PROTEIN IS ONE OF THREE MACRONUTRIENTS
Let’s keep this as simple as possible. Protein is one of nutrients that everybody’s body needs. It is a crucial part of our every day nutrition – Protein forms the building blocks of your body – chemical ‘building blocks’ called amino acids. Your body uses amino acids to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes. They can also be used as an energy source.
It plays a huge role in:
- building muscle
- fat loss
- staying full for longer
- ‘toning’
The average healthy
The average healthy adult* needs about 0.36 grams per pound of body weight a day. This translates to a 150lb person needs about 54g of protein a day.
*active people will require more.
Nutritional value of protein
The nutritional value of a protein is measured by the quantity of essential amino acids it contains.
Different foods contain different amounts of essential amino acids. Generally speaking:
- Animal products (such as chicken, beef or fish and dairy products) have all of the essential amino acids and are known as ‘complete’ protein (or ideal or high-quality protein).
- Soy products, quinoa and the seed of a leafy green called amaranth (consumed in Asia and the Mediterranean) also have all of the essential amino acids.
- Plant proteins (beans, lentils, nuts and whole grains) usually lack at least one of the essential amino acids and are considered ‘incomplete’ proteins.
People following a strict vegetarian or vegan lifestyle need to choose a variety of protein sources from a combination of plant foods every day to make sure they get an adequate mix of essential amino acids.
If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, as long as you eat a wide variety of foods, you can usually get the protein you need.
Where to find your protein:
- lean meats – beef, lamb, veal, pork
- poultry – chicken, turkey, duck, goose, bush birds
- fish and seafood – fish, prawns, crab, lobster, mussels, oysters, scallops, clams
- eggs
- dairy products – milk, yoghurt (especially Greek yoghurt), cheese (especially cottage cheese)
- nuts (including nut pastes) and seeds – almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, macadamias, hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
- legumes and beans – all beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, tofu.
Protein – maintaining muscle mass as you age
And last, but certainly not least, from around 50 years of age, humans begin to gradually lose skeletal muscle. This is known as sarcopenia and is common in older people. Loss of muscle mass is worsened by chronic illness, poor diet and inactivity.
Meeting the daily recommended protein intake may help you maintain muscle mass and strength. This is important for maintaining your ability to walk and reducing your risk of injury from falls.
To maintain muscle mass, it’s important for older people to eat protein ‘effectively’. This means consuming high-quality protein foods.
So as you can see, Protein is an essential part of our nutrition and part of our macronutrients. In the FASTer Way we do not discriminate against any of the macronutrients and they are all essential in our nutrition. We will cover carbohydrates and fats at another time. I hope this has given you a clearer understanding as to why Protein is so valuable in our nutrition and please feel free to message me with any questions