Every cell in your body needs protein. That’s right — EVERY cell, from the cells of your brain and the cells of your tongue to the cells of your skin and the cells of your liver. Each part of your body has a specific function that requires protein. This makes figuring out how much protein you need in your diet a complicated question. However, this guide will help you discover what works best for your body and lifestyle.
What Are The Functions Of Protein?
To understand the importance of protein, we need to know what it does. There are five main functions of protein:
Building Tissues And Muscles
If you do not get enough protein in your diet, your muscles can start to atrophy. If you strength train regularly, micro-tears form in your muscles. Protein repairs those tears and thus builds up muscle mass.
Coordinating Biological Processes
Some proteins are hormones, or chemicals that coordinate activities among your cells, tissues, and organs. For example, the hormone oxytocin helps rally the cervix, pelvic muscles, bladder, and uterus, telling them: “Hey, ladies! That kid you’ve been cooking is ready to be born. Let’s get it together.”
Building Immunity
Antibodies are specialized proteins that defend us from harmful bacteria and viruses. Without a healthy immune system, we become susceptible to all of the microbiotic invaders waiting to set up shop inside us.
Carrying Out Chemical Reactions
Enzymes are specialized proteins used to carry out chemical reactions. About 37 thousand billion billion chemical reactions occur each second in the human body — so yeah, protein is important.
Producing Energy
Protein-rich diets give you energy and make you feel fuller longer. While protein isn’t your body’s preferred source of energy, when your body isn’t getting enough energy from carbs and fats, it will break down muscle so that the amino acids can supply you with energy. Protein contains about four calories per gram.
How Much Protein Do I Need?
Because protein is so multifunctional, there is no straightforward answer to this question. In general, however, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 46 grams per day for women over 19 and 56 grams per day for men over 19. In short, 12 to 20 percent of your caloric intake should come from protein.
If you like all of that math and science, you can use this formula to calculate your specific need. But here is a list of factors that may affect your recommended daily protein intake:
Gender
Your recommended protein intake is based upon your daily caloric intake. In general, women have a less caloric diet than men and so tend to digest fewer grams of protein. Although no one specifies that men or women need less or more protein because of their gender, it is good for women to take in as much protein as possible because men have more muscle mass than women, who tend to store fat easier.
Age
As we age, we lose about three to five percent of muscle per decade. Because protein is essential in building muscle, you should absolutely increase your intake as you age. Recent studies recommend that older adults increase their intake of protein to about one gram per kilogram of body weight per day to help build and maintain muscle mass. Look to Ruth Bader Ginsburg for inspiration!
Physical Activity
Athletes or people who exercise often need to increase their protein intake. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 1.2 to two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for athletes, depending on training. Protein intake should be spaced throughout the day and after workouts.
Protein And Weight Loss
Studies show that having high quality protein as part of every meal helps you lose weight, trim body fat, and increase your muscle mass. A high protein diet can also help lower blood pressure and lower risk of diabetes.
If you’ve lost weight, you should be eating more protein. Protein helps increase your metabolism, ward off hunger pangs, and build muscle. By getting 30 percent of your calories from protein, you will decrease your carbohydrate intake, which will help you burn more fat.
Can You Have Too Little Protein?
Yes! The word protein comes from the Greek word proteios, or primary. Protein is one of the primary components keeping our bodies strong and healthy. Having too little can lead to a whole host of problems.
Aside from causing complications in organ functions, too little protein can impact your daily life and compromise your lifestyle in a number of ways. Consuming too little protein can cause:
Fatigue
Protein regulates your blood sugar level. Without it, you will experience peaks and valleys of energy that will ultimately leave you fatigued even after a good night’s sleep.
Muscle Loss
Protein is THE way to build muscle. If you don’t get enough protein, you won’t have muscle.
Hair Loss and Brittle Nails
Humans have had little biological need for hair and nails since their Neanderthal days. Because hair and nails are mostly cosmetic and lack a real purpose for modern-day humans, they get the short end of the stick. Decreased levels of protein mean that protein must function where it’s needed most — so if you don’t get enough protein, your coiffure and manicure will suffer.
Illness
One of the main functions of protein is to enhance the immune system. With depleted protein come depleted resources to stave off harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This can makes you susceptible to anything from the common cold to the very dangerous pneumonia. So if you want to stay healthy, eat your protein!
Can You Have Too Much Protein?
Since protein does so much good for the body, you might want to get as much of its immunity-boosting, muscle-building, and energy-increasing magic into your system as possible — but protein is a tricky one.
Protein comes from many different sources, and an excess of protein from certain sources — eggs, for example — can have adverse effects. A whole egg has about 6.5 grams of protein, which is about 14 percent of your recommended daily intake. That’s great, right? It sure is, until you consider that a whole egg contains about 186 milligrams of cholesterol. Depending on your doctor’s recommendation, that amount might approach or exceed your recommended daily cholesterol intake. So in some cases, consuming this specific source of protein could actually harm you.
But what about the actual protein levels? What if you consume 70, 80, or even 100 grams of protein a day instead of the average recommended amount, 46 to 56 grams per day? Scientists have not conclusively determined that an overabundance of protein can cause short-term or long-term damage. However, moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle.
Protein Sources
We need to get those 11 amino acid protein building blocks from somewhere! Although their output is completely utilitarian, their intake can be fun and delicious. Here is a list of protein-rich foods that you should consider eating on a regular basis:
So much of our physical, psychological, and emotional well-being is dependent on a healthy diet, and a healthy diet consists of about 20 percent protein-rich food sources. It is better to err on the side of too much protein than not enough. So experiment with protein-rich recipes and have fun — your body will thank you!
- peas
- beans
- brussels sprouts
- lentils
- quinoa
- broccoli
- fish
- lean beef
- milk
- Greek yogurt
- cottage cheese
- nuts
- eggs
- poultry
- oats
Protein Sources To Avoid
Although protein is an essential part to a healthy and balanced diet, there are some protein sources, like powders and bars, that are less healthy than they appear. Make sure you read labels, folks! Just because these products are full of protein, it doesn’t mean they’re any better than a chocolate bar. If you see these products at the store, stay away!
Protein Bars
Nutramino Coconut Protein Bar
Not only does this bar have a high amount of carbohydrates from sugar, but it also has 9.9g of saturated fat, which is half the recommended daily value. To put that into perspective, that’s the same amount of saturated fat you would consume if you ate a Big Mac from McDonald’s!
OhYeah! One Birthday Cake Protein Bar
This brand is pretty popular, so you’ve probably seen them in the protein bar aisle at the store. However, don’t be fooled the “guilt free” label on the packaging – this thing is loaded with additives that can do more harm than good. Corn starch, palm kernel oil, sucralose, soy lecithin, yellow 6 lake, red 40, blue 1 lake, red 3, and red 40 lake can all be found in just one bar.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Power Bar
This isn’t the worst protein bar you could ever eat, but you should definitely be trying for better. This bar is high in sugar and high in carbohydrates, yet low in protein. It contains Maltodextrin, which is a food additive that can disrupt your gut health and contribute to obesity and heart disease. It also contains Fructose, which is not easily digestible in large quantities and is usually stored in the liver and turned into fat.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Quest Bar
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably had a Quest Bar at some point in your life. If the popular protein brand is your go-to, you should probably start looking for something new. Though the brand boasts that bars are high in protein and fiber and low in net carbs and sugar, the amount of additives just don’t make them worth it in the long run.
Quest uses palm oil, which is not only known to increase bad cholesterol, but it also is a major influence on deforestation in some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems and threatens the habitats of Orangutans, pygmy elephants, and Sumatran rhinos.
Protein Powders
Muscle Milk
You’ve probably seen muscle milk powders and shakes in the supplement aisle, but just walk away. Not only is it full of artificial sweetener, but it’s also loaded with chemical additives and toxins. According to Consumer Reports, high quantities of cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and lead were all found in muscle milk protein powders.
Quest Protein
If you thought Quest’s protein powder would be better than their protein bars, think again. Quest is less expensive than its competitors, which sounds like a good thing, but actually means that the company probably cuts corners by using low quality ingredients to keep it low cost. According to Clean Label Project, Quest’s Chocolate Milkshake Protein Powder was in the bottom five proteins that were tested for toxin including heavy metal, BPA, pesticides, and other contaminants that are commonly linked to cancer and other health problems.
Adaptogen Science Tasty Whey Protein
The main danger with this protein powder is that is made with coconut powder aka hydrogenated coconut oil. Not only does it contain corn syrup, sugar, soy, and carrageenan, but these ingredients also create rancid oil when digested and can clog arteries, reduce blood flow, and impact the heart, brain, and libido
Swanson GreenFoods Vegan Protein Powder With Probiotics
Don’t let the name fool you–even though this powder boasts that it’s an all natural, vegan product, it doesn’t mean that’s healthy. The brown rice syrup in this protein blend increased the sugar count to 20 grams. No thanks!