What is protein?
•One of the 3 macronutrients
•Made up of long chain amino acids
•20 different amino acid types which, together in combinations, form the hundreds of different proteins in your body
•Nine of the 20 amino acids are “essential” meaning they must come from food
Why is it important?
•Vital nutrient for the body and essential for healthy living
•Found in every cell in the body – in muscles, organs, skin, hormones
•Repairs AND builds
Also, there’s sarcopenia...
•Sarcopenia: the progressive decrease of skeletal muscle mass, strength and function with age
•After 30, you lose 3% to 5% of muscle per decade. This speeds up the older you get, especially post 60
•The more muscle you have, the more easy you’ll find later life to be e.g. carrying groceries home in your seventies without help
•Less muscle = less strength and mobility – and you’re less likely to recover from ‘simple’ falls
What is an ‘adequate’ amount of protein?
•Too little – can’t support normal or optimal bodily functions
•Too much – kidney stones, heart disease, some cancers (particularly with highly processed / red meats)
•Just right – build and repairs cells, including muscle
Ok…. But how much exactly?
Daily protein intake in grams = your weight in KGs x 1.2g to 2g (depending on your activity level)
e.g. if you weigh 60kg, you should be aiming for 72g to 120g of protein a day
Protein: plant-based vs omnivore diets
•The idea that plant proteins are inferior to animal proteins stemmed from a study of baby rats from over 100 years ago
•This is no longer the latest thinking – just took a while to dispel the myth!
•Complete protein refers to certain protein foods that contain all nine essential amino acids (plant-based examples: quinoa, soy)
•Therefore, an incomplete protein source doesn’t contain all of the nine essential amino acids that our body cannot produce on its own (plant-based examples: spinach, nuts, seeds)
•Generally, most animal-based proteins are ‘complete’ sources – another reason why most people believe a plant-based diet is inferior when it comes to getting enough protein
•As long as you eat a variety of plant-based foods you should (between them) be providing your body with all the amino acids it requires
•However, it may be more of a conscious effort to check you’re getting enough: quantity & variety
•Some plant-based sources of protein are less ‘protein dense’ than animal sources
Good sources of plant-based protein
Takeaway tips: Be Protein Aware!
•Eat enough protein! 80g+ for most of us in this room
•Add some resistance training into your every day life – with muscles, if you don’t use it, you lose it
•Plant-based protein is just as good as other sources, but you will need to eat your proteins from a variety of sources to ensure you’re getting all of the essential amino acids
•Spread your intake evenly throughout the day
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