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Your body needs macronutrients (including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) to function, but the "correct" daily intake of any macronutrient can vary greatly based on a person's history, daily intake, and exercise level/intensity. Whether you're trying to build muscle or simply keep your weight in check, one macro you shouldn't overlook is protein. So, what exactly is protein, and what role does it play in your health and wellness? We're covering that and offering an easy way to calculate your recommended daily protein intake below.
What Is Protein?
Before you can determine how much protein you need in your diet, it's important to have at least a basic understanding of what protein is. Protein is a macronutrient, meaning it provides substantial energy to our intake, and it also plays key roles in enzymatic activity, antibody creation (immune system), and structure.
What Does Protein Do?
Protein fuels many of the body's most critical processes. The human body is capable of producing amino acids on its own, but others must be obtained from food. These essential amino acids can from animal sources or plant-based sources like soy, nuts, and legumes .
What Are the Benefits of Protein?
There are many benefits to enjoy when you're consuming the appropriate amount of protein in your diet. For starters, protein helps optimize muscle growth after exercise, reduces breakdown of muscle tissue, and promotes carbohydrate storage (glycogen) after a workout when consumed alongside carbohydrate. For those looking to lose or maintain weight, protein is also ideal for supporting satiety.
Protein is key to recovering from both strength and endurance workouts. That's because protein provides the building blocks your body needs to heal and grow muscle tissue.
How Much Protein Do I Need Per Day?
There's no simple or universal answer to the question of how much protein per day a person needs. Recommendations vary not only by age group but also by overall health and other factors. A person who is trying to build muscle mass or train with high volume mileage will need to consume more protein than someone who does not have these goals.
In general, most people should aim to get between 10% and 35% of their daily calories from protein sources. The above recommendations can be a great starting point for those who are trying to figure out how much daily protein is best for their diet. However, it's important to factor in physical activity as well. If you do a lot of weight lifting, cycling, or other activities that are physically demanding, then you should increase your protein consumption accordingly. For athletes, in place of using percentages, you want to aim for around 1.2-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Endurance athletes may need the higher end of this range, closer to 1.5-2 grams per kilogram.
Can You Have Too Much Protein?
Getting the appropriate amount of protein in your diet can help you stay healthy. However, there is such a thing as too much protein. So, how much protein is too much? The main thing to consider here is if your high protein intake is making it challenging for you to reach your carbohydrate, fat, and fiber goals, too. If so, we may want to consider reducing protein intake just a little bit to ensure there is an adequate distribution of your macronutrients.
What Foods Are Sources of Protein?
So, what are some of the best sources of protein you can incorporate into your diet? Many protein sources are animal-based:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Fish
- Pork
- Red meat
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Soy
- Beans
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Seeds
Ultimately, you'll need to decide which sources of protein are best for your specific dietary needs and preferences. The goal is try and find a variety and balance here to keep it interesting and exciting, too.
What Supplements Are Good for Protein? And, When Should I Take Them?
With the above being said, some athletes, especially in the endurance space, find it challenging to meet their protein needs through traditional food alone. A supplement can be supportive of reaching your goals, while making it convenient to do so, too. Now, saying this, it's important that a majority of your intake comes from traditional foods, but including a protein supplement 1-2 times per day can be a great way to ease some of the stressors that can pop up when trying to meet our needs.
That said, not all protein supplements are made equal. This is where it pays to do your research and find a protein powder that's made with the highest quality whey or plant proteins. Some protein and carbohydrate based supplements may also be supportive before and during exercise of longer duration. This is where we see some of our UCAN Professional Athletes taking UCAN Energy + Protein, as an addition to their breakfast before runs and races to help support energy and get a jumpstart on recovery before the work even begins! That said, this has to be something you can tolerate so individual response varies due to the nature of digestion and absorption.
UCAN Protein + Energy powder can be a supportive option pre- or post workout to support energy levels and recovery from exercise, giving you an easy and convenient option when time is low and you want to ensure you're fueling adequately.
