Recently many of my clients have been asking be about protein and how much they need in their diet to help build muscle. With all the advertising at your local health food shop it’s easy to become confused about which protein and how much of the stuff we actually need. But, is eating tons of eggs, meat and protein supplements really necessary?

Foods that contain all of the essential amino acids are called complete proteins. These foods include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and just about anything else derived from animal sources. But if you don’t eat meat and/ or dairy that doesn’t mean you can’t get your daily does of protein. Choose from two of the following categories:

1) Vegetables: Leafy Greens, Broccoli

2) Grains: Oats, Rice, Pasta, Whole Grain Breads

3) Seeds & Nuts: Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Walnuts, Cashews

4) Legumes: Beans, Lentils, Peas, Soy Products


So how do we know if we have enough protein in our diet?

Studies show that most of us consume more than enough protein in our diet, yet we often see athletes, business executives and weight loss fanatics turning to protein powders, drinks and nutritional bars in their quest for more protein. Is this really necessary? That depends. It is true that resistance training and endurance workouts can rapidly break down muscle protein. If you exercise heavily, you might need to up your protein intake from the RDA's recommendation of 0.8 g/kg to 1.2-1.8 g/kg.

Covert Bailey in his book Smart Exercise: Burning Fat, Getting Fit, states that "the maximum muscle mass the human body can add in one week is one pound. That is the upper limit of the muscle fiber's capacity to make protein into muscle; any protein beyond that is simply converted to fat." Dr. Lemon, in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (19:5, S179-S190,1986), states:

"Several types of evidence indicate that exercise causes substantial changes in protein metabolism. In fact, recent data suggests that the protein recommended dietary allowance might actually be 100% higher for individuals who exercise on a regular basis. Optimal intakes, although unknown, may be even higher, especially for individuals attempting to increase muscle mass and strength."

So, in essence, the more you exercise, the greater your protein needs will be.

How to Calculate Your Protein Needs:
1. Weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
2. Weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm.

Use a lower number if you are in good health and are sedentary. Use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are under stress, are pregnant, are recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent and intense weight or endurance training.

Timing is everything

Since the body cannot store protein, it makes sense to feed it to your muscles when they need it most. Although muscle is not rebuilt until after training, there is mounting evidence that eating this nutrient before a workout can enhance lean tissue growth. Researchers at the University of Texas found that drinking a sports drink fortified with a small amount of protein and some carbohydrate prior to weight lifting resulted in superior lean mass gains than drinking it afterwards. More importantly, very small amounts of protein were necessary to achieve these gains, as little as six grams--slightly less than the amount in a container of yogurt or an ounce of lean meat.

Many sports nutritionists believe the optimal time to eat protein is as close to training as possible. "If my goal was getting as strong as I could, I would eat something with protein just before and after training," says Janet Walberg Rankin, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech. "There's a window of opportunity and you've turned on the machinery, so provide the fuel for that machine while it's active." That means some careful planning can make your protein intake go a long way--by consuming small amounts of high-quality protein, ideally divided among six small meals throughout the day.