Is PROTEIN the golden ticket?

What is Protein?

Protein is a MACROnutrient. The very fact it is considered a ‘Macro’ indicates we need it in large quantities compared to micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), which are very essential, we just require ‘micro’ amounts of them.

Protein is the second most abundant component in our bodies, after water; its structure is made it up of strings of amino acids. There are commonly thought to be twenty amino acids, the compositions of which vary depending on the food source. Nine of them are known as essential amino acids because we cannot create them in our bodies as we do with the remainder. So we must consume them in our diet.

When a food contains all 9 essential amino acids it's known as a complete protein.

9 Essential amino acids	11 Non-essential amino acids
Leucine	Arginine
Isoleucine	Alanine
Histidine	Aspartic acid
Lysine	Asparagine
Methionine	Cysteine
Threonine	Glutamine*
Phenylalanine	Glutamic acid
Tryptophan	Proline
Valine	Glycine
	Serine
	Tyrosine
	*Glutamine can become essential as is depleted during periods of high stress or illness

Why do you need it?

Protein is discussed often in the health, nutrition, and fitness industries, people may think it's become sensationalised, and not as important as people make out. But you may be surprised how many people do not consume enough for optimal living.

We need to consume protein so our body can produce its own proteins (eg. hormones, antibodies, enzymes), to support growth, development, reproduction, lactation and health. Whilst outright protein deficiency is uncommon in western societies, in countries where famine and food scarcity are widespread, protein deficiency can lead to serious conditions such as Kwashiorkor.

Protein insufficiency can be a factor affecting many people in western countries too, whether through dietary choices, illness, or the effect of food scarcity, and affordability.

Approximately 43% of our protein is present in our muscles, 15% in the skin, and 16% in the blood, the rest is used for biochemical reactions such as metabolism, energy production, and hormone synthesis. The amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine for example are important components of hormones that regulate sleep. Proteins also aid fluid regulation, PH balance, and form antibodies for immune health.

Marginal insufficiency can have detrimental effects on your skin, nails and hair, which are largely made of proteins. It can disrupt proper immune function, and it can cause increased appetite.

Longer term, low intake can lead to muscle wasting and fatigue. This is because when protein is in short supply your body will take it from your muscles in order to supply other body functions.

Protein is also essential for proper growth and development. It is essential during childhood when the body needs a steady supply. Inadequate intake can delay, slow or stunt growth.

Protein and weight management?

Increasing protein is often promoted for improved outcomes in efforts for weight loss. And for good reason; protein not only boosts metabolism, it reduces appetite and alters multiple weight, regulating hormones. For instance, protein has been shown to inhibit the hormone ghrelin which would usually produce feelings of hunger, conversely it stimulates certain appetite reducing hormones, so together these actions should naturally make you want to eat less.

Whats more, it takes more calories to metabolise and burn protein, meaning that compared to fats and carbohydrates, less calories from protein can become surplus.

Maintaining muscle mass is also important during weight-loss, as it helps avoid metabolic slow down, making the muscle building benefits of protein indispensable.

For weight-loss to be sustainable, it has to be realistic and you need to be able to be consistent. People often aim to decrease carbohydrate intake when trying to manage weight but what may be a more achievable approach is to focus on combining carbohydrates with protein. This will slow down the breakdown of carbohydrate sugars, giving them more time to digest, helping you to stay fuller for longer, reducing blood sugar highs and lows and reducing the desire to snack. For example, if you like toast for breakfast, have a couple of eggs with it. If you're eating fruits, maybe add a few nuts, or some almond butter, and if you can't resist the mash potato with dinner, make sure a protein source takes up more room. This way you don't need to go without and more protein will leave less room for hunger induced carbohydrate/sugar cravings.

It also takes more calories to metabolise and burn the protein you eat, meaning that

people often decide to decrease their carbohydrate intake when trying to manage their weight. What may be a more achievable approach is to combine carbohydrates with protein. This will slow down the breakdown of carbohydrate sugars, giving them more time to digest, helping you to stay fuller for longer, reducing blood sugar highs and lows and reducing the desire to snack.

Where do we get protein?

Complete proteins are more commonly found in animal products but there are some plant foods which contain all the essential amino acids too, just in smaller quantities. Generally, a variety of plant foods will need to be eaten throughout the day to ensure all the amino acids are consumed.

Complete Animal Proteins	Complete Plant Proteins
Beef	Quinoa
Fish	Buckwheat
Chicken	Soy
​Pork	Tempeh
Milk	Chia seeds
Eggs	Incomplete plant protein: Spinach, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, seeds, oats, spinach, broccoli, avocado, peas
Game

How much do we need?

Opinion varies, but typical practice suggests calculating 0.8g of protein per kg of your current body weight for the average person and 1.2g – 1.7g per kg of your current body weight if you are more active. These may need to be adjusted as your body changes.

Personally, I prefer a simpler approach, which is to aim for between 60 and 90g of protein per day which could look like this:

Breakfast:

2 x Eggs = 12g of protein

80g Cottage Cheese = 14g of protein

Lunch:

120 Chicken Breast = 32g

Dinner:

100g of Salmon = 20g of protein

100g of Quinoa = 4.4g

Total = 82.4g

Are you eating enough? How can we support a sustainable approach to meeting our protein needs? Let me know what you think!

References:

https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12500

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27187907/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17403271/

Bilsborough S, Mann N. A review of issues of dietary protein intake in humans. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006 Apr;16(2):129-52. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.16.2.129. PMID: 16779921.

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthy-sustainable-diets/protein/?level=Health%20professional