Protein is necessary for many things. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, recover from a tough workout, feel more satiated at mealtime or simply maintain good health, it is important to get adequate amounts of healthy protein.
Protein is a crucial component of every cell in our bodies. It is used to build and repair tissues (like skeletal muscle, bone, hair, fingernails, cartilage, skin and blood), as well as make enzymes and hormones that help regulate metabolism, growth and many other things. Like carbohydrates and fat, protein also provides energy, but because it has so many other important functions and cannot be stored, the body relies first on carbohydrates and fat for energy.
Protein gets digested into amino acids that are absorbed by the small intestine and are distributed throughout the body. Cells take what they need and rearrange amino acids to make new proteins or repair older ones. Because the body does not store protein, any excess amino acids are either converted into glucose and subsequently glycogen to use as energy if the body is short on carbohydrates, or converted into fatty acids and stored as fat. Getting enough protein is important so that the body can perform these functions daily. But just like carbs and fat, excess protein gets converted into fat and stored as fat.
Protein is found in a variety of foods, most notably meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy and even grains. From a dietary perspective, meats, poultry, fish, eggs and soybeans are complete proteins — that is, they provide all of the amino acids required by our body. Other protein sources like legumes, some nuts and seeds, grains and leafy greens, don’t provide adequate amounts of the essential amino acids by themselves, but can when eaten in combination with other foods and as part of a balanced diet.
Our body changes every day as cells grow, divide and die. These processes depend on protein to supply vital building blocks to our cells. Because of this, you need to eat enough protein to maintain lean muscle mass and support other important body functions.
The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.36 grams of protein per pound (0.8 grams per kg) of body weight. However, if you’re using this site you’re more likely to not be sedentary! To help our body repair after our workouts we need between 0.7 grams per pound (1.6 grams per kg) of body weight and 1 gram of protein per pound (2.2 grams per kg) of body weight.
Most people can easily use real food, rather than protein powders and other supplements, to meet their protein needs.
Here’s a quick list of protein-rich foods
Animal Sources
Plant Sources
Egg & Dairy Sources
Nuts & Seeds
No matter how you meet your protein goals, these seven tips help you get the most out of protein:
Protein-rich foods don’t come cheap, but you can maximize your body’s ability to digest, absorb and use protein by distributing it evenly throughout meals and snacks. Just take the total grams of protein you need daily and divide it into the total number of meals and snacks you eat daily.
Having a high-protein snack soon after exercise (ideally before the one-hour mark) is best because this is when muscles are sensitive to nutrients they can use to repair and grow.
This is especially important when you are refuelling after aerobic exercise (like running) as protein is needed for muscle repair, and carbs are needed to restock energy stores. Remember: Macros (carbs, fat and protein) like to work together.
Vegetarian or not, we can all benefit from eating more plant-based protein. In addition to being great sources of protein, foods like beans, peas, quinoa and lentils are rich in other nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Meat eaters, look for lean cuts like pork and beef tenderloin. A general rule of thumb when shopping: Cuts that have round, chuck or loin in the name are usually lean.
Some cuts may take a bit longer to prepare (try marinating or braising), but if prepared well, they are equally as delicious as fattier cuts. Since ground meats are typically high in fat, look for the leaner options, like 90/10 ground beef, which contains 90% lean meat and only 10% fat. If you’re a steak or burger-lover, limit red meat to once or twice per week since it is high in saturated fat.
Skin aside, poultry is generally lean, but beware when buying ground chicken or turkey. Unless it says 100% ground turkey breast or chicken breast on the package, the meat has likely been ground up with the skin and fat, which means that a turkey burger may not be any healthier than one made from ground beef.
If you enjoy fish, aim to eat 3–4 ounces twice a week. Frozen or fresh, fish can be a great source of protein. Some — like salmon — are rich in omega-3’s, a healthy, unsaturated fat.