All experts are now agreeing: include more protein in your diet and it will help to improve your wellness and wellbeing, as well as reach your fitness goals. This latest nutrition news confirms what scientists have been saying for a long time, and that is that the government RDA for protein is not enough to keep you healthy.
Protein actually comes from the word ‘proteios’, which means primary, and this ought to give you some indication of how important it is. In fact, it is one of three macronutrients – the other two are carbohydrates and fats. It is vital to keep your hormonal, cellular and immune systems functioning properly. It’s also really important for the maintenance and repair of tissues, including muscle tissues.
The Food Standards Agency recommendation is that you eat just 55g of protein per day if you are a man aged between 19 and 55. However, all recent research seems to suggest that this is too small an amount if you are a physically active man. Instead of following a ‘one size fits all’ approach, instead you should work out how much you need based on your fitness goals, weight and body composition.
If you want to slim down and look lean and athletic rather than skinny, preserving your muscle is really important. If you increase your protein intake, the body will use this for muscle repair, and this is especially important if you are following a low-calorie diet, otherwise you will burn muscle to make up the deficit.
If you actually want to build muscle, many people assume that you need to significantly increase your protein intake. Unfortunately, more protein doesn’t necessarily mean more muscle. Scientists recommend around 1.2 – 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight if you want to build muscles.
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