Back to Basics: Protein

What is protein?

Protein is a macronutrient that is essential to building muscle mass. Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. Protein is found throughout the entire body—in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. 

Protein is made from twenty-plus basic “building blocks” called amino acids. Nine amino acids—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine—known as the essential amino acids, must come from food.

Why is protein important? 

Protein is important in building muscle because amino acids help repair and maintain muscle tissue. After a workout, protein helps you recover from workouts by “repairing” muscles that slightly tear during exercise. Over time, muscle hypertrophy (the increase and growth of muscle cells) occurs when the fibers of the muscles sustain damage or injury. The body repairs damaged fibers by fusing them (with the help of protein) which increases the mass and size of the muscles.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

Protein has 4 calories per 1 gram, and a good rule of thumb to follow is to aim for 30% of your daily calories to come from protein. 

The National Academy of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day, or just over 7 grams for every 20 pounds of body weight

• For a 140-pound person, that means about 50 grams of protein each day.

• For a 200-pound person, that means about 70 grams of protein each day. 

However, for people with the goal to increase muscle mass it is often recommended to consume 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. 

Good sources of dietary protein: 

Beef

Pork

Fish 

Poultry 

Eggs

Greek yogurt 

Milk 

Cheese 

Beans 

Legumes 

Tofu 

Tempeh 

Quinoa

Lentils 

Nuts and seeds 

Protein powder supplements