How much Protein do I need in my diet?

PROTEIN! PROTEIN! PROTEIN! This used to be the war cry of the free-weight section in the spit and sawdust old school gyms.  It then got hijacked by any 16 year old lad who could fit into a top-man tank top and who wanted to “bulk up”.  It is now common terminology for all gym users and most people on a diet.   

So what is protein, what does it do and how much do we need in our diets?

Protein is a macro-nutrient that is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and the all important element nitrogen, and is often known as the building block of life;  in-fact the word protein in fact means "of primary importance".  They are essential for;

• Growth and repair of teeth, hair, bones and muscle;
• Transportation of oxygen around the body;
• A source of energy (a gram of protein is 4 calories);

So you can see that for the body to work efficiently eating protein is a must for all: males, females, adults and children.  However with the advent of high protein diets it must be explained that excess protein is bad for the body.  Unlike carbohydrate and fat, protein cannot be stored in the body as energy, therefore it needs to be broken down into waste produce; 

• The nitrogen element of protein gets converted into urea and passed out in our urine, which can over work the kidneys and cause dehydration.  
• The acid elements get converted into carbohydrate, which when in excess will be stored as fat.
• Bone strength can be affected as a huge amount of calcium is lost in urine.

The national research council recommends 0.42g of protein per lb of bodyweight, but as with most government lead research the numbers are based on averages, therefore personal circumstances should be taken into consideration before working out how much protein you should consume.  For example a study by the American Council of Sports Medicine recommends that strength trained athletes should consume 0.5-0.8g of protein per lb of body weight for the best performance and health.  In essence the more active you are the higher amount of protein you need for optimal performance and repair of muscles.  If you are pregnant, recovering from illness of an elite athlete then you would use the highest figure.

So for example a man of 180lbs (12 stone 12lbs) who exercises 4-5 times a week at a high intensity will use a number at the higher end of the scale such as 0.70g per lb of body weight;

180 x 0.7 = 126 g of protein per day.

Or a woman of 140lbs (10 stone) who is a moderate exerciser 3 times a week would consume 0.5g per lb of bodyweight.

140 x 0.6 = 70 g of protein per day.

It is a common misconception when working out what protein foods to consume that the whole of the fillet of fish or chicken or the whole beef steak is protein.  For example when I asked a client to eat 80g per day of protein they thought that that would be 1 chicken breast; in fact 1 chicken breast only has approximately 26g of protein.

Here is a chart with some common protein foods and their approximate values;

Tuna steak (baked)        113g = 34g protein  - 1 steak

Rib eye steak (baked)    113g = 32g protein  - 1 steak

Minced beef  (fried)       113g = 32g protein  - 1 serving

Chicken Thigh (skinless) 100g = 28g protein  - 2 thighs

Chicken Breast (skinless) 80g = 26g protein  - 1 breast

Salmon Fillet (baked)     85g = 22g protein    - 1 fillet

Cod Fillet (baked)          90g = 21g protein  -  1 fillet

Protein Shake (1 scoop) 25g = 20g protein  - made with water

Protein Bar                     50g = 15g protein   -  1 Pulsin sport bar

Lentils (cooked)             100g = 9g protein   - small serving

Kidney Beans (cooked)  88g = 8g protein    - small serving

Spinach (raw)                 30g = 1g protein    - small serving

1 large hard boiled egg           = 6g protein

This list is just an accumulation of some common protein foods and does not list all.  I have only included a few vegetable proteins, but it is important to point out that although meat, fish and poultry have higher protein quantities per serving they do not provide essential fibre into your diet.  Therefore it is important to consume your proteins from various sources including meats, fish, poultry, nuts, beans, lentils, rice, breads and grains such as quinoa.  When eating vegetable proteins it is important to combine foods to create what is called a "complete" protein which can then be used by the body more effectively.

So an example of a meal plan for the previously stated 180lb man who needs 126g of protein in his diet per day;  

Breakfast:  2 hard boiled eggs (12g protein), 2 slices of rye bread toast (5g protein)

Snack:  Protein Bar (15g protein)

Lunch:  1 Tuna steak (34 g protein) with steamed green vegetables (3g protein)

Post workout snack:  Protein Shake with 250ml water (20g protein)

Dinner: 1 chicken breast (26 g protein) with a large portion of raw spinach (2 g protein) and a portion of mixed pulses (9 g protein).

Total Protein = 126 g

For more information on how to plan an optimal nutrition food plan, contact me at the All About You studio; enquiries@aayou.co.uk or directly; james@hutchisonpt.co.uk.