I recently attended a course on lifestyle coaching for high performers (#hintsa) and studied a module on nutrition. I had someone analyze what I eat, and they recommended increasing my protein! 

We constantly hear in the news about how there is too much protein in the Western diet and how ‘we’ generally overeat it.

However, protein is essential for health, and so are fats for that matter but carbs…well…we can live perfectly happily without carbs, so they are not essential for health.

But here’s the thing, when a person is trying to lose weight, they generally cut down on portion sizes across the board. I.e., a little less fat, carbs, protein, and smaller meals. This can be a good strategy, but protein should not be considered a percentage of your diet. It’s a set amount. For example, the British Heart Foundation suggests, 

 “Most adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight per day (for the average woman, this is 45g, or 55g for men). That’s about two daily portions of meat, fish, nuts, or tofu. As a guide, a protein portion should fit into the palm of your hand.”

 As we age, our ability to absorb protein decreases, so our consumption should go up a little to about 1g per kilo.

Interestingly if you are looking to put on muscle, the number goes up again with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance recommending that:

• Physically active people take in 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound of body weight, whether endurance or strength athletes.

This means that if you want to eat a smaller meal, the amount of protein you eat should not change; it’s a set amount. You should just alter the amount of fat or carbs you eat. 

If you are one of the large majority of people who eat some cereal in the morning, pasta for lunch, and then a larger meal with a beer or glass of wine in the evening, it’s easy to see how you would be not getting enough protein but overdoing the carbs. 

 In my case, I was eating only fruit in the mornings, a small portion of fish with a large portion of veggies at lunch, and then in the evenings, a bowl of soup (I’ve found that I sleep better when I don’t have a large meal in the evenings). But I’m also 45 and very active….I was not meeting my protein requirements and was remaining skinny and lightweight. 

After working through the Hintsa course, I’ve adopted a two-breakfast approach, my first consists of fruit, and my second usually consists of some carbs, fat, and a good protein source, like eggs, fish, or chicken. I also try and combine vegetable proteins into my evening soups. 

Now I know that whether or not I’m doing my endurance-type exercises or strength training, I’ll have enough protein in my diet to cover all my needs. 

This becomes all the more important as I age because a loss of lean muscle mass is associated with a shorter life, whereas the opposite is also true, the more muscle you have and the stronger you are has been shown to add healthy years to your life.

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