Protein Support at Midlife
If you're reading this, you've probably heard somewhere that you need to focus on protein to thrive hormonally as a woman and feel and look your best!
It’s often a surprise for women when they look at how much protein they are eating and how much is recommended.🙌
Is eating at 100 - 120 grams of protein a day possible that’s what I determine with my ND that I need? Yes AND it's easier and more affordable than you think.
In this blog post, I'm going to talk about:
10 reasons why you need protein (besides building muscle!)
The best way to calculate your daily protein needs
5 simple swaps you can make today to increase your protein intake
15 high protein foods that actually taste good (besides chicken breast)
If animal protein or plant-based protein is better for you
Whether or not you need protein supplements to hit your goals
How to choose an affordable, high quality protein supplement
My tried-and-true formula for eating a high protein diet
But, if you're short on time, here's the short answer:
The easiest way to eat at least 120 grams of protein each day is to prioritize eating whole foods and creating a meal plan each week with high-protein meals. Protein at every meal.✔️
Why do you need protein?
Protein is one of the three macronutrients (voters are carbs are fats) your body needs to work properly.
You should prioritize eating protein each day because:
Proteins are needed to make enzymes which help you breakdown your food so you can get the goodness from it.
Other proteins provide structure for your bones, ligaments, hair, skin, and lungs
Protein is needed to create antibodies to fight illness and infection - it’s key in immune system health
Some proteins are key hormones like glucagon, insulin which affect your healthy organ function.
Protein promotes the growth and maintenance of your tissues, muscles, and bones
Protein boosts your metabolism, balances blood glucose levels, and keeps you fuller longer, which reduces cravings
How much protein do you actually need?
For healthy body composition and metabolics at midlife your ideal weight in pounds in grams of protein is a place I often start the protein discussion with clients. You will see values of 60 and up depending on who you talk to though 100 -120 is closer to what I think is needed at peri-menopause and menopause to support muscle building and blood sugar balance. The amount for you is going to depend on other aspects of lifestyle too but suffice to say most women tend to go for carbs over protein at this stage due to the hormone shifts and the protein over carbs is what’s best for where the hormones are at.
Wellness in women is rooted in an empowered relationship to self so we start with an amount of protein that makes sense and adjust from there based on your experience. Pleasure and enjoyment of food is always the key priority with nutrition for women especially at hormone transition points like post-partum and peri-menopause-menopause.
Simple swaps to increase protein effortlessly: Focus on what you can ADD to your diet, not take away!
Regular pasta → chickpea pasta
Flour tortillas → high fiber tortillas or almond flour tortillas
Ricotta cheese → whipped cottage cheese
Parmesan cheese → nutritional yeast
Regular yogurt → Greek yogurt
Granola bars → protein bars
Chocolate milk → chocolate protein shake
Rice (in burritos) → black beans
You don't need to give up your favorite foods to live a healthy lifestyle. It's all about optimizing your favorite foods!
High protein foods
There are many types of meats, dairy products, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that have a good amount of protein per serving.
Some favorite high protein foods:
Lean meats like chicken, turkey, and fish
100% grass fed beef or steak
Eggs
Greek yogurt, Forte Cheeses
Beans, chickpeas, lentils, and nut butters
Nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, and walnuts
Chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp seeds
Oats, quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat
Tofu, tempeh, and edamame
Peas, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and spinach
And here's some of my favorite high protein recipes you have to try:
ANIMAL PROTEIN VS PLANT BASED PROTEIN
Whether you follow a traditional diet, vegetarian diet, or vegan diet, there are many food sources that provide plenty of protein to satisfy your nutritional needs.
Incorporating both animal protein and vegan protein in a full day of eating is beneficial to both your digestive system and your immune system.
Animal products have all 9 essential amino acids and have higher amounts of protein per serving, but they usually have more saturated fat, and less fiber.
Plant proteins don't have all the essential amino acids by themselves, but they can be paired together to complete the amino acid profile. They are less protein-dense but they also have more fiber and essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
Create your balanced diet around the foods that feel best and tastiest for you. Use fresh herbs and spices to up your enjoyment!
Whole foods vs supplements
With whole foods, you get more variety in flavor, more natural micronutrients, and they're less expensive in the long run. However, they do take more time to prepare in the kitchen.
Supplements have less variety in flavor and less nutrients overall, and they're much more expensive, too. However, they have little to no preparation required and they're a great option for people with a busy schedule.
My best recommendation is getting at least 80% of your daily protein from whole foods and using supplements as just that: supplements. This means they are a part of your nutrition, but not the main part.
Supplements are great for getting in those last few grams of protein or tying you over until your next meal, but they shouldn't be used as meals.
CAN YOU EAT A HIGH-PROTEIN DIET WITHOUT PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS?
Yes! Takes a little more planning/time.
Focus on quality over quantity i.e. if you only get 100 grams of protein but it was from eating whole foods, I think that's much more nutritious than 150 grams of protein from supplements and packaged products.
CHOOSING A PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT
If you do choose to include protein supplements in your diet, it's important to know which ones are best.
Be sure to read the food labels at the grocery store (or online if you can) to see what's in the ingredients list and what the nutritional breakdown is.
Here are some things your protein supplement should/shouldn’t have:
At least 12 g protein per serving: whether it's a protein bar or protein powder, anything less than 12 g protein won't give you all the benefits you want. It'll either have too much fat or too many carbs, and it won't fill you up enough.
For bars, at least 12g; for powders, 20g. A favorite protein powder is Designs for Health Paleo Protein. Head to my Fullscript account to check it and other high quality protein powders there.
Skip the products with added sugar. Avoid bars or powders that have high fructose corn syrup in them
No artificial ingredients: artificial sweeteners, artificial flavorings, dyes, gums, or really anything you can't pronounce. No inflammatory oils: you have to read the ingredients list for this one. Skip if you see palm kernel oil, palm oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, or peanut oil.
Look for labels like "non-GMO" or "organic," and check the ingredients list to see if the first 5 ingredients are foods you recognize.
Simple formula for success …
*Aim for 30g of protein at each meal and 15g - 20g of protein for each snack.
*Get in those last 10g with your dessert.
Simple ways to get started:
Have protein every time you eat! You will have less cravings and more satiety throughout your day.
Buy quick and easy sources of protein: whether that's a rotisserie chicken, hard boiled eggs, or RX bars, there are so many protein-rich foods out there to keep the process simple.
Find high protein recipes.
Prioritize protein for any snacks - less likely to have a drop in blood sugar levels or fight cravings all day.
Take home: Protein is key for experiencing optimal health, balancing energy and mood and decreasing stress. It fuels growth, improves metabolism, and reduces cravings.
Choosing protein-rich foods and using clean protein supplements is a great way to ensure you get enough protein each day.
Prioritizing pleasure is key!
Much love, xo, Dr. Monika 🙂
