Prioritise your proteins
image credit - Irving Penn
One of the biggest discoveries during my fitness journey has been understanding the importance of protein intake. My goal is to improve my body composition and alongside following a consistent workout routine a high protein intake is essential.
Using a macro tracker I realised pretty quickly that I was consistently struggling to hit my target. From that moment onwards my mission was to prioritise my protein. These days it seems like there is a protein version of most foods. Protein yoghurts, protein pancakes, protein bars, protein cereals and protein powders; you name a protein product I’ve probably tried it. Whilst these did help I can’t say they were particularly enjoyable foods to eat.
During the COVID pandemic, I chose to make the switch from a carnivore to a vegetarian diet based on my values and beliefs at the time. It didn’t take me long to realise that one of the reasons why my protein intake was lacking was because of my chosen diet. I was stubborn about this in the beginning but found that I started eating my family and friends’ meat leftovers as they were going to go to waste anyway. In the end, I accepted that my current goal was of more importance. I also convinced myself this was a ‘healthier’ way of living and whilst this experience taught me more than I could have hoped for it no longer aligns with the person I am today or my current goals.
A little bit about the science of protein…
Protein is the second most abundant compound in the body, after water. A large proportion of the protein in the body is present within muscle (43% on average). Protein is a macronutrient that we need for growth, repair and maintenance in the body, especially for bones and muscles. Every cell in the body contains protein and naturally loses protein so a steady supply is needed for growth, repair and maintenance as proteins are constantly broken down and rebuilt.
Proteins are molecules made up of long chains of amino acids. There are about 20 different amino acids commonly found in plant and animal proteins. Nine of these must be provided in the diet because the body is unable to produce or synthesise them. When protein is consumed it is metabolised into amino acids and the body contains a pool of amino acids which are used to synthesise any proteins which are needed. Proteins are constantly being built and degraded in a dynamic process known as protein turnover.
Proteins can be ranked by ‘quality’, that is how many amino acids are present in a biologically available format. Looking at foods in isolation, animal proteins have a higher biological value (BV) than proteins from plant sources. Protein from animal sources contains the full range of essential amino acids required for an adult’s diet and are sometimes referred to as ‘complete’ proteins.
By no means am I promoting that a carnivore diet is better than a vegetarian diet but based on my personal experience a mixture of proteins from both animal and plant sources is sufficient if the goal is to have a balanced diet.
The reference nutrient intake for both male and female healthy adults is currently set at 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. However, a review by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that higher protein diets, containing 1.2–1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day may change body composition and protect muscle mass during weight loss.
If you need some inspo below is a list of protein-rich food sources:
Lean meats
Poultry
Fish
Eggs
Nuts
Soya
Beans
Peas
Lentils
Low-fat dairy (cheese, yoghurt and milk)
If you are struggling with your protein intake my first recommendation is to start tracking your macros so you can understand what your current macro split is. The second is to start planning your meals daily so you can stay on track to reaching your goal. Based on my own experience the best way to do this is by taking some time at the beginning or end of your week to plan for the week ahead. This takes the stress and guesswork out of tracking throughout the day so you aren't constantly obsessing over what you need to eat and the protein content of your meals.
I have a free tool to help you get started which you can download here.