A protein molecule is a nitrogenous organic compound consisting of long chains of linked building blocks called “amino acids." Peptide bonds link together amino acids into chains of many different forms and combinations. The body requires 20 different amino acids, nine of which cannot be synthesized in the body, which makes them essential from the diet. Eleven are nonessential, meaning they are synthesized from other compounds already inside the body. For athletes, the three Branch Chain Amino Acids have several important roles during exercise.
Proteins can be further classified as complete or incomplete, depending on the quality. Complete proteins, typically found in animal sources, contain all essential amino acids in the quantity necessary to fulfill daily body functions whereas incomplete proteins, found in plants, lack one or more essential amino acids. Eating a variety of proteins will ensure you are meeting all of your amino acid needs.
There are many different protein options available and depending on where you live, some protein selections are more readily available (and socially consumed) than others. And when your grocery store trips are limited due to a public health crisis, you may be looking at your diet and wondering "am I getting enough protein?"
Common protein sources include:
- Animal sources: Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy
- Plant sources: Legumes (ex. beans, lentils, peas), processed soy products (ex. tempeh and tofu), grains, nuts, edamame and seeds.
- Protein powders, bars and engineered “high protein” foods.
I feel this number is too low (especially for athletes) and most people (without an underlying health issue) would benefit from cosuming at least 1.2g/kg/bw a day of protein. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends athletes to aim for 1.2-2.0g/kg/bw to help repair and rebuild the muscle that’s broken down during exercise. Only 5-15% of total energy expenditure during exercise comes from protein so if your body is using protein as a direct fuel source (likely from inadequate glycogen storage), you’ll lose muscle instead of gain it. Training in a carb depleted state also places great stress on your immune system.
To help you navigate the grocery store shelves during your next food shop, here's a list to help you understand how much protein you are getting from certain foods:
- 3 ounce beef – 22g
- 3.5 ounce chicken breast – 30g
- 3 ounce canned tuna – 25g
- 1 Beyond Meat veggie burger - 20g
- 3 ounce ham – 19g
- 1 cup edamame – 17g
- 3 ounce salmon - 17g
- 3 ounces seitan - 15.5g
- 1 cup beans – 15g
- ½ cup cottage cheese – 15g
- ½ cupextra firm tofu – 10g
- 1 ounce cheese – 8g
- 1 cup cow or soy milk – 8g
- 1 cup cooked quinoa - 8g
- 1 cup yogurt – 8-17g
- 2 tbsp Peanut butter – 8g
- ¼ cup almonds – 8g
- ¼ cup flaxseeds – 8g
- 1 cup green peas - 8g
- 1 large potato - 7g
- 1 large egg – 6g
- 1 cup cooked bulger - 6g
(As an easy reference, there’s ~7 grams of protein in one-ounce cooked meat)