Protein: Macronutrients 101

Did you know that almost 17% of the human body is made out of protein?

Doesn’t sound much, does it?

At least until you realize that 60% of your body is water.

This means that proteins make up approximately half of your dry weight. In fact, your bones, teeth, skin, hair, nails, and muscles are all made out of proteins.

I’m telling you this to stress how important protein is.

Here’s why you need it:

Protein is vital for muscle growth and repair. If you want to grow big and strong, you gotta eat your protein.Protein is used in the formation of hormones, antibodies, and enzymes.Finally, protein serves as a backup energy source for your body.

While many of the proteins needed for these processes are synthesized in your body, the ones you get through food are still vital for your health.

In this post, we’ll discuss amino acids, how much protein you need and where you can find it.

Amino Acids – The building blocks of protein

All proteins consist entirely of amino acids. We’ve discovered close to 500 amino acids and humans need 22 of them.

Out of those 22, 9 are categorized as essential because they can’t be synthesized in the body. You can only obtain the essential amino acids (EAAs) through your diet.

Which brings me to my next point; not all proteins are equal.

Proteins that come from animal sources have all the EAAs and are what we call ‘complete’ proteins. Proteins that come from plant sources, on the other hand, are usually incomplete, meaning that they lack at least 1 of the EAAs.

What does that mean for vegans? Do they need supplements to get their essential amino acids?

The ‘fact’ that vegans can’t get enough protein/amino acids from their food is considered common knowledge. But in reality, it’s a myth. The truth is that if a vegan knows what they’re doing, they do not need amino acid supplements.

And here’s why;

While it’s true that most plant proteins are incomplete, the amino acids in each plant food are different. This means that vegans can simply get the EAAs by eating a variety of plant foods.

If you’re a vegan and decide to get a supplement anyway, make sure whatever you get is approved for vegan consumption. If it is, the company will definitely advertise the fact.

Bottom Line: Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and you can only get the essential amino acids through your diet. Animal proteins have all the EAAs while most plant proteins don’t. Vegans can cover their amino acid needs by eating a variety of plant foods.

Recommended Protein Intake

So, how much protein should you eat? It depends on many factors, such as your age and activity level, but generally, there are two methods you can use to calculate your recommended protein intake. I’m warning you now, there’s some math involved.

Method 1: Calculate your protein intake as a percentage of your total caloric intake

It is recommended that 10-35% of your calories come from protein. However, if your fitness goals extend beyond merely avoiding a protein deficiency, I suggest you stay at 20% or more.

High-protein diets can help with building muscle(1) and burning fat(2).

Let’s see an example;

In this example, we’ll calculate the protein intake of a lightly active 20-year-old woman (60kg, 1900 kcal/day).

If the lady in our example needs 1900 kcal per day, 20-35% of those calories should come from protein (380 to 665 kcal).

As food labels don’t measure protein in calories, we’ll have to convert calories to grams.

Each gram of protein is equal to 4 calories, so you need to divide the number of calories by 4.

380 / 4 = 95
665 / 4 = 166

According to Method 1, this woman should get 95 to 166g of protein daily.

Method 2: Calculate your protein intake by using a g/kg ratio

With this method, you get 1.5 – 2.2g of protein per kg of body weight. This translates to 0.7 – 1g per pound.

For example;

We’ll calculate the protein needs of the same woman we used in method 1 (20 years old, 60 kg, 1900kcal/day). Since she weighs 60 kg (132 pounds), we’ll have to multiply 60 by 1.5 and 2.2 respectively;

1.5 * 60 = 90 or 0.7 * 132 = 92
2.2 * 60 = 132 or 1 * 132 = 132

According to Method 2, this woman needs 90 to 132g of protein daily.

As you can see, the upper limit of method 1 is significantly higher than that of method 2. Don’t let it concern you.

These numbers are just guidelines. You’ll have to find your ideal protein intake through personal experimentation.

If the woman in our examples follows a diet with 90g of protein or more, she’s going to thrive.

Bottom Line: Your ideal protein intake depends on many factors. You should get 20-35% of your calories from protein. Alternatively, you can get 1.5-2.2g of protein per kg (or 0.7-1g / pound) of body weight.

Protein Sources

You can find high-quality protein in lean meat, fish, dairy products, poultry, eggs, legumes, seeds, and nuts.

So what’s next?

The rest is up to you. Calculate your protein intake, add some high-protein foods to your diet, and start lifting weights.

After a few weeks, you’ll begin to notice the difference.

Next time we’ll talk about carbohydrates, so stay tuned.

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