The Sources of Protein You Should Be Focused On
Before we begin…
Thirty second recap about protein:
- Protein in food contains amino acids, some of which ONLY come from food. (essential amino acids)
- Our body uses those AA’s to build & maintain tissue like muscle
- Chronically low protein intake can lead to muscle loss, sarcopenia, dependance on others and increased risk of death from all causesAlso remember that everyone’s protein needs are different based on their size, activity, age, goals and body composition but…
We recommend that MOST people get somewhere between .8 and 1.2g of protein per day on average per lb that they weigh.
But as with most things in life… There’s a catch.
You see, not all protein is created equal.
We want protein and its amino acids for its anabolic, muscle building properties.
Sometimes you’ll heard this referenced as it’s “bioavailability”
Not all amino acids actually trigger those building processes.
There are 3 special AA’s called “branch chain amino acids” (bcaa’s) that must be present in a food (and in the right amount) for it to cause muscle repair and growth. If you care, they are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine. This muscle repair/building process is called muscle protein synthesis or MPS.
As far as quantity, it takes about 3g of leucine to trigger MPS.
Now before you get on amazon and fill your cart with BCAA powder… The best research shows that if you’re trying to get the benefit of these BCAA’s, they need to be eaten with a meal that has all 9 of the essential amino acids.
In other words, ya gotta eat FOOD that is rich in these BCAA’s naturally.
Wondering what those might be?
I bet you already have a good hunch.
The foods naturally highest in protein/bcaa’s are:
Lean animal meat (higher than fattier cuts per serving)
Dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese)
Eggs
If you’re eating protein from these sources it takes about 25g of total protein to get the amount of BCAAs you’re looking for.
Looks like bad news for vegans and vegetarians right?
Not so fast!
There are in fact some vegan/vegetarian friendly foods with a decent amount of protein/bcaa’s:
Soy / Tempeh / Tofu
Beans
Chickpeas
Lentils
But here’s the vegetarian’s dilemma…
Those vegetarian/vegan friendly options I just mentioned bring along a lot of calories from carbohydrates and fat with their protein.
1 cup of black beans = 220 calories for 14g of protein
8 oz of tofu = 170 calories for 16g of protein
2 oz. of cooked chicken breast = 80 calories for 17g of protein
See the problem?
Twice the calories in the non-meat options. Unless we’re trying to get in the world’s strongest man/woman competition, most of us can’t afford to hit our protein goal from just plant sources. It’s just a lot of stinkin’ calories.
If you’re interested in this whole vegetarian/vegan approach, we wrote a good blog about the subject HERE.
Two other things I want to touch on before we wrap up…
When you eat a high protein meal that triggers MPS you stay in that anabolic state for several hours before it “wears off”. Ya like my science terms?
That means you can potentially trigger MPS several times over the course of your day if you have a few high protein meals/snacks. That’s a good thing.
Ok, last thing.
How about protein shakes? I kinda poo-poo’d on BCAA supplements but what about protein shakes? Are they a good source of protein/BCAA’s?
They’re all good as long as they come from an animal source like whey or casein or a veggie source like pea or soy since those are all “complete” proteins with a full spectrum of Amino Acids including the BCAA’s.
HERE’s an infographic we posted on Instagram about what to look for in a protein powder. You do follow us on Instagram right?
So there ya have it!
If you have any questions or need help just let us know!