The Foundations Series: Protein-Dense Food
Subhead: Here’s the truth about protein in our diets.
Protein-dense food is fundamental to our physiological function, health, and well-being. Protein-rich diets have gained a lot of controversial attention in the media and among experts regarding what is best for the body and the environment. This post sifts through the controversy, the unscientific opinions, and agendas, and gives you a straight answer on how to best consume protein for optimal health and performance.
To start, let us consider humans’ physiological need for protein from an evolutionary perspective. Whether it’s food, exercise, community, or human connection, humans have primal biochemical drivers that dictate behaviors and choices in order to give people the best chance at survival. These drivers have developed a need within humans on a cellular level to consume protein. And because humans are no longer at the mercy of their environment to determine how much protein we intake (grocery stores have replaced our days of hunting for meat), we should consider our protein consumption much more holistically and scientifically.
Why Do We Need Protein?
Most people think about protein as the nutrient that helps people get buff. While it’s true that muscle tissue is a primary utilizer of proteins from food, every cell, tissue, and structure in the body relies on protein. Protein’s role is bigger than muscle building as it is the primary building block of body tissues, enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Protein is also a secondary fuel source (a fuel source of last resort) and has the same energy density as carbohydrates at 4 kcal per gram.
The defining characteristic of protein is its amino acid structure. During digestion, hydrochloric acid in the stomach breaks down protein into its constituent amino acids. Amino acids are then absorbed into the lining of the small intestine, travel through blood vessels to the liver for processing, then enter the systemic circulation to be utilized by every tissue and cell in the body.
There are many types of amino acids, but nine types are essential. The human body can create amino acids for itself, however, we require protein from food sources to get all nine of the essential amino acids. Animal sources of protein-dense food tend to have all nine essential amino acids, while plant-based protein-dense foods usually do not have all essential amino acids. Plant-based protein-dense foods are also less absorbable, or less bioavailable, upon digestion which is why it is important to eat a wider variety and larger physical quantity of plant-based proteins relative to animal-based proteins in order to gain more of the essential amino acids.
Our DNA utilizes a messenger molecule called RNA whose role is to instruct the cell’s protein-building apparatus on what to construct. DNA tells our cells what proteins to make, which ultimately defines the phenotypic characteristics of the tissue to which that cell belongs. For example, your DNA tells your eyeball tissue to make rods, cones, a lens, and so forth, thereby making the tissue in the eyeball function for the purposes of seeing. The same dogma applies to all tissues and organs in the body. Proteins make the body what it is: some are used to make structures of tissues, some to build neurotransmitters, hormones, and enzymes that signal our organs what to do, and some play a role in chemical reactions telling our brains how to feel. Given protein’s importance, it goes to show that getting good quality sources in the right quantity is essential for our health.
How to Get the Best Protein
Animal products, including meat, bone marrow, and organs, have been a central part of sapiens’ diet for nearly 2.5 million years. Meat has been cited as the “critical step in all animal and human evolution” and the nutritional factor we needed to develop complex brains. (4, 5) We have anthropological evidence in the form of tools that were used for cracking open animal bones to eat marrow and for butchering animal flesh. (1) Meat-eating is a long-standing human activity(2,3) and, based on the fact that our hunter-gatherer ancestors were largely free of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and fatty liver disease, it may be smart to take our eating cues from that time period.
Now, keep in mind that all foods have complex characteristics and not all foods that fall in the same category carry the same nutrients. Animal sources of protein-dense foods, including poultry, eggs, beef, dairy, pork, wild game, and seafood, all contain healthy fats when sourced appropriately. When sourced inappropriately, the fats within the meat are less healthy. So, what is appropriate sourcing? Regenerative and pasture-raised meats, ideally from local or regenerative farmers, are the best source of nutritional, quality meat. For more information on sourcing the healthiest food for our bodies and our planet, look forward to another post that will cover this topic entirely.
There are also plant sources of protein-dense food. It’s important to note upfront that extensive research has shown that plant-based sources of protein are often less bio-available than animal sources of protein. Regardless of what the latest plant-based eating documentary is saying, the truth is, if you are a plant-based eater, you will have to eat a wide variety of plant-based proteins and in higher volumes to achieve the same quality and quantity of protein consumption relative to a meat-eater to safely and healthfully meet your bodies physiological needs. These protein-rich plant foods include legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. While plants are a source of protein, they are also excellent sources of other nutrients, including antioxidants, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber, tons of water, and other important chemicals that play a role in optimal human functioning.
Our relationship with food means as much as actually eating the food. How we relate to our food has a direct impact on our long-term eating habits, self-esteem, and nutritional health. So, whether you are vegan for environmental reasons or a die-hard meat eater, we all need to accept each end of the spectrum as valid, focus on quality sustainable sourcing, and embrace our eating choices regardless of what others are doing. We can eat protein-dense foods from plant and animal sources safely and healthfully. Whichever path you choose to go for your protein needs, it is important to understand why we need protein and how to get it from various sources.
Getting Specific: How Much, What Type, and When Should I Eat Protein-Dense Food?
For a visual overview of portion sizes to reach your goals, please view this infographic:
Precision Nutrition Portion Guide Infographic
Minimal Activity: No purposeful exercise, <6,000 steps per day
Goal: lose body fat and overall body weight
For the purposes of supporting weight loss, the recommendation is 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. To find kilograms of body weight divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. For a 165-lb person, that’s 75 kg which would give you a protein intake of about 150 grams per day of protein-dense food. That looks like 2 palm sized portions per meal, or 6 palm-sized portions of protein-dense food per day. It’s important to consume protein for weight loss primarily because protein-dense food helps moderate hunger levels, maintaining a feeling of fullness. Protein takes longer to digest relative to carbohydrates. Protein consumes more energy as it is broken down mechanically, known as metabolic cost. Simply put, you burn more energy digesting protein relative to other macronutrients. Further, protein allows us to maintain lean body mass during weight loss, an important component of maintaining optimal metabolic health.
Goal: maintain health and body weight
To maintain good health, the recommendation is 1 to 1.5 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. This is the evidence-based approach to protein-dense food intake daily. For a 165-lb person, that’s 75 kg which would give you a protein intake range of 75 to 112.5 grams of protein-dense food per day. That looks like 1 palm-sized portion per meal, or 3 to 4 palm-sized portions of protein-dense food per day. Not a whole lot, especially considering what most of us are used to eating today.
Moderate Activity: 3 – 4 workouts per week, 6,000 – 10,000 steps per day
Goal: lose body fat and overall body weight
To lose body fat while being physical active, the recommendation returns to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. That looks like 2 palm-sized portions per meal, or 6 palm-sized portions of protein-dense food per day. The additional protein helps to support metabolism and body-composition, while adequately repairing tissues after exercise.
Goal: improve health and maintain body weight
Same recommendation as above. Regarding increased physical activity, it’s simple…More exercise results in more protein breakdown in muscle tissue and requires higher intakes of protein-dense food in order to supply enough amino acids to support tissue repair.
Goal: gain muscle and overall body weight
Same recommendation and reasoning as above.
High Activity: 6 – 7 workouts per week, 10,000 – 15,000 steps per day
Goal: improve health and maintain body weight
Even with this high level of physical activity, our body has a limit on how much protein we can efficiently absorb in utilize in a single day. This is due to an amino acid pool which we maintain in our blood. Essentially, this pool has limits, and overflowing it does not help physiologically in any way. Therefore, based on this goal, the recommendation remains 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. That looks like 2 palm-sized portions per meal, or 6 palm-sized portions of protein-dense food per day.
Goal: gain muscle and overall body weight
Same recommendation and reasoning as above.
Sources:
- Thompson, Jessica C., et al. “Origins of the Human Predatory Pattern: The Transition to Large-Animal Exploitation by Early Hominins.” Current Anthropology, 1 Feb. 2019, www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/701477?journalCode=ca&.
- 06.14.99 – Meat-Eating Was Essential for Human Evolution, Says UC Berkeley Anthropologist Specializing in Diet, www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/99legacy/6-14-1999a.html.
- Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/evidence-for-meat-eating-by-early-humans-103874273/.
- Williams, Adrian C, and Lisa J Hill. “Meat and Nicotinamide: A Causal Role in Human Evolution, History, and Demographics.” International journal of tryptophan research : IJTRvol. 10 1178646917704661. 2 May. 2017, doi:10.1177/1178646917704661
- Katharine Milton, The Critical Role Played by Animal Source Foods in Human (Homo) Evolution, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 133, Issue 11, November 2003, Pages 3886S–3892S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/133.11.3886S
Disclaimer
Strol Health PLLC (“Company”) owns and manages the content on this Website. The information provided on this website is not medical advice and does not create a patient-provider relationship. Content is provided for informational and educational purposes only. The Company makes no warranties or guarantees as to the results from following the recommendations herein, including but not limited to content provided on blog posts and videos.
Only through a personalized treatment plan based on individualized assessments by licensed professionals may we properly assess your nutrition needs. Please contact us directly to discuss your health concerns and nutrition goals. In the event of a medical emergency, call 911.
Your website-related activities and communications do not create a provider-patient relationship between you and Company. Further, they do not create a duty for the Company to follow up with you. To learn about the Company’s services, please contact us directly at [email protected].