When it comes to our nutrition, one of the most overlooked nutrients, believe it or not, is protein, even though it is one of the most discussed topics. It is not that we don’t see and eat protein everyday, but most of us do not get enough protein in our daily diet.Then for those of us that become more physically active, our bodies need more protein and getting more can be difficult. Many of us know a few sources of protein like poultry, meat, fish, and eggs, and eat them regularly, but there are many different forms of protein.To change these habits and get the protein we need, there are a couple questions that we should answer first; what is protein, why is it important to us, and how much do we need?WHAT is protein?Protein is the second most abundant molecule in the body behind water and is made up of amino acids. There are hundreds of different amino acids, but our bodies only need 20 of them to function. These amino acids are broken down into two groups, essential and nonessential amino acids. Essential amino acids are not produced by our bodies so these must be obtained through our diet. Within this group is a smaller set of 3 amino acids called branched chain amino acids, which are Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Nonessential amino acids can be produced by our bodies so they are not as critical to consume in our diet.WHY do I need protein?When protein is ingested it is broken down into amino acids and absorbed by the body. The body then takes these amino acids and bonds them together to create new bodily proteins that will consist of 50 amino acids or more. These new proteins are vital for many bodily functions like energy production, cell repair, nutrient transportation, and enzyme synthesis just to name a few. The more important thing these proteins will help build, especially for those that are active, is muscle tissue.HOW much do I need?Now that we have a little bit of an understanding of the importance of protein and how our bodies use it, we need to look at how much we need. The amount of protein that we need on a daily basis actually depends on our activity level and goals. If you are not active and more sedentary, you would need between 0.4 and 0.6 grams per pound of bodyweight. As that activity level goes up to a light to moderate level (some light cardio and resistance training a few days a week) your daily needs would go up to 0.6 to 0.9 grams per pound of bodyweight. Once we exceed that level of activity and become very active, these needs go up even more to 0.9 to 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight. This number of protein in grams should account for roughly 20-35% of your daily intake of calories. This can be a tough task for most, but with a variety of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, soy, nuts, and legumes) in our diet we can make it easier to get the protein we need to help meet our goals.If you want help with getting enough protein, CLICK HERE TO BOOK FREE INTRO with me! I'd love to go over some strategies that can help make the whole process easier!Geremy Birr
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