Eat strong

Being a trainer, I try to read every fitness, strength, or general nutrition article that appears in a major publication. It helps me to know where the media’s thinking is — and, by extension, where the general public is at on a topic.

Often more interesting than the information itself are the mistakes they make, as well as seeing where the writer(s) hedge their assertions a little bit. A major pet peeve of mine for all writing is when the title is bolder than the body. Which leads me to the latest article I had beef (ha!) with.

Over breakfast this morning, I read an article titled How much protein do I need? in Wired. Subtitle: Protein is having a moment—but most of us were never short on it to begin with.

Let’s jump right in. The only hard numbers discussed are the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) for protein, which come out to be about 0.36g of protein per pound of body weight. They do clarify that the RDA is really just a minimum, and you may need more or less depending on other lifestyle and genetic factors.

Where I take issue is that this article — and many others that discuss protein — will make a strong assertion at the start about whether you are or aren’t getting enough, then start getting muddy on the details. If you’re going to make a strong claim, you have to lead the reader/athlete back towards a better answer than where they’re at.

In this case, they tell us that we’re “probably” getting enough protein, based on the RDA, but then tell us that if you’re an athlete, bodybuilder, older adult, or woman you may need more.

They also say, “Some [individuals] need less [protein]. People with kidney or liver disease, for example, are often advised to limit protein intake to avoid overburdening those organs.” But then they quote a doctor saying, “We typically don’t see consequences to kidney function or extreme dehydration at two to three, even four times the RDA.”

This is why I hate most major health/fitness/nutrition articles out there. We’re seeking answers but we so rarely get definitive ones. There’s so much contradicting advice and findings! And even people with good information are often hedging a little bit so they don’t say anything “wrong” or inflammatory.

Even the often-linked protein calculators really aren’t that great, if only because people are not always the best at assessing what “level” of activity they get. Maybe they’re the most active within a family of couch potatoes. Or maybe they’re the least active within a community of high-level triathletes and crossfitters. Either way, their perspective and judgment of themselves may be a little warped by the context they’re in.

So who to believe? How does one really figure out what they actually need?

Let me share my simple recommendations, with as few caveats as possible. My main caveats are:

1. If your doctor has given you specific advice, follow that. Yes, doctors can be imperfect, but if you’re being told by a doctor to have more or less of something from a nutritional standpoint, there’s usually a good reason. You can investigate further, get a second opinion, do some more research (more than googling), etc. — but start by trusting them. It’s just safer.

2. I myself am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, so my recommendations are from my personal experience as an athlete and coach. This is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical conditions, and should not be construed as medical advice. It’s just a primer on protein.

3. These suggestions are intended as a starting point. To figure out your own actual numbers, you’ll have to do some experimenting. Which means you need to pay attention and be aware of how you feel.

That third caveat is crucial, and really forms the foundation of understanding how to adjust your macros for your individual life. Everyone’s looking for detailed instruction manuals to follow, but becoming more attuned to your own mind and body is by far the best way to tell how your lifestyle choices are affecting you.

But to give you a place to start, maybe try 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight. So take your body weight and half it — that’s about how many grams of protein you could start with. Once you’ve got that, increase it a little at a time.

If you’re very active or have indications that suggest you need more protein, you could possibly take it as high as 1g/lb. Much more than that probably won’t hurt you, but may not be particularly helpful, either.

Your personalized answer will likely be somewhere between 0.5-1g/lb.

Even more frustrating: it can (and will!) change day by day. More active days will probably need more protein. Pay attention to how you feel. Generally speaking, if I feel fatigued, I assume I might need a little more protein-rich food.

For my part, I generally get 160-180g/day, at ~218lb bodyweight. And I’m quite active. I achieve this by aiming for 30-40g/meal, and 15-30g for a couple of primary snacks. (Usually greek yogurt and a protein shake.)

There’s a lot of debate on exactly how much protein the body can handle at any one go. Generally speaking, you want to try to spread out your protein intake throughout the day. 100g/day taken all at once will not absorb as well as the same 100g taken over several meals and snacks.

Getting some protein 30-60 minutes after a workout is also a good idea. That’s the prime time for a protein shake.

Beyond protein consumption specifically, I tell my clients to try to avoid meals or snacks that are mostly (or entirely) carb-centric. You don’t have to eat a burger, whole chicken, 5-10 eggs, or giant steak for every meal, but all of those options will generally be better than a big stack of pancakes, sugary cereal, a candy bar, soda, or bowl of plain pasta.

One suggestion I don’t see often enough as relates to protein: make sure you’re considering fiber in equal measure. It’ll help make sure you’re processing everything well, and keep you feeling full. If I’m feeling stopped up or otherwise my poops are bad, I up the fiber.

And as always, stay hydrated.

Depends on who you believe. Yes, it’s true that supplements are often expensive and don’t work quite as well as the same nutrients when found in real food. But you may have noticed that life is insane these days. Maybe you worked really late one night and your food planning fell to the wayside. Or your kids have sports and events they need to be shuttled to/from.

I reject (and outright dislike) all the hyper-optimizers out there who act like something is worthless unless you can accomplish the most perfect version. The perfect is the enemy of the good. It’s okay to not be perfect — try just being good. Do the best you can, then let it go.

If you missed a meal, have a protein shake. Or just have one as a snack instead of whatever other packaged garbage you were thinking of eating. It’s fine. It’s probably not the absolute best protein in the world, but it’s better than no/low protein.

Whenever possible, though, try to get as much of your protein (and other macronutrients) directly from whole food sources.

Special note on whey: it’s everywhere. It’s a by-product of so many dairy processes. So that tends to be what gets added in to increase protein in a food product. For many people, it upsets their stomachs. They may not even realize that’s the cause. Even if you’re not officially “lactose intolerant,” whey protein can still turn you into a gassy, pooping, cramping mess from time to time. That probably has to do with the concentration of those particular proteins, not the fact of protein itself.

My whole family gradually switched over primarily to plant-based protein whenever we consume supplements. It has made such a big difference in the number and density of farts in our house. (We use Nutrasumma mostly, with Vega being another favorite. Most other brands I’ve tried either taste terrible or don’t last very long since they’re usually less profitable than whey protein powders.)

Again, this is just my experience as an athlete and coach. Anything you disagree with? Additional thoughts or suggestions? Drop me a comment or send me a message!