It’s often underappreciated how much protein we actually need to facilitate recovery and promote adaption to exercise stimulus. And that is what protein does it is the main nutritional driver of recovery and adaption that we need to get stronger, faster and recover quicker.
Protein is mentioned a lot and we all know it needed but when was the last time you actually tracked and looked at how much you’re taking on board?
When you see how much you’re taking it is now time to compare that to what you should be getting.
How much do we need?
Active individuals we should be having anything between 1.2g-2.2g/kg/bodyweight per day. With more research coming out showing that higher protein consumptions are favourable to body composition. It’s also shown during periods of hard or intense training periods higher protein intakes aid in recovery.
And for most of you out there wanting to drop some body fat – protein is going to be the main reason you’re not also dropping power on the bike and staying strong!
I recommend 1.8-2.4g/kg/bodyweight per day.
How often do we need it?
We should be aiming to have protein every 3-4 hours. This is because we have something called a net protein balance. Eating protein makes it positive and not eating any for a while makes it negative and will impair our recovery and potentially lead to muscle wastage. What this means is no point in having all your protein in one sitting for your evening meal, make sure you’re getting it at every meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner add in a snack and a post workout and you’re pretty much there.
How much per serving?
We should aim for at least 0.3-0.4g/kg/bodyweight per serving to sufficiently stimulate muscle protein synthesis (the driving force behind making a positive protein balance, leading to that recovery process).
It should be noted the older you are the harder this can be to stimulate and it has been seen amounts of 40g protein per sitting is a lot more beneficial to those over 50 years of age.
Here’s an easy batch cook high protein recipe to help
RECIPE: Parma Ham wrapped Chicken
Ingredients for 1 breast
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 2 slices Parma Ham
- 2 Sundried tomatoes
- 20g Feta
- Fresh Basil
- Salt & Pepper
SLICE Chicken breast down the side and open
STUFF with chopped sundried tomatoes, crumbled feta and basil
SEASON with salt and pepper
LAY 2 slices of parma ham next to each other
LAY stuffed breast top down
WRAP Parma ham over
PLACE on a baking tray
BAKE at 180C fan assisted for 25mins or till done