Why is protein important?
Protein is made up by long chains of amino acids, some of which the body can make itself, but others must come from foods and are consequently known as ‘essential amino acids’. The body takes these chains of amino acids, breaks them down, separates them and restructures them to become body proteins and uses them for a number of things, including:
- Transporting oxygen around the body (heard of haemoglobin?)
- Building bones, tissue and cartilage
- Creating hormones and enzymes
- Repairing tissues
- Source of energy
How much protein is enough?
You’d be surprised to know, based on the current hype around protein, that you don’t really need a lot. An 80kg male needs little more than 65g of protein each day and a 65kg female less than 50g. Now these amounts are based on every day healthy adults (19-70years) and requirements will increase based on the amount and type of exercise you’re doing but with most people meeting or exceeding their daily requirements already, it’s not that much extra. Think about the rump steak you’d have at the local pub, sometimes around 300g yeah? Well that one steak, without anything else, will give you over 70g of protein. More than enough for the average person for the whole day!
Now you’re probably thinking that eating more protein, especially after a high intensity strength session, means more gains and bigger muscles. This isn’t the case. After a session, the body can only use 20-25g of high quality protein to repair and build muscle, any more than that provides excess energy which can lead to excess weight gain.
But this doesn’t mean that you have one protein filled meal/snack after your workout and then forget about it. After a high intensity workout, body protein breakdown is elevated within the next 24 hours while the building of body proteins remains priority for 48 hours. What this means then is that if you’re doing regular strength sessions, your protein intake should be well distributed throughout each day for the whole week.
Where do we get protein from?
Protein shakes yeah? Well if you’re an elite athlete and you’re struggling to meet all you requirements from food alone then yes, protein shakes are for you. But for the everyday person, why spend loads of money on supplements that often taste like sh*t when you could just eat delicious real food?!
Instead of getting your 20-25g of protein after your workout from a scoop of protein powder, you could have a bowl of Greek yoghurt with nuts, seeds and fruit. Or a delicious peanut butter and banana smoothie. Or even a tin of tuna on crackers. All will give you the required amount of protein but plenty of other useful nutrients. People often forget about carbohydrates in their post-workout snack but it’s important to replenish the glycogen stores that are burnt for energy in exercise and eating carbohydrates can do that.
Take home messages
Protein is a controversial topic these days and one that could be discussed at length for hours. Keep an eye out for future AmSo Fit & Healthy blog posts that will dig a little deeper but for now, remember:
- Protein is essential for more than just building and repairing muscles
- Most of us are already getting enough protein on a daily basis
- More intense exercise will increase the need for protein but not by a lot
- Protein supplements are okay to have if you can afford them, if you like them and if you’re not already meeting your daily protein requirements
REMEMBER: excess protein = excess energy = excess weight gain
- Danica
AmSo Fit & Healthy - Student Dietitian
0458 001 848 | danica@amsofitandhealthy.com.au
DISCLAIMER: Recommendations for requirements made in this blog post are based on Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (NRVs) and are designed for healthy adults. Requirements will change based on a number of factors. Contact Danica for more information or a Sports Dietitian for your individual needs.
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