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Confused on exactly how to manage your protein intake? This six-step checklist will help you master this muscle-building, fat-fighting macronutrient
July 14, 2008
Most mainstream dietitians would have you believe that too much protein can be dangerous to your health. Yet at Hers we embrace protein and make it the cornerstone of every meal. No, protein won't kill you, nor will it turn you into a she-hulk with 18-inch arms. What it can do is help you build muscle and strength, shed bodyfat and even think better...especially if you follow these six simple guidelines:
1 Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day
The protein recommendation set by the Food and Nutrition Board (the authority of the Institute of Medicine that sets the nutrition recommendations for Americans) for the general population is a measly 0.4 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day for males and females. For a 145-pound woman, that's less than 60 grams of protein per day, or about an 8-ounce chicken breast. That's barely enough to fill you up, never mind help you stay strong and recuperate from training. Thankfully, research shows that athletes, particularly strength athletes (which you are), require close to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. That means if you weigh 145 pounds, you need a minimum of 145 grams of protein each day.
Do this: Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and up to 1.5 grams per pound per day if you're dieting and dropping carbs. Choose from lean protein sources such as chicken breast, turkey breast, eggs, lean beef, low-fat dairy and fish, as well as whey, soy and casein protein powders.
2 Keep your eye on the ball (the ball, of course, being protein)
If you want to be lean, you must avoid eating too much food. Easier said than done, right? It doesn't have to be, because research shows that eating protein can significantly decrease hunger more than eating carbs or fat. One University of Washington (Seattle) School of Medicine study placed subjects on a high-protein diet (one that supplies 30% of total daily calories from protein) for 12 weeks, but allowed them to eat as many calories as they wanted. Test subjects ate an average of 450 fewer calories per day and lost more than 10 pounds of bodyweight, most of which was bodyfat.
Do this: Keep each meal focused on protein to help blunt hunger all day.
In fact, start your day off right by eating breakfast, when the egg—a bodybuilding staple—does more than just supply an excellent source of protein. One study from St. Louis University (Missouri) found that women who ate eggs, toast and jelly for breakfast reported feeling fuller and ate almost 300 fewer calories the rest of the day than when they ate a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast.
3 Eat 20-30 grams of protein at every mealtime
Protein also helps you get lean by boosting your metabolic rate, which ultimately leads to burning more fat. Research shows that a high-protein meal raises your metabolic rate by 20%—30%, whereas a high-carb meal may raise it by only 5%—10% and a high-fat meal by 3% or less. This means high-protein diets can keep your metabolism revved up after meals, helping you burn more of the calories and fat you just ate. Protein also helps you burn more fat by slowing the digestion of carbohydrate. A study from the University of Toronto discovered that eating protein with a high-carb meal slowed the digestion of those carbs better than fat. In other words, eating protein and carbs together releases those carbs as glucose into the bloodstream at a slow and steady pace, which in turn keeps insulin levels low and steady. This is important because when carbs are digested rapidly, it promotes large spikes in insulin, which means more fat is stored as bodyfat and less bodyfat is burned as fuel.
Do this: Eat about 20—40 grams of protein with every meal, especially those that are a little carb-heavy.
4 Down protein pre-workout...
One of the most critical times to ingest some protein is right before workouts. Whey protein powder mixed in water is always a good preworkout choice because of the rapid digestion of whey and excellent concentration of branched-chain amino acids. This allows these important aminos to get into your system where they can be used during the workout to prevent muscle breakdown and enhance recovery and growth.
There's another reason to go with whey before workouts — it contains peptides (short protein fragments) that enhance blood-vessel dilation, which allows for greater blood flow to exercising muscles. This promotes the delivery of nutrients (such as amino acids and glucose) and oxygen to muscles during exercise, which is critical for energy during the workout and for recovery afterward. This enhanced blood-vessel dilation may also better maintain your blood pressure as you age and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Do this: Mix 20 grams of whey protein in water and drink within 30 minutes of workouts in addition to 20—30 grams of slow-digesting carbs (1 cup cooked oatmeal, a medium apple, one slice of whole-wheat bread with 1 tablespoon low-sugar preserves).
5 ... And postworkout too
Drinking another protein shake immediately after workouts has been proven to be the best way to boost muscle protein synthesis at the most critical time of your training day, optimizing the muscle-building and growth process. Conversely, if you don't use the postworkout window to feed your muscles properly, you'll actually break down fibers rather than rebuild them, which isn't good for the metabolism.
Research also shows that consuming a protein shake at this time decreases delayed-onset muscle soreness, the discomfort you experience a day or so after a tough workout. A Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta) study found that subjects who ingested a protein and carb drink after a workout designed to cause muscle damage experienced more than 50% less muscle soreness than those who took a carb-only drink.
Do this: Drink a 40-gram protein shake that contains whey protein immediately after workouts along with 30—40 grams of fast-digesting carbs such as a small plain bagel or a 20-ounce sports drink. For this postworkout shake, consider mixing 20 grams each of whey and soy protein powder. Soy protein not only has numerous health benefits such as reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, estrogen-related problems (breast cancer, hot-flashes) and certain cancers but it has also been found to significantly enhance muscle recovery better than other protein sources.
6 Bump up protein slightly at breakfast
Research from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich) discovered that a breakfast that's higher in protein than carbs, or at least equal in protein and carbs, allowed students to perform significantly better on various cognitive and memory tests that were designed to mimic typical work tasks, compared to when they ate a breakfast that was higher in carbs than protein.
Do this: For breakfast, eat about 30—40 grams of protein such as eggs along with 20—30 grams of slow-digesting carbs from sources such as oatmeal or whole-wheat toast.
1 Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day
The protein recommendation set by the Food and Nutrition Board (the authority of the Institute of Medicine that sets the nutrition recommendations for Americans) for the general population is a measly 0.4 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day for males and females. For a 145-pound woman, that's less than 60 grams of protein per day, or about an 8-ounce chicken breast. That's barely enough to fill you up, never mind help you stay strong and recuperate from training. Thankfully, research shows that athletes, particularly strength athletes (which you are), require close to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. That means if you weigh 145 pounds, you need a minimum of 145 grams of protein each day.
Do this: Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and up to 1.5 grams per pound per day if you're dieting and dropping carbs. Choose from lean protein sources such as chicken breast, turkey breast, eggs, lean beef, low-fat dairy and fish, as well as whey, soy and casein protein powders.
2 Keep your eye on the ball (the ball, of course, being protein)
If you want to be lean, you must avoid eating too much food. Easier said than done, right? It doesn't have to be, because research shows that eating protein can significantly decrease hunger more than eating carbs or fat. One University of Washington (Seattle) School of Medicine study placed subjects on a high-protein diet (one that supplies 30% of total daily calories from protein) for 12 weeks, but allowed them to eat as many calories as they wanted. Test subjects ate an average of 450 fewer calories per day and lost more than 10 pounds of bodyweight, most of which was bodyfat.
Do this: Keep each meal focused on protein to help blunt hunger all day.
In fact, start your day off right by eating breakfast, when the egg—a bodybuilding staple—does more than just supply an excellent source of protein. One study from St. Louis University (Missouri) found that women who ate eggs, toast and jelly for breakfast reported feeling fuller and ate almost 300 fewer calories the rest of the day than when they ate a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast.
3 Eat 20-30 grams of protein at every mealtime
Protein also helps you get lean by boosting your metabolic rate, which ultimately leads to burning more fat. Research shows that a high-protein meal raises your metabolic rate by 20%—30%, whereas a high-carb meal may raise it by only 5%—10% and a high-fat meal by 3% or less. This means high-protein diets can keep your metabolism revved up after meals, helping you burn more of the calories and fat you just ate. Protein also helps you burn more fat by slowing the digestion of carbohydrate. A study from the University of Toronto discovered that eating protein with a high-carb meal slowed the digestion of those carbs better than fat. In other words, eating protein and carbs together releases those carbs as glucose into the bloodstream at a slow and steady pace, which in turn keeps insulin levels low and steady. This is important because when carbs are digested rapidly, it promotes large spikes in insulin, which means more fat is stored as bodyfat and less bodyfat is burned as fuel.
Do this: Eat about 20—40 grams of protein with every meal, especially those that are a little carb-heavy.
4 Down protein pre-workout...
One of the most critical times to ingest some protein is right before workouts. Whey protein powder mixed in water is always a good preworkout choice because of the rapid digestion of whey and excellent concentration of branched-chain amino acids. This allows these important aminos to get into your system where they can be used during the workout to prevent muscle breakdown and enhance recovery and growth.
There's another reason to go with whey before workouts — it contains peptides (short protein fragments) that enhance blood-vessel dilation, which allows for greater blood flow to exercising muscles. This promotes the delivery of nutrients (such as amino acids and glucose) and oxygen to muscles during exercise, which is critical for energy during the workout and for recovery afterward. This enhanced blood-vessel dilation may also better maintain your blood pressure as you age and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Do this: Mix 20 grams of whey protein in water and drink within 30 minutes of workouts in addition to 20—30 grams of slow-digesting carbs (1 cup cooked oatmeal, a medium apple, one slice of whole-wheat bread with 1 tablespoon low-sugar preserves).5 ... And postworkout too
Drinking another protein shake immediately after workouts has been proven to be the best way to boost muscle protein synthesis at the most critical time of your training day, optimizing the muscle-building and growth process. Conversely, if you don't use the postworkout window to feed your muscles properly, you'll actually break down fibers rather than rebuild them, which isn't good for the metabolism.
Research also shows that consuming a protein shake at this time decreases delayed-onset muscle soreness, the discomfort you experience a day or so after a tough workout. A Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta) study found that subjects who ingested a protein and carb drink after a workout designed to cause muscle damage experienced more than 50% less muscle soreness than those who took a carb-only drink.
Do this: Drink a 40-gram protein shake that contains whey protein immediately after workouts along with 30—40 grams of fast-digesting carbs such as a small plain bagel or a 20-ounce sports drink. For this postworkout shake, consider mixing 20 grams each of whey and soy protein powder. Soy protein not only has numerous health benefits such as reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, estrogen-related problems (breast cancer, hot-flashes) and certain cancers but it has also been found to significantly enhance muscle recovery better than other protein sources.
6 Bump up protein slightly at breakfast
Research from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich) discovered that a breakfast that's higher in protein than carbs, or at least equal in protein and carbs, allowed students to perform significantly better on various cognitive and memory tests that were designed to mimic typical work tasks, compared to when they ate a breakfast that was higher in carbs than protein.
Do this: For breakfast, eat about 30—40 grams of protein such as eggs along with 20—30 grams of slow-digesting carbs from sources such as oatmeal or whole-wheat toast.
