Eating healthy is important, but it can be a process in itself: Should I eat organic fruit? Do I need grass-fed beef? Should all juice be cold-pressed? And that’s even before you start calculating how much of each macronutrient – carbohydrates, fats, and proteins – you need on a day-to-day basis. Sigh.
Fortunately, things don’t have to be that difficult, at least when it comes to the most important macronutrient for active women: protein.
Here’s why the filling nutrient is such a key part of your diet, how to measure your individual protein needs, plus protein-packed selections for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and whatever else helps make sure you are getting enough. every day.
Why Protein Matters
Think of your body as an endless construction site. Proteins are the workers necessary for the project to run smoothly.
“You’re continually using protein to support hormones, enzymes, immune cells, hair, skin, muscles, and other protein tissues,” says Cynthia Sass, R.D., a high-performance nutritionist based in New York and Los Angeles. “On top of that, you need protein to recover from the stress of training.” After exercise, your body uses protein (broken down into amino acids) to repair damaged muscle fibers, rebuilding them stronger than before.
Not getting enough protein can lead to muscle loss, weak hair, and nails, or immune problems. But at the very least, it will prevent you from getting the best results in the gym. Fortunately, most Americans get enough protein in their diet. In fact, “there are some estimates that the average American gets twice the recommended protein intake,” says Alex Caspero, R.D., a St. Louis-based dietitian. But getting the right amount of protein is important. “The body can only use 15 to 25 grams of protein at a time to build muscle,” says Caspero. “The rest is broken down and used for fuel or stored as fat.”
But here’s the thing: Everyone’s protein needs are different.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
While dietitians have different opinions on the * exact * amount of protein each body needs, there are some general rules of thumb to help guide you. The National Institutes of Health’s Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), which describes the minimum amount required for the body to function properly, says that your daily protein intake should be 0.36 grams for every pound you weigh. That’s about 46 grams of protein a day for an average woman.
But many experts, including Molly Kimball, R.D., C.S.S.D., a dietitian at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, suggest that fit women need much more than that. After all, that amount only prevents a protein deficiency, Kimball says, it’s the minimum requirement. It is not optimal for muscle repair and growth, a reduced risk of injury, or feeling full longer.
How much protein you * really * need depends on who you ask and who it is. Generally speaking, the more you move, the more protein you need. “The less wear and tear you put on your body, the less repair work needs to be done,” says Sass. Your age also plays a role. Some research suggests that as you age, your body performs better on higher amounts of protein. A study published in The American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism found that when people over the age of 50 ate about twice the DRI of protein, their bodies developed muscle better.
If you exercise hard on a regular basis (think: cardio and strength training on a diet), Sass notes that the ideal daily amount of protein for muscle building and maintenance is about 0.75 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight — ideally distribute evenly throughout the day. So if you’re working hard, aim for 0.75 to 1 gram of protein per pound of healthy body weight.
In short, that means whatever your weight is when you’ve felt the strongest and healthiest. The distinction is important considering that if you are very underweight or overweight, you don’t want to use the numbers on the scale as a reference for your protein intake.
Your absolute minimum, if you’re not active or only slightly active, should be about 0.5 grams of protein per pound of healthy body weight, Kimball notes. For an active 130-pound (59 kg) woman, an approximate protein breakdown would be about 24 grams of protein per meal, including snacks, or about 97 grams per day (more or less, depending on your activity level).
If she’s still concerned about protein needs (vegans and vegetarians may sometimes require more attention), a registered dietitian can help you identify the ideal amount of protein for you.
Consider these meals and snacks (one from each category), with their respective amounts of protein, when determining your meals and macros for the day.
