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It was really interesting to sit down with Optimum Nutrition nutritionist Mark Evans and talk all things protein. In order to help people to better understand how much protein they need in their daily diet, the brand has introduced a super easy to use Optimum Nutrition Protein Calculator – and you may be surprised to learn that your recommended amount of protein is considerably higher than you thought.
Mark explains that while the current recommended daily guideline is only 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight, most of us can, in fact, benefit from a higher amount of protein in our daily diet. Mark explains that protein is not only important for those looking to improve performance in sports and fitness – it provides our body with building blocks called amino acids for muscle, bone, hair, nails, and even hormone health.
For women in midlife, it is particularly important to help ward off age-related loss of muscle and bone mass. It always comes as a bit of a shock to learn that we lose anything from 3% to 8% of our muscle mass per decade after we turn 30! So it really is important that we try to ensure that we’re looking after our muscle and bone health as we age by eating a well-balanced and varied diet and having a structured exercise routine.
Mark is quick to confirm that a food-first protein approach is absolutely the way to go. In other words you should always be striving to achieve your daily protein intake through a healthy, balanced diet, replete with plenty of plant and lean protein sources, which can then be supplemented with the likes of protein powders, but they are only designed to be a helpful supplement to help you hit your daily protein targets rather than a food replacement.
The way the Optimum Nutrition Protein Calculator calculates a recommended daily protein intake is based primarily on your weight and what your goals are – for example, are you looking to bulk up, or trying to reduce body fat but retain muscle?
If you are looking to bulk up, it will be 2g of protein per kg of body weight per day, if you’re looking to build muscle, it’s 1.8g per kg, if you’re looking to maintain current body weight, it’s 1.6g per kg and if you’re looking to lose body fat but hold onto muscle, it recommends 2g per kg.
It will also suggest a daily calorie (incorporating age), carbohydrate and fat recommendation, as well as provide an example of how to meet your protein goals through foods and supplements, giving you the tools you need for a well-balanced diet.
Example: 70kg Bodyweight: RDA = 56g protein per day; bulk up = 140g protein; build muscle and lose fat = 140g protein per day; build muscle = 126g protein per day; maintain weight = 112g protein per day.
When we exercise, we create micro-damage to our muscle fibres and protein is the essential ingredient that helps our body repair and indeed grow and strengthen these stressed muscle fibres. And this is where the good stuff happens. When we asked Mark whether it was important that we have our protein intake within the 30-minute window post-exercise, he replied that it was more important to make sure you’re hitting your overall daily amount, and not to worry too much about the exact timing of your protein intake.
Mark would recommend that you spread your protein intake throughout the day as much as you can. So, for example, if you are a fairly routine three meals a day person and your daily recommended intake is 120g, ideally you should aim to have 40g per meal. On the Optimum Nutrition website you’ll find a very useful infographic chart which lists a variety of protein-rich foods, such as eggs, chicken breast, etc., and highlights how much protein is in each. It can be a really useful exercise to keep a food diary over the course of a week and then do some calculations to see how much protein you are currently getting from your food intake and how this matches with your recommended amount.
Out of curiosity, we gathered a few members of team IMAGE to do just that…
With the Optimum Nutrition Protein Calculator, you can effortlessly uncover your estimated daily protein needs, customised to your training goals and lifestyle. You’ll also receive personalised recommendations for calories, carbohydrates, and fats, along with practical examples of how to achieve your protein targets through foods and supplements. Explore more at Optimum Nutrition online.