159. The Impact of Protein on Body Composition

May 3

Exactly how important is protein for our bodies? It’s absolutely essential. But how much protein are you supposed to eat every day? And what kinds of protein are the good ones? In this episode, I cover all these questions and more, including vegetarian protein options, what one serving of protein looks like, and protein’s vital role in maintaining an optimal weight.

What Goes Into Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

BMR + Thermogenesis of food
Planned exercise
Unplanned exercise
EPOC - post-exercise consumption of oxygen

Listen to Episode 159 Here

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Protein is an Essential Nutrient

Protein is vital for our body’s optimal composition. When I speak about optimal body composition, I don’t mean six-pack abs… I mean a lean body mass that works for your body. Adequate protein is essential for us to maintain a lean body mass, especially as we age.

Protein also helps keep us feeling fuller and more satiated for longer. Protein contains nonessential amino acids, like leucine and glycine, that contribute to a healthy metabolism, digestion, hormone balance, and so much more.

The Amount of Protein We Need

But how much protein do you actually need? There is so much information out there about optimal amounts of protein… but I recommend 3-4 servings per day. This is around 90g - 120g of protein, which is a decent amount for most body types, depending on your activity level.

One serving of animal protein is about the size of your palm, including the thickness. Plenty of vegetarian protein options are available, but you might need to adjust the amount you eat to get enough protein. Lentils have the highest amount of leucine per gram.

I don’t recommend one source of protein over the other. I encourage you to find what protein sources make you feel your best and eat those.

What are some small ways you can start working towards your three servings of protein? Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

What it means to have optimal body composition [1:00]
Why protein is essential, especially as we age [7:00]
How protein helps you feel fuller for longer [10:00]
The impact of protein on weight loss regain [16:30]
The recommended amount of protein to eat [17:30]
How much one serving of protein is [21:30]
Sources of vegetarian protein [29:30]

Quotes

“The way that I like to approach health is not about how small we can make ourselves. It’s how we can optimize our composition. The reason why this is really powerful is because it’s a proactive choice.” [3:38]

“We will lose muscle mass as we age unless we do interventions to preserve it.” [6:43]

“If you are eating 3-4 servings of protein a day, you are going to be doing better than most of the entire population.” [21:17]

“You don’t have to get fancy. Pick the protein things that you enjoy eating and make it a plan to eat them.” [26:22]

“The way you will succeed is to stay out of the confusion. You need to learn what you like to eat. What do you like to eat? And you need to do that.” [31:39]

“The idea is balance. It’s all about balance and figuring out what foods feel satisfying for you, what you like to eat, and do that.” [33:21]