving that little bit of luscious dark chocolate – indulge! Enjoying one small square of good quality high cocoa percentage chocolate is a moment to be savoured.
But it’s also important to try and minimise or reduce our consumption of fast foods, unhealthy snacks, ultra-processed foods and added refined sugar.
Protein is an important part of a healthy diet, so let’s look at what dietary protein does for our body.
Eight good reasons for getting sufficient protein into your diet:
- Eating enough protein matters. It is a macronutrient necessary for providing the body’s essential amino acids needed to repair and maintain our muscles, bones, hair and skin.
- Protein provides energy as a back-up to carbohydrates and fats, which are the body’s preferred source of fuel.
- Haemoglobin is the specific protein found in red blood cells vital for transporting oxygen around the body.
- Protein is important to the body’s immune system.Firstly, by helping the formation of antibodies and cytokines immune cells that functions as messengers and while blood cells, including T-cells and macrophages that digest harmful bacteria.
A pre-clinical study from Sydney has also found that a high-protein diet can change the gut microbiota, triggering an immune response.
And, without getting too technical, the protein called Myb enables the body’s immune cells (called Tregs) to regulate the strength of the immune response to an infection or potential disease. Clever, eh?
- Having enough protein in your diet helps you to stay feeling fuller for longer after eating, because it takes the body longer to break it down. This means it’s good for assisting in weight management and because you don’t get so hungry.Protein works to reduce levels of ghrelin the hunger hormone, while also increasing levels of cholecystokinin and GLP-1, the two hormones responsible for digestion and signalling that you are full.
This is helpful to know if you’re a night-time snacker. I’m not finger-pointing, but studies have shown how overweight men who boosted their protein intake to 25% of total calories reduced cravings by 60% and the desire to snack by 50%.
It’s also been shown that increasing your breakfast protein intake can also produce this effect.
Beyond reducing cravings and hunger, this can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight.
- One lesser-known action of having a higher protein intake is that studies have shown it contributes to a lower blood pressure, with one review finding the effect of increasing protein intake lowered systolic blood pressure by 1.76MM Hg on average and diastolic by 1.15 mm Hg. Not a huge drop
- Protein boosts your metabolic rate and contributes to a higher sleeping metabolic rate.Wait, but what? Yes, we burn calories while sleeping. The body is very busy while we sleep doing lots of repair and maintenance work in the body. Protein also has the highest thermic effect of food, also known as TEF.
Protein contributes 20-30% of TEF
Carbs 5-10%
Fats 0-4%Meaning you get more thermic bang for your buck with protein which is helpful to maintain your basal metabolic rate.
- Protein, especially animal protein, is important to bone health and maintaining bone density.
Protein matters to good health and well-being.
But it’s not just about getting enough protein into our diet, it’s recognising that protein is essential to better muscle health, which is important at every age, but especially as we get older.
In Part 2 of this blog, we’ll look at where protein fits into the conversation about preserving muscle mass and strength to avoid sarcopenia.
