There have been a few work-related things that I’ve come across lately that have got me thinking about protein intake. I’ve written a post about protein intake before but I’m always interested in learning more!
The first is an article from the April issue of Today’s Dietitian about protein intake for fitness.
The second is another article from Today’s Dietitian about Nutrients for the Injured Athlete <—this is probably specially interesting to you guys because if you run or frequently work out then you’ve probably dealt with an injury. Definitely got me thinking more about my nutrition related to my recent knee surgery.
Lastly, I recently completed this webinar about the Latest Developments of Protein’s Role in Promoting Lean Body Mass.
The main thing I’ve taken away from these resources
is how important it is to evenly distribute protein intake out throughout the day. The webinar actually compares two groups of people who consume the same total amount of protein throughout the day, except one group spreads their protein intake out and the other group eats a majority of it at dinner. The group who ate more at breakfast and lunch saw a greater effect in muscle regeneration.
For anyone working out or recovering from an injury, I think using 1.2 g/kg of body weight is a good starting point for figuring out how much protein you need (again, starting point…. read my first protein post if you want more specifics).
For me personally, I calculate that I need about 68g of protein per day right now (125lb / 2.2 = 56.8kg * 1.2 g protein/kg = 68 g pro)
In the average diet, 68g of protein is really not that much. Most things I read about protein intake say that Americans tend to consume more than the RDA for protein anyway. The main thing here is that the 68g should really be spread out evenly throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner… this would equal out to about 23g of protein for me at each meal.
I don’t know about you, but 23g of protein at breakfast can be a bit of a challenge for me if I’m not conscientious about it. I find that I have to mix and match several items to get me to that point. This is also why I almost always have a glass of cow’s milk with breakfast. 1 Cup has 8g of protein.
Besides lean body mass, consuming more protein at breakfast has been shown to decrease hunger in the evenings. Important fact for weight loss!! The webinar specifically mentions a client who was able to eliminate her evening snacking after adding more protein in the morning. Definitely something we can all benefit from!
If you are looking for a great list of protein sources, this chart from Today’s Dietitian is a great one:
Hope you have a great day!
P.S. I am not affiliated with Today’s Dietitian. I just read the publication frequently 
Great information! I am a big believer in distributing protein and all macros throughout the day. I used to get a lot more protein in the mornings but when I switched to morning workouts and runs that had to go out. But I still get everything else and at least a little bit of the good stuff in.
I used to eat more carbs in the AM and protein in the PM but I’ve really tried to even things out these days.