Protein - why is it so important?

You hear it all the time. Protein, protein, protein. It's a big buzz word in fitness. But unlike most buzz words in the industry, it's extremely important.

And before we get into it...NO! You won't look like a body builder if you eat more protein.

Whatever your goal is - weight loss, strength, muscle gain, aesthetics or sporting performance - if your daily amount of protein isn't being hit, you're failing yourself.

My clients will hear me say after 99.9% of sessions, "go have a high-protein meal or shake". Must be boring for them to hear but without it, results will be limited.

What is your daily amount?

Take your body weight in kilograms. Double that. In grams, that's how much protein you need. Every day. For example a 60 kg person needs 120 grams of protein per day.

The basics.

Protein is the building blocks for our body. For making muscle, skin, hair, strengthening our immune system, creating hormones, maintaining cell regulation, and aiding overall repair and function.

When we create damage, via training, lifestyle and environment, protein is needed to repair and re-grow.

For fat loss.

Fat loss and protein should go hand in hand. When we lose weight - by eating less calories than we burn - we will likely lose muscle as well. We don't want this. We want to keep as much of our muscle as possible.

It helps us look better, it maintains our strength (longevity) and increases our metabolism.

If we are low-protein during a weight loss program we simply become a smaller, softer, weaker version of how we were before. Compare that to being high-protein: you will be a leaner, stronger, firmer version of your former-self.

For strength & muscle gain.

This is what most people correlate protein with. To gain muscle size and strength, we need protein. It's impossible without it.

I see people in the gym, their body doesn't change over the course of 6 months, a year, two years...I can safely predict their diet isn't right. You should see improvements every month if your training and diet are dialled.

When our muscles exert force via exercise, tiny micro-tears occur. To repair the tears and make us stronger, protein comes in and bridges the gap where the tears occured. This will, over time, increase the size and strength of that muscle. This is why we need to progressively increase our loads during training, to keep the muscle working harder.

For injury repair and pain management

As stated above, protein can increase strength and repair damaged muscle tissue. If you've torn a calf muscle running, those fibres need protein to help strengthen and repair the tear. The process will be quicker if you hit your protein target.

If you suffer neck or upper back pain, due to sitting or poor posture, alongside your strengthening exercises, protein is needed to increase that strength and improve your posture.

Protein in your diet

When we have sufficient protein in our diet, we are satiated. Meaning we feel fuller for longer. Our metabolism increases. And we tend to eat less.

Using the example at the top, of the 60kg person needing 120g of protein per day, the perfect way to do it would be to have breakfast, lunch and dinner containing 30g in each meal (90g so far) and then one snack containing 30g also.

Our body can generally utilise 30-50g of protein in one go - I would say a 60kg person isn't big so nearer 30g per meal is perfect. A larger person, maybe 90-100kg could handle 40-50g of protein per meal.

Ideally most of our protein should be from natural foods. Then we can use a supplement like a whey protein powder or snack bar to, erm, supplement our total intake.

Below are some examples of how to hit your protein target each day. Quantities would vary depending on your specific number of grams of protein.

Breakfasts :

Oats with milk and protein powder.

Eggs with toast.

Protein smoothie (whey protein, milk, berries, peanut butter).

Salmon with eggs.

Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts and honey (add whey protein for extra protein).

Lunches :

Wrap with tuna, mayo, egg, salad.

Sushi (salmon or tuna base)

Poke bowl (extra salmon)

Chicken wrap with salad.

Steak sandwich.

Eggs on toast.

Dinners :

Steak and potatoes.

Chicken based meal.

Fish based meal.

Chilli con carne.

Any meat based meal works.

Snacks :

Greek or high-protein yoghurt with berries.

Protein shake with milk or water.

Cottage cheese.

Small tuna or chicken wraps.

Pre-boiled eggs on-the-go.

Smoothie with whey protein.

You can add up your protein using an app like FatSecret or MyFitnessPal or simply check the packet of what you're eating, weigh your portion and note it down.

So, if you're not seeing the results you want in the gym, or if you feel weak, tired, lethargic, bloated, or are constantly getting ill, check you have enough protein in your diet.

Thanks for reading.

Iain