Let’s Talk Protein
Protein is the building block of your muscles, skin, enzymes, and hormones, and it plays an essential role in all body tissues
Why is Protein so Important?
Let’s talk about protein consumption. This might be the chapter where the Vegans, Vegetarians, and Pescatarians shake their head and tsk tsk me, but I firmly believe protein is a key to good health as we age. I like animal protein and even I have a hard time getting the recommended amount of it that I need. Why is protein so important? Because every cell in your body contains protein. EVERY CELL. It would be ideal if you had optimal protein levels in your diet so that your body could repair damaged cells as well as make new ones. It’s not just important for cells, it’s important for building bones, muscles, connective tissue, and skin. I mean, all those things are kind of important. But that’s not all. Protein is also a major contributor to metabolic reactions, energy production, immune system response, and forming red blood cells. AND it’s a heavyweight when it comes to satiety after a meal. I’m tired just thinking how hard protein works. I’m not here to bash the other two macronutrients and I’m not of the school of thought that any food is bad. One caveat to that statement is it does have to actually be food and not the engineered crap that lines most of the shelves in our grocery stores. I’m not afraid of healthy fats, I love a good avocado and eggs are my go-to in the morning. I’m also not Carbohydrate averse. I think we need them for energy and for our brains, kidneys, heart muscles, and nervous systems to function optimally.
Don’t you want all of your systems to function at their best as you age and they have been working hard for you for 40-plus years? My protein intake usually looks like this on a regular basis. For breakfast, usually eggs, 1 fried or 2 scrambled. Sometimes I will opt for a protein shake but I prefer eating my food to drinking it. Lunch will have chicken or ground turkey in some kind of salad or veggie bowl iteration. Dinner is often similar to lunch but with maybe a double bone pork chop and spinach or a piece of fish with rice and veggies. After doing Whole 30 a number of times and preferring that style of eating to say heavy casseroles or pasta-laden dishes every night, I thought I had a handle on my protein intake. But after addressing the hormone deficiencies I also turned a microscope on my eating.
I logged everything I put in my mouth for a week and sent it to my trainer bestie in Ca for some insight. She cautioned me that I would try to eat better knowing I would be sending it to her but I wanted an honest assessment so I detailed every morsel, yes even the olives in the dirty martinis I love so. I have in fact started to address my mindless alcohol consumption as well so I was already feeling better about that. Her one recommendation was more protein. She thought my ratio of protein to fat was a little off. I told you I love a good avocado and when you eat the egg you have to eat the yolk to get the nutrients but it does also add fat. When I researched it, the baseline for protein intake is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Based on that I should be consuming approximately 56 grams if I’m sedentary, which I am not living in New York City. Someone who is active at my weight range should be closer to 91 grams and when I was training for the marathon last year I should have been closer to 126. Well, no wonder I’ve been so out of sorts the last two years. Until I started actively upping my intake I was averaging closer to 70 and thought I was getting plenty of protein. That is not to say it has to all be animal protein. I have found lentils to be a good source as well as hummus and a good mix of vegetables including green beans, asparagus, hemp seeds, spinach, and lupini beans all add to the total. The point is to be mindful and make conscious choices to get the nutrients you need in the appropriate proportions to feel your best. Is it easy…nope, but it’s worth it.
