Protein is an essential macronutrient that is responsible for building and maintaining muscle, providing strength for our immune system and carries out a lot of specific reactions inside our body.
It is found in foods such as meat products, seafood, dairy, eggs, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Only a few studies have reported dietary intakes for individuals with physical impairments and found that the average protein intake ranged between 1.0-1.5g per kg of BM/day which is meeting the recommended dietary intake.
Total intake is important and sets the basis for maintaining and building lean mass to help support you through your daily lives. However, there are other strategies we can implement like amount per serve, quality, and timing of protein to further enhance our ability to retain or promote lean mass growth.
Protein Dose
- ‘Muscle protein synthesis’ or the amount of ingested protein needed to stimulate muscle growth can be achieved when you consume roughly 20-25g at each meal or snack
- A double dose or larger intake at a meal has no further effect on muscle building
- This looks like ¼ of your plate OR the size of your fist cupped OR 100-150g
Protein Quality
- Source can differ in what the building blocks for that protein is made up of
- This can change their rate and time of digestion and affect MPS
- Meat, dairy, and egg proteins have higher quality building blocks and are rapidly digested compared to plant-based proteins like legumes
- It is not essential to choose all meat or dairy sources, but they can be a great way to achieve maximum MPS as their digestion rate is much higher
Protein Timing
- Eating protein also has a ‘filling’ effect and can help with goals of weight management and alleviating hunger
- To stimulate MPS research shows that eating enough protein every 3-4 hours is optimal
- That can be as simple as making sure you have protein in each main meal and 1-2 protein snacks a day
This week’s recipe: Try some pork on your fork. Most main dishes that have a generous serving of a meat product will provide you with a sufficient serve. However, who wants to have something bland when you can create a tasty and appealing recipe like these pork scallopini’s! Be sure to try servings of different vegetables with this dish but enjoy the mouthwatering taste the pork provides.
Ref: Nishimura, Y., Højfeldt, G., Breen, L., Tetens, I., & Holm, L. (2021). Dietary requirements and recommendations for healthy older adults: A critical narrative review of the scientific evidence. Nutrition Research Reviews, 1-17. doi:10.1017/S095442242100032
If you have any questions about your diet or would like one-on-one dietary advice from your Able Dietician, send us a message letting us know what you’re after and we’ll be in touch to help you achieve your goals!
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