HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’RE EATING ENOUGH PROTEIN?
Firstly, what is protein?
Protein is an essential macronutrient, made up of amino acids which are vital for growth, development and repair. There are 20 different amino acids in total, 11 of which can be synthesised by our body and 9 ‘essential amino acids’ that we need to obtain from food.
How much protein should we be eating?
The average recommended daily intake of protein is 0.8-1g/kg of body weight for example, a woman weighing 60kg would need 48-60g protein per day. The amount of protein increases to 1.2-1.4g/kg body weight for those who are very active and it is possible to get enough protein from both animal and plant sources each day.
Animal sources of protein are known as ‘complete proteins’ as they contain all the essential amino acids we need. Animal sources of protein include meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy.
The majority of plant based proteins are ‘incomplete proteins’ meaning they don’t contain all 9 essential amino acids. As a result, it is important to combine different plant proteins to ensure you’re getting the full variety of amino acids. Foods such as hemp and tofu are in fact complete sources of plant based protein and other sources of plant protein include nuts, seeds, peas, pulses, beans and lentils, tempeh and whole grains.
What about protein powders?
Protein powders have become rather mainstream with a huge variety to choose from, many of which contain numerous additives. In certain cases, protein powders can be a helpful way of increasing protein intake however generally, I support a food first approach and having some form of protein with each meal is a good place to start. If you would like to incorporate protein powder daily, I’d recommend checking the ingredients to ensure there aren’t any hidden flavourings, sugars, additives etc.
My clients often find it helpful to use their palms as on average, one portion of protein is roughly the size of your palm. Including protein at each meal can help regulate appetite, blood glucose levels and energy throughout the day.
