Episode 22: Why You Should Eat a High-Protein Diet (And How to Do It)
How much protein you eat is a huge influence on your gains.
In this episode, I discuss the importance of eating a high-protein diet for fat loss and building muscle. I also give guidance for figuring out how much protein you need to eat and some actionable tips for reaching your daily protein goal.
Why Eat High Protein Diet
I always recommend that my clients eat a high-protein diet, regardless of whether they are trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just eat healthier. In today’s message, we’ll talk about how eating a high-protein diet can help you to grow muscle and get stronger.
Firstly, let's understand what a high-protein diet is. A high-protein diet is a diet that consists of more than 20% of daily calories coming from protein.
Numerous studies have shown that a high-protein diet can help promote muscle growth and enhance strength gains.[1,2,3]
Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscles. When you do strength training or other forms of resistance exercise, your muscles undergo a process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), where new muscle proteins are created. Consuming an adequate amount of protein supplies the necessary amino acids for this process, facilitating the repair and growth of muscle fibers.
Eating plenty of protein will help your body recover more effectively. Intense workouts induce micro-tears in muscle fibers, which need to be repaired for muscle growth to occur. Protein plays a crucial role in this repair process. Adequate protein intake also helps minimize muscle soreness, allowing you to bounce back quicker from intense training sessions.
A high-protein diet can also help you lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight.
When following a calorie-restricted diet, there is a risk of losing both fat and muscle mass. However, a high-protein diet can help mitigate this loss by preserving lean muscle tissue. This is particularly important for individuals looking to shed body fat while preserving their hard-earned muscle.[4]
Protein also has a higher thermogenic effect compared to carbohydrates and fats, meaning that your body burns more calories during digestion and absorption. Additionally, protein-rich foods are often more filling and satisfying, reducing hunger and helping control overall caloric intake.
How to Eat a High-Protein Diet
To eat a high-protein diet, aim to have at least 20% of your daily calories from protein. You can also base your protein intake on your weight–aiming to eat between 0.7 and 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day (1.5 - 2.2 grams per kilogram per day).[5]
As a rule of thumb, I recommend aiming to get at least 25g of lean protein in every meal and at least 10g of protein in every snack. You may need to aim for more protein per meal and snack, depending on your daily protein goal and the number of meals/snacks you eat. Take your protein goal and divide it by the number of snacks and meals that you generally eat–that will tell you roughly how many calories you should aim for each time you eat.
Remember that the majority of the protein that you eat should come from lean sources–meaning the foods are low in saturated fats. This includes low-fat cuts of meat, white meat (like chicken breast or turkey breast), fish, egg whites, low-fat dairy products (like Greek yogurt & cottage cheese), and vegetables like soybeans, lentils, and black beans. Reduce your consumption of proteins that come with a high amount of saturated fats, and avoid trans fats altogether.
One great way to increase your overall protein intake is to learn what foods are good sources of protein and add them to your diet regularly.
Here’s a quick reference guide of the protein per serving of the best sources of protein to keep on steady rotation in your diet:
Links
ABOUT ME
Hey there! 👋 I’m Jayd Harrison (Jaydigains), and I’m a personal trainer and health coach. I help people build muscle, burn fat, and clean up their diets with my online coaching programs. Check out some of my coaching videos on Youtube, or join me live on Twitch and follow on social media:
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