Let’s talk about protein! We all need to eat protein to help our muscles build and repair themselves, especially if we’re exercising. Protein is also important for tendons and organs, enzyme production, hormone production, and nerve conduction so our nervous system can communicate with our muscles and make them work. When we exercise, we need more protein in our diet in order to repair our working muscles.
When people think of eating protein in their diet, they typically think of meat. This is the most common way to add protein to your diet, but it’s not the only way. Protein can be found in vegetables, grains, eggs, dairy, and legumes. See, it’s not just about eating more meat!
Protein is made up of amino acids. Our body needs these in order for the proteins to do their job. Some amino acids are made by our body and others must be obtained in the diet. Animal proteins contain all the amino acids you need.
Non-animal sources of protein individually do not contain all the amino acids. This means you have to choose your protein sources wisely so you can get all your amino acids. By combining different foods, you can make a complete protein. For example, eating beans and rice makes a complete protein with all the amino acids you need. Click here for more information on combining proteins.
ANIMAL Sources of Protein
- Fish
- Beef
- Bison
- Chicken, Turkey
- Eggs
- Yogurt, Cottage Cheese
VEGAN Sources of Protein
- Seitan
- Tofu, Tempeh, Edamame
- Lentils, Chickpeas, Beans
- Soy
- Chia Seeds, Nuts, Hempseeds
- Quinoa, Amaranth
The amount of protein you need per day depends on your age, amount of muscle, physical activity level, and your health status. The average person needs about 0.8 g/kg of their body weight. That translates to about 4-6 servings of protein a day. A serving of protein is the size of the palm of your hand. Someone who is bodybuilding needs more protein because they are working out hard and have a goal of adding more muscle mass. They could need up to 2 g/kg of body weight. That would translate to 8-10 servings of protein a day. For the average person working out 3-5 days/week, they’d need about 6-8 servings of protein per day. Remember, it’s not just slabs of meat – all sources of protein count. A typical day’s protein could look like this:
- Breakfast: eggs, cheese, spinach in a wrap
- Snack: almonds
- Lunch: rice, beans, avocado bowl
- Snack: cottage cheese
- Dinner: Tofu, broccoli
- Post workout: protein shake
Whether it’s an animal source or vegan source of protein, make sure you are getting enough. You can click here for a rough estimate of how much protein you’d need in a day. Your body can’t utilize more than 25-30g of protein at a time so you need to spread it throughout the day. Go ahead, eat some protein!