Protein is our body’s building block. It's also essential for immunity, growth and repair and a thousand other functions.
The recommended dietary intake (RDI) of protein is 0.8g per kg of bodyweight per day. So, for a 75kg person, that’s 60g of protein/day. This rather modest target might be enough to prevent protein deficiency but it’s hardly optimal. Most of us know the importance of protein intake to increase (with resistance exercise) skeletal muscle, but from your forties, it's essential to increase intake due to naturally declining muscle mass. Protein intake is also important for weight management via a number of mechanisms, including improved satiety and blood sugar control.
Increasingly, researchers are advocating for the RDI to be doubled – the exact amount may vary depending on such things as life stage and exercise output. Certainly, it’s something I emphasise when talking to clients, who are targeting weight loss, perimenopause, ageing well and supporting exercise. I usually don’t have too much trouble convincing men to up their protein, so ladies this is especially for you: Review how much protein you are consuming per day, as it's likely you will need to eat more! While the exact amount will vary from person to person, try to consume a minimum of 100g daily. NB: This is not the same as 100g of a protein source. For example, 100g cooked chicken contains about 30g of protein. Spread that protein out over the day - for this example, aim for 30g+ of protein in each main meal.
Luckily, protein is in a lot of food sources – both animal and plant derived, so with planning and a little knowledge, this is achievable. Great protein sources include eggs, seafood, meat, dairy, tofu, other meat alternatives and legumes.
Many other plant sources contain protein. Consider nuts, seeds, veggies and cereals such as wheat and rice. Animal sources are complete – they contain all essential amino acids (EAAs) and tend to be highly digestible. Plant sources are mostly incomplete (there are exceptions including quinoa and soy) and tend to be less digestible. Ideally, consume a combination of plant and animal proteins to hit protein targets. If plant based is more your thing, again, easily done, but aim for a variety of sources to get all your EAAs. (Dr Sarah Mitchell Weston)
How to consume 100g protein in a day:
Breakfast: 3 egg omelette, 2 slices whole grain toast
Snack: 150g high protein yoghurt
Lunch: Wrap containing 100g cooked chicken, salad, hummus
Dinner: Stir fry containing 100g tofu, veggies, ½ cup quinoa
BELLE EPOQUE NUTRITION, L1, 36 Pollen Street, M: 021 451 771, www.benutrition.co.nz
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