Throw a stick (particularly a beef jerky stick) into a pack of nutrition advice experts today and you’re going to hit a whole lot of talk about the current darling of the nutrition set:

Protein.

Protein has long been the conversation with body builders wanting to build muscle and strength. But the role of protein and how much should be part of a healthy diet has been a little more clear for those mere mortals who simply want to stay at a healthy weight and feel good enough for a couple of pickle ball games a week.

Add to that the assertions about vegetarianism and veganism, those dietary approaches that focus on avoiding animal meat sources, along with the assertions about the health advantages of such nutrition approaches, and it’s no wonder if you find yourself feeling a little confused about what kinds of protein and how much you should be making part of your diet.

Let’s start with the basics. What is protein? Protein is an important macronutrient. A macronutrient is a nutrient that our bodies need in significant quantities to give us the energy we need. Protein is one of three important macronutrients humans need, part of a trio made up of protein, fat, and carbohydrate.

Protein plays an important role in helping repair tissues in your body after exercise, injury, and general wear and tear of life. Protein also supports your immune system and immune function, meaning that adequate protein is critical for protecting you from viruses and bacteria and other toxins you may encounter.

Protein is found in animal meats, dairy, eggs, and certain grain, legume, and plant sources. The highest protein food you can consume for the calories is chicken, racking in 25 grams of protein in just a four ounce serving.

The debate over the ‘heathliest’ protein sources continues. Some dietitians and health care experts say that plant-based proteins are healthier, while others remind us that only animal protein sources are complete, meaning that they have all of the amino acids. No plant protein source has all of the amino acids and therefore all plant proteins are incomplete.1

Recent research is leading many health experts, whether they encourage vegetarian, omnivore, or carnivore lifestyles, to encourage people to include more protein in their diets. The current minimum suggested protein per day is 56 grams for a man who is sedentary and 48 grams for a woman who is sedentary.

However, the latest recommendations, in addition to encouraging more Zone 2 activity for men and women, is to include higher levels of protein than the sedentary baselines. Today, if you are moderately active, one gram of protein per pound of your body weight per day is considered a healthy goal. For women who are pregnant or nursing, moving that amount up a bit is now becoming the recommendation, at 60 grams a day.2

What can make this all confusing is there are also those in health and nutrition fields who feel this amount of protein might be a bit high.3 And there are definitely those health experts who find these recommendations far too low, recommending that people eat protein in grams that match their ideal body weight. For example, a woman who weighs 130 pounds should eat 130 grams of protein each day.

Where there is agreement is that a better focus on including more protein in your daily diet can help you maintain a healthy weight and help you lose excess weight. Adequate protein intake usually creates a sense of satiety for many people, helping you avoid overeating. Additionally, when you’re focused on getting enough protein and prioritizing that over snacks and treats can help you make better choices for non-processed foods.

Another important recent finding is that as we age, we in general need more protein. This is because our bodies become less efficient at processing protein, meaning that we need to consume more protein to deal with that gap. When someone is age 70 or above (some studies say age 65 and up), the newest recommendations state that protein goals for that person should be 1.2 to 3 grams of protein or higher per kilogram of body weight.4 With this recommendation comes another important thing to note: protein intake is often presented as a grams per kilogram ratio. However, for most of us in the United States, we don’t think of our body weight in kilograms, but rather in pounds. As you consider the various recommendations for your season and stage of life, make sure to look if the research you’re looking out is in kilograms or in pounds of body weight.

Whatever the eating philosophy of various research groups, one thing does remain clear: protein needs to be a focus in most of our diets. When you prepare a meal, make sure there is a robust protein source as part of that meal, in balance with vegetables, fruits, and grains. For snacks, pick up a bowl of Greek yogurt, a slice of cheese, or a protein bar. Incorporating more protein in your diet doesn’t mean you have to move away from veganism or vegetarianism, if that is your nutritional approach. What it does mean is that you want to be very intentional to get the amount of protein you need. Even if you consider yourself an omnivore, meaning that you eat a variety of meat, plants, and grains, it can be all too easy to slip into eating lots of carbohydrate and fat sources without balancing it out with adequate protein.

Work with your care provider to come up with a protein plan that’s right for you. And remember, if you’re a Member of Altrua HealthShare on certain memberships, you can schedule a telehealth visit for help in putting together your optimal nutrition plan. If you’re not yet an Altrua HealthShare Member or if you have questions about what is included in your membership, reach out to a Member Services Representative at 1.855.318.8398.

1 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-i-need-to-worry-about-eating-complete-proteins
2 https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/eating-right-before-and-during-pregnancy#:~:text=Pregnancy.%20During%20pregnancy%2C%20you%20should%20get%20a%20minimum%20of%2060%20grams%20of%20protein%20a%20day%2C%20which%20will%20account%20for%20approximately%2020%20percent%20to%2025%20percent%20of%20your%20calorie%20intake.
3 https://www.aicr.org/resources/blog/how-to-get-enough-protein-on-a-plant-based-diet/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwr9m3BhDHARIsANut04Z0BLMhT3gKmbtk4avVM1yd0S2fgG6kk_0KgUHroZ5rsYjUilAbZqgaAopYEALw_wcB
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924200/
5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2955866/
6 https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-07-26-genetic-study-provides-evidence-alcohol-accelerates-biological-aging