the power of protein: set your protein targets and boost your intake

Emily Field 00:00:00  Welcome to episode 35 of the Macros Made Easy podcast. Today we’re diving into a topic that’s absolutely essential for anyone serious about their health journey – protein. Understanding how to set your protein goals and get enough protein in your diet can make all the difference in reaching your health, your body composition, and your athletic performance goals. So in this episode, we’ll break down why protein is so important not just for muscle building and recovery, but also for things like keeping your metabolism revved up, managing hunger, and even supporting your immune system. We’ll talk through some of the most common mistakes people make when setting their protein targets, and we’ll bust a few myths that might be holding you back from reaching your potential. We’ll also dig into the science of how much protein you really need at each meal, the benefits of spreading your protein intake throughout the day, and how to get more protein into your diet without getting bored of the same old chicken and shakes. Whether you’re lifting weights, looking to lose fat, or simply want to feel stronger and more energized, this episode will give you all the tools you need to optimize your protein intake.

 

Emily Field 00:00:58  So let’s just jump right into it. Welcome to Macros Made Easy, the podcast that takes the confusion out of tracking macros. I’m your host, Emily Field, a registered dietitian that specializes in a macros approach. In each episode, I help you learn how to eat in a way that supports your health, body composition, and athletic performance goals. We’ll cover the basics of macronutrients how to track for various goals, the role of macros in your health, and how to make sustainable changes to your habits. I’ve helped hundreds of people experience more food freedom and flexibility while navigating their nutrition. So whether you’ve tried macros and it just didn’t stick or you just heard the word macros yesterday, I can’t wait to help you too. Let me first start by saying that protein plays a critical role in building and repairing tissues throughout your entire body. It serves as the fundamental building block for muscles, bones, skin, and connective tissues, making it essential for your overall health. For those who engage in resistance training or strength exercises, protein is particularly important for muscle recovery and growth.

 

Emily Field 00:02:00  During exercise, muscles experience micro tears that require protein for repair, which leads to stronger and more resilient muscle fibers over time. I like to say that you’re not actually getting stronger or building any new muscle. When you are working out, you are getting stronger and building new muscle tissue. When you are in periods of rest and recovery. It’s in that time outside of formal exercise that you’re actually initiating that building process. So I mean, it’s kind of twofold here. I could take a couple lanes, but essentially that protein is necessary to rebuild and grow stronger for your next workout, your future workouts over the next few weeks and months. Beyond its structural benefits, though, protein plays a significant role in satiety and hunger management. It helps you feel fuller longer by influencing appetite regulating hormones like ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, and leptin, which promotes a feeling of fullness. So by keeping cravings in check and reducing the desire to snack in between meals. Protein can better support your weight loss goals or your weight management goals because it reduces the likelihood of overeating.

 

Emily Field 00:03:06  Protein takes a while to digest. It’s going to stick with us a little bit longer than carbohydrates, for example. So if you’re the type of person that eats a meal and within 20 or 30 minutes you’re ready to eat again, or you have to really fight off that snacky or craving gremlin that comes around. It might be because you’re not eating enough protein. So we’ll see. We’ll talk about it in the later part of this episode about how much we are looking for per meal. But this is part of the reason why it can be so helpful. If you have goals to lose weight, or to simply get more out of your meals and stay full and satisfied for longer. Interestingly, protein provides a boost to the metabolic rate through the thermic effect of food, which refers to the calories burned during digestion and processing of those nutrients. So protein has a higher tef thermic effect of food compared to fats and carbohydrates. So that means your body burns more calories digesting protein rich foods when compared to a meal that’s maybe equal in calories, but from carbs and fats.

 

Emily Field 00:04:08  Additionally, maintaining adequate protein intake helps preserve lean muscle mass, which is crucial for keeping your metabolism higher, even at rest. Remember, this is the biggest driver of your metabolism. We always talk about how your metabolism slows with age, but that’s not necessarily true if you keep your muscle mass high, if you keep strength training and you keep building muscle as you age so it doesn’t matter your age, your gender, how tall you are, how much you weigh, really that biggest driver of your metabolic rate, your metabolism is muscle mass. So if we can eat enough protein, especially long term throughout our lifespan, it’s going to keep our metabolism pretty high even when we are at rest. And it’s not really talked about a lot, But protein is also essential for immune system support. The amino acids derived from protein are vital for producing enzymes and antibodies that help defend the body against infections and illnesses. A well-functioning immune system relies on adequate protein intake to create those crucial components, making it a critical nutrient for overall health and well-being.

 

Emily Field 00:05:15  Let’s spend some time talking about how to set your protein macro targets. All right. I’m just going to start by saying that the standard recommendation that I’m going to give my clients who have goals to improve their health, their body composition, their athletic performance, is going to land somewhere between 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight every day. And obviously, this can depend on your activity level, your goals and things like that. So we’ll get a little bit more nuanced. But let me give you an example of what that looks like for, let’s just say 120 pounds per person. That’s a range of 95 have two 145g a day for somebody that’s 150 pounds, that’s about 120 to 180g per day. And maybe for somebody who’s 175 pounds, that would be about 140 to 2 ten grams of protein per day. Now I can totally feel your eyeballs rolling to the back of your head right now. If this sounds completely astronomical, like you can’t possibly get that high of protein, consider a first, maybe more intermediate goal of getting 100g of protein per day, because it’s not like you’re not doing anything for your body if you just don’t hit that range.

 

Emily Field 00:06:26  Like all benefits are off. If you don’t get to that range, you are absolutely still contributing to your protein needs, and you’re going to get a lot from that protein intake when compared to, like, not paying attention at all. Most people have to work a little bit in order to get their protein up, because it is it’s harder to come by. It’s a bit more expensive, especially when we’re talking about where protein is best found. So, you know, I get it. If you have never paid attention to this and you just start tracking macros, you know your average consumption might be somewhere between 40, maybe 60g per day on a good day. It’s just not on the forefront of your mind when you are new to tracking macros. If you’ve never paid attention to this at all. So I want you to give yourself a little bit of grace here and try for an intermediary goal of 100g per day. And when that feels easy, then you might want to boost that up to that range.

 

Emily Field 00:07:20  I previously recommended that 0.8g to 1.2g per pound of body weight per day. The next question that comes around this time when I’m talking about protein needs is, you know, I read the RDA for protein is just 0.36g per pound of body weight per day, and that’s drastically less than the range I’ve just shared. I want you to understand that the RDA, the recommended daily allowance for protein every day is considered the minimum amount threshold of protein needed to prevent deficiencies in most healthy adults. Okay, so that’s just the bottom floor that’s going to prevent deficiencies. And I know that all of you listening are not just interested in preventing problems. You want to optimize. You want to get more out of this. So it’s definitely different than that higher range I’ve shared. So understand that when I share that range, I’m really thinking about the person who takes an interest in their health. They are more active than the typical sedentary American. Perhaps they are older. Perhaps they have specific health goals like building muscle or losing fat.

 

Emily Field 00:08:30  That range is going to be much more effective at getting you closer to those goals than in simply just aiming for the bottom floor at that point. Three six there are some factors that go into where we might set someone’s protein targets, and I’m going to break down a few of the main ones that would influence whether or not you want to be higher or lower on that range. And the first is age. If you’re not new to this podcast, you’ve definitely heard me say this. But as we age, our bodies become less efficient at processing protein, and that leads to a natural decline of muscle mass. And that is called sarcopenia. So to counteract this, older adults often need a higher protein intake to maintain and build muscle and strength. So, you know, I’m working with a lot of women who have never, ever focused on their protein intake. They have a long history of dieting and chronic under eating, and they’re also new to strength training. So in order to get the most out of this phase of life and into older adulthood, you’re going to want to eat higher on that range, maybe around 1.0 to 1.2 grams per pound of body weight, while engaging in effective strength training just to really counteract the decline of muscle mass that comes with age.

 

Emily Field 00:09:42  That higher protein intake in older adults help support that muscle mass, like I said, but also bone density and overall mobility. It helps you reduce the risk for falls and fractures. It’s important for brain health and counteracts that cognitive decline that can come with aging. So again, I mean it outside of the muscle and strength and outside of the physique benefits, older adults might want to really focus on this because it’s going to help them age more independently. The second factor to consider when you are setting protein targets would be your activity level. People who engage in regular physical activity, especially that strength training or high intensity exercise, they’re going to have higher protein needs compared to someone who is sedentary. Athletes and those involved in strength training need more protein to repair and grow muscle tissue that’s broken down during workouts. It also supports faster recovery and better performance in your future workouts, so those active individuals, depending on who you are, we might see protein range from 1.2 even up to 2.0g per pound of body weight, depending on the intensity and the frequency of their training.

 

Emily Field 00:10:47  The next factor at play is your muscle building goals or your fat loss goals. You know your physique goals. For example, if your goal is to gain muscle mass, protein becomes a key nutrient to support that goal because of protein muscle protein synthesis or emps. So if you consume enough protein in combination with getting enough calories, getting enough carbohydrates, and strength training, you are going to see muscle growth. So if you are really highly focused on building muscle, this is the most important goal of yours right now. You may want to lean higher on that range. Similarly, if you are attempting to lose fat, you are really focused on that goal right now. You know you’re in a calorie deficit for that accelerated fat loss. Protein’s going to play a critical role in preserving lean muscle mass while the body burns fat for energy. So essentially you’re telling the body this is important tissue I want you to prioritize fat loss, not muscle loss because if you’re not eating enough protein, you risk losing muscle mass along with fat mass.

 

Emily Field 00:11:47  And that can slow your metabolism and make it harder to maintain your weight loss. This is most often the situation that I see with women who engage in chronic under eating or fad diets really short term drastic deficits, whether that’s through a very restrictive meal plan or a very low calorie eating pattern, something like that. You’re losing weight, but you’re losing water, fat mass and muscle mass. And that’s why it becomes incredibly difficult to maintain any weight that you’ve lost during that period during that diet. It seems like you have to keep going lower and lower and lower with your calories in order to see more progress or to maintain your progress. It’s because you’ve lowered your metabolism. Okay, we have several other content pieces about this, so I’ll be sure to link some resources in the show notes. And listen, we’ve already talked about this before, but if you are trying to lose fat and you are in a calorie deficit, it means that you’re under eating your needs. And the biggest reason why people are not able to stick to a calorie deficit is because of their appetite.

 

Emily Field 00:12:49  It’s because of hunger. So in order to manage that variable, having a higher protein intake can help control that hunger and help increase your satiety. So it can be easier to stick to that pattern for that phase that you’re in. So that deficit is a temporary phase. We’re not living there forever, but we want to make it as easy as possible. We don’t want it to feel like you’re white knuckling through it and you’re, you know, completely miserable during that entire time. So for those individuals who are really focused on fat loss, I might be setting a protein goal in that, like 1.0, maybe even up to 1.5g per pound of body weight. That’s going to help maintain that muscle while supporting, you know, your weight loss or your fat loss goals. The last factor that I always like to talk about is dietary preferences. If you’re somebody that tends to eat a lot of plant based protein sources for whatever reason. It doesn’t give you an excuse or an out. You don’t need less protein.

 

Emily Field 00:13:42  Your body doesn’t need less protein than somebody that is more of an omnivore, or leans more onto the animal based protein sources. However, your protein sources that are coming from plants are going to likely have more carbohydrates in them, so we might be able to get away leaning lower on that range that I’ve shared that 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, you might be able to lean a little lower on that range to allow for more calories to come from fats and carbs. I’m probably more likely to set someone’s macros that protein target a little lower on the range, and then allow for more calories to come from carbohydrates. Because we know that beans, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, they’re going to have some protein, but they’re also going to have a lot of carbohydrates. And there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re Frankenstein ING your meals together, trying to find some crazy food combos that allow you to hit your like, extremely high protein target, and then also eat the foods that you want.

 

Emily Field 00:14:43  I want you to be eating the foods that you enjoy. Tracking macros and eating to your targets shouldn’t mean that you have to overhaul every single thing that you eat, and change the entirety of your pattern. There is power in having your macro prescription fit to you, so if that’s you and you have downloaded a generic macro guide, or if you’ve used MyFitnessPal to set your macros or Jenna just simple Google search, you may want to put a little bit more nuance into that. Perhaps download our DIY macros guide, or invest in a custom macro calculation so we can take this and all the other factors I’ve described here to create a macro prescription that best fits you and takes all of this into account. So if you’ve ever done a Google search on how much protein is required per day, you may hear the RDA The recommended daily allowance for protein is about 0.36g per pound of body weight per day. So as you can probably tell, this recommendation is drastically different than the range that I’m sharing with you here. And that’s because this recommendation is the absolute bottom floor minimum amount needed to meet the basic nutritional needs of most healthy adults and to prevent deficiency.

 

Emily Field 00:15:59  So to prevent consequences that come with being deficient in protein. So it’s designed to cover the protein requirements necessary to maintain overall health, support normal bodily functions and prevent muscle loss in a sedentary lifestyle. So nowhere in there would I say that’s optimal. Nowhere would I really think that this is enough for most of my, like, higher achieving clients, the ones that are more active, the ones that want to optimize their outcomes, not just prevent disease and deficiency. The ranges I provided earlier. So generally I said 1.0 to 1.2 grams per pound of body weight for maintenance, 1.2 to 2.2 per pound for muscle gain, and maybe 1.0 to 1.5 grams per pound for fat loss. Those are much higher because they’re tailored to those who engage in physical activity, have higher protein needs for muscle repair and growth, or want to maintain muscle mass during weight loss. A higher protein intake in those cases is recommended because not only does it help with muscle protein synthesis, but also because it plays a significant role in satiety, metabolism, and overall recovery from exercise.

 

Emily Field 00:17:10  The increased intake is important for supporting an active lifestyle and for achieving specific fitness or body composition goals, which go beyond the minimum requirements that the RDA describes. So while the RDA is like a baseline for general health, I really do think it’s I mean, I strongly encourage you to shoot for a higher amount, especially if you’re somebody that is looking to optimize their physical performance, their muscle growth or their weight. This is probably a great time to talk about some common misconceptions when it comes to protein. People problematically underrate protein due to the myths or the misconceptions that they have around protein. So let’s talk about the number one that I hear most often is that protein has an impact on kidneys. Okay. So the misconception is that eating too much protein can damage your kidneys. And this concern stems from outdated studies that were focused on people with preexisting kidney conditions. So for healthy individuals with normal kidney function, there is no substantial evidence that suggests that a high protein diet causes kidney damage. And in fact, in research, we’ve been able to show that eating up to four grams per pound of body weight in healthy individuals does nothing to their kidneys.

 

Emily Field 00:18:28  So you’ve heard me give the ranges in my previous segment. But you know, understand that that is astronomically high. And even when it’s astronomically high, we do not see any damage to the kidney function. Another common misconception is that people think that they need protein only if their goal is to build muscle. So if their goal is not to build muscle, they will underrate it. They think that, you know, really eating more protein is meant for people who just drink train or people who are involved in bodybuilding. And we know that’s not true. I’ve only shared just a few of the benefits of eating enough protein. But again, it is vital for muscle growth. But it’s also essential for everyday functions like tissue repair. We’re always turning over cells. We’re always producing hormones, we’re always in need of a healthy immune system. And protein plays roles in all of those. I hate to pick on women, but this messaging does seem to be gendered when the messaging always has been. You know, men need to be bigger, faster, stronger, need to take up more space.

 

Emily Field 00:19:27  Protein is often the solution given to men, and the opposite, it seems to be true with women. We see messaging that is be smaller, lighter, leaner, and the best way to do that is to cut calories. Or that’s the way that we’ve learned to do it. Eat less and less and less. And sometimes that can mean protein as well. So we’re seeing women who have never eaten a healthy amount of protein, and we see a lot of consequences with that. From bone density issues to cognitive decline to immune function, disruption to poor healing, like wound healing, things like that. So again, it’s it does seem gendered, but I think women are more at risk for under eating protein because of that societal messaging that we’ve all received over the last several decades. On the other end of the spectrum, we see people set their protein targets far too high. At this moment in time. It seems like protein is having a heyday, but it hasn’t always looked like that. We’ve seen carbs be the golden child, and we’ve seen fats be the golden child.

 

Emily Field 00:20:28  You know, they call kind of ebb and flow and fall into fashion, fall out of fashion, things like that. So I would say that we do see people eating far too much protein, and that the main consequence for that is that you’re crowding out other essential nutrients from fats and carbs, because they’re solely focusing on increasing that protein intake. So you might unintentionally reduce your intake of other essential macronutrients because you’re solely focused on getting that protein in. Carbs are essential for providing energy, especially for workouts, and fats play a critical role in hormone production and brain function. So when protein intake is too high, you might miss out on those other benefits that the other macros provide, leading to fatigue, hormone imbalances, poor workout performance, poor recovery, and more. I also see in the like diet space that protein kind of stands as like this quick fix for hunger and cravings. So instead of focusing on getting a balanced, nutrient rich meal. We’re just going to stave off hunger, and we’re just going to eat a protein bar or a protein shake, or a piece of chicken or whatever it might be.

 

Emily Field 00:21:34  So that person who is so focused on losing weight as quickly as possible, there’s such a sense of urgency around that goal. They may be missing out on vital vitamins, minerals, and fiber because they’re so focused on that protein or staving off the hunger and cravings that they’re experiencing because they took calories too low. You can’t survive on just protein, or you can, which you’re not going to feel great at all. And that would be the best case scenario. The worst case scenario is that there’s a lot of consequence to you not getting the vitamins, minerals and fiber to not getting those essential nutrients. You’re going to see problems precipitate. Maybe not immediately, but definitely down the road. You’ll be paying for that choice. So how do we get closer to that goal range of protein per day. All right. How do we get more protein in the diet? Well, first we have to first understand where protein is found. Most prominently, we’re going to see protein found in your lean meats your chicken, turkey, beef, fish and seafood.

 

Emily Field 00:22:37  So these foods tend to have the highest percent of calories coming from protein. Of course, there’s going to be trace amounts of fat in all of these foods, depending on the way it’s prepared or the cut or the type, the place that you harvest the protein source from. But in general, they’re going to have the highest percentage of calories coming from protein, that single macro. Then we’ve got our plant based options. We’ve got beans, lentils, chickpeas. We’ve got tofu, tempeh, edamame. If it’s here quinoa I’d say dairy is another great category for protein Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, milk. And there’s no way that I’m going to be able to list all of the protein sources that you could rely on, but variety does tend to be the spice of life, and it is key here when you are trying to increase your protein. And I don’t want to see you eating protein from just one source all day long, every single day. So one of my biggest tips for people who are trying to boost their protein intake is to simply increase the portion size of the protein you’re already eating, so this is often overlooked.

 

Emily Field 00:23:44  You’re asking yourself, how can I possibly eat more protein? Maybe it’s just by eating a 1 or 2 extra ounces of that main protein component of your meal. That’s just like a that’s a very simple way to probably get 10 to 15 more grams in your day. All right. That’s tip number one. Tip number two would be to add 1 or 2 plant based proteins to your meal. So if you’re typically used to eating animal based proteins, you’ve got a, you know, a main you like pork loin or ground beef or you’re doing a chicken breast or you’re doing like salmon on a salad or something like that. What if you layered in 1 or 2 plant based protein sources? So that’s like your dried edamame or your chickpeas or your lentils, your beans, your whole grains, your chia seeds. There’s going to be some components of protein in those foods. It’s not going to be the dominant macro. Often there’s going to be a little bit of fat or a little bit of carb, but that’s okay.

 

Emily Field 00:24:37  You’re rounding out that meal, possibly with another 10 to 15g of protein that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. I would say tip number three is maybe to consider some high protein swaps. So if you’re typically having something like regular pasta or regular cereal or regular bread, you could consider a higher protein option. So that might be like a sprouted grain bread or a pasta made from chickpeas, or a cereal that’s made with a little bit of beans or lentils in it. I know it sounds weird, but one of my favorite brands is Love Grown. It’s a great cereal. It tastes great. It does have a higher portion of calories coming from protein than your regular cereal or bonds of pasta is a really well known brand. They make macaroni. They make regular pasta in different shapes, like whatever you want to use it for. It’s made with chickpeas, so it’s going to have a higher protein content. I also love a black bean or an anime noodle. They can be a great substitute for regular pasta. And I already mentioned that sprouted grain bread, but something like Dave’s Killer Bread or a whole grain, you know, maybe with some seeds in it is going to have more protein than a typical like straight up wheat bread or white bread.

 

Emily Field 00:25:51  You might also consider adding dairy. Adding dairy can add even more than those plant based sauces. It’s going to add maybe something like 15 to 20g of protein to your total intake. Let’s say you’re adding cheese to your salad or to your breakfast omelet. Maybe you’re doing Greek yogurt in a smoothie. Maybe you’re adding cottage cheese like whipped up into your scrambled eggs. Maybe instead of just simply using an almond milk or something like that in your coffee, or you’re doing a dairy based milk, like a regular milk in your coffee that can add, you know, combined like across the whole day. You’re definitely going to get more grams of protein and contribute more to your total target for protein for the day. The last tip here is to not be afraid of protein shakes or protein bars. If you really need something quick, or if a meal is smaller than you anticipated, totally lean on a protein supplement. That is just what you need. And many of the women that I work with are just falling short.

 

Emily Field 00:26:46  Maybe by 2020 five grams of their target. So just having a protein shake to round that out can be a really great way to just get by. There’s not many people I know that are able to hit their higher protein target. You know their active women. They want to build muscle. They want to build strength. They want to age independently and as best they can. Just sometimes adding a shake or a bar is exactly what you need. It does not need to be perfectly plated. You do not have to like, break the bank in order to get these varied protein sources in your day, every single day, and avoid these shakes and bars. There is a time and place for convenience, and most women I’m working with have one supplement a day or one supplement a couple times per week, and it just helps them round out their protein target. And there is no shame in that. We tend to get a lot of questions about protein timing and distribution throughout the day. So let’s talk about some of the benefits of distributing protein throughout the day.

 

Emily Field 00:27:43  Pre and post workout protein you know protein per meal things like that I like to say that protein should be considered like an IV drip throughout the day. Okay. So we kind of need it like constantly. And then if you’re tracking macros and you are aiming for a higher target, it seems to be easier in most cases to distribute that protein fairly evenly across all of your meals. We have a little bit more flexibility with fats and carbs. You can kind of play with those a little bit, you know, eat a lot of them in one meal and less of them in another. Kind of shape your meals with less emphasis on it being even because your body does a really good job of storing and then being able to access those stored fats and carbs, but not so much with protein. When protein is evenly distributed across your meals, it helps maintain a constant supply of amino acids to the bloodstream, and that’s crucial for continuous muscle protein synthesis, or NPS. This process is largely responsible for building and repairing muscle tissue, helps you grow stronger and recover faster after exercise.

 

Emily Field 00:28:44  So again, eating protein and balanced amounts throughout the day prevents long gaps. Without those amino acids being available, it reduces the chances that your body will break down muscle and ensures your muscles have fuel to recover and repair faster. We see this a lot with people who do extended fasting. They are going really long periods of the day fasting. They are limiting their eating window to 6 hours or 8 hours. And I would say that their muscle growth and strength. Growth is much more limited than the person who is eating across the whole day. Slamming that much food into your body in a short period of time is not only psychologically difficult, it’s physically uncomfortable, and it may not even be doing what you think it is doing. And research supports this claim. We see individuals who spread their protein intake across multiple meals. They have better muscle retention, enhanced recovery, greater lean muscle gains compared to those people who consume most of their protein in 1 or 2 large meals. Those are the people that are really limiting to a fasting window.

 

Emily Field 00:29:48  They’re trying to eat all of their calories, or usually it’s to greatly reduce the amount of calories that they’re eating to a very narrow window. It’s not doing what you think it’s doing. It’s probably hurting you more than it’s helping you. So there does seem to be a optimal protein intake per meal. We see this in studies. One of the most notable ones is it comes down to a protein per pound of body weight, but in general it’s around 20 to 30g. I would lean a little higher, maybe like 25 to 30g of protein per meal. It seems to be a sweet spot for maximizing that muscle protein synthesis. This is the amount of protein that’s sufficient to trigger the body’s anabolic response, that muscle building process, without overwhelming it with more protein than it can use for muscle repair. So we’ll get to it in a second. The next question that I always get here is will my body not absorb? Or I heard that my body can’t absorb more than x amount of protein grams per meal, and that’s simply not true.

 

Emily Field 00:30:50  Your body is going to absorb everything that you eat, but when it’s coming down to like that muscle building process, there is a threshold. We need to get above that threshold in order to trigger that anabolic process. So if you’re the person that is looking to optimize muscle growth and recovery, I recommend that you space out your protein intake over 3 to 5 meals throughout the day. That’s going to help ensure that each meal contains enough protein to stimulate that muscle synthesis effectively. Okay, so even if your protein goals or protein requirements are higher, it’s still beneficial to aim for at least 20 to 30g. So don’t think to yourself, oh my gosh, I have so much protein I need to get per day. Does that mean I’m going to be eating eight meals per day? No, it just means that we need at least 20 to 30g of protein, so don’t really worry about surpassing that amount. Occasionally, any extra protein will be used for other bodily functions and energy needs. Okay, so you know we’re talking in the context a lot of times with macro tracking, we’re talking a lot about body composition goals like muscle building and fat loss.

 

Emily Field 00:31:56  But remember, there are so many more needs for protein in your body than just those two things okay. So your body’s going to do something with it. It’s not going to go to waste. Whatever works for you and your meal timing meal schedule. Typically, I’m seeing my clients eat four meals per day. They’re kind of evenly distributed throughout the day. They do something like three hours in between each meal. Perfectly fine. They’re able to spread their protein needs across all of those meals, and they’re definitely getting over that threshold of 20 to 30g people can sometimes get preoccupied with, like the perfect pre and post-workout protein or like how to navigate that timing. And I’ll just share that. What we know from the highest quality research now is that it’s less about like a window. You might have heard about this anabolic window at which if you eat within this window after a workout, you’re going to maximize your muscle recovery, repair growth. It turns out it’s less of a window that shuts, and it’s more like a bracket or a barn door around your workout.

 

Emily Field 00:32:59  So typically with clients, if they’re eating within 30 to 60 minutes pre-workout and delay their meal after a workout. Totally fine. Opposite is also true if you don’t eat before a workout, but you prioritize a great meal with that 20 or 30g of protein, at least in that 30 to 60, maybe even 90 minutes after a workout, you’re still going to see benefits. Okay, so try not to get so preoccupied with the perfect pre and post-workout meal. By far, the biggest driver of change in your body composition is going to be getting enough protein per day. And then maybe a little bit more specific would be to distribute that protein fairly evenly across the day. And then even more specifically, we might want to, you know, focus on the timing pre and post workout. So as you can see in the hierarchy of importance, this is probably the least important aspect in a pre-workout. The protein source is there to provide necessary building blocks for reducing muscle breakdown during your workout. So this is going to help minimize the impact of stress placed on your muscles and primes your body for optimal performance.

 

Emily Field 00:34:07  So this is taking all that we say about like necessary calories and carbohydrates and hydration out of the equation. But yes, there is a purpose to having some pre-workout protein in a meal or a snack. Now, post-workout, that post-workout protein is therefore initiating that muscle repair and growth process. So after a workout, your muscles are in a state of increased sensitivity to nutrients. So it makes it a perfect time to provide them with a protein to kickstart that recovery and enhance muscle growth. Okay, so if we’re thinking about this in the context of many of the other conversations we’ve had in this podcast, exercise is there to create a bit of stress. Stress is not all bad. In this case. It’s a good thing we are stressing the muscles in order to break down so we can build them back stronger and bigger. So if we have a pre-workout meal that has some protein, we’re going to buffer how much stress we put on the system and potentially not get any benefit out of it. Make us two.

 

Emily Field 00:35:07  Saw create too big a terrors, too much inflammation. Everyone knows what that feels like. You can’t walk for three days, and that post-workout protein is there to initiate the rebuilding process. So there is some benefit to having a protein in a pre and post-workout meal. But understand that this is more like a barn door or a bracket around your workout. If you are getting some sort of good hearty protein source 30 to 60 minutes before your workout, or, you know, 30, 60, maybe even up to 90 minutes after your workout, you’re going to be covering your bases just fine. One of the biggest challenges that I hear from people who are trying to increase their protein intake, and they’ve been doing it for a while, they’re really just kind of getting stuck in a rut with their protein. It really just boils down to protein fatigue. So let’s talk about some of the ways to overcome protein fatigue so that you can feel a little bit more jazzed about eating more protein. You probably already knew this was coming, but the first way, and probably the easiest way to prevent boredom is to diversify your protein sources.

 

Emily Field 00:36:13  So instead of just sticking to chicken or eggs, you might want to try to include a wider range of options like lean meats. We’re thinking like turkey, beef, pork, maybe salmon, shrimp, tuna, maybe tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, things like that. Because especially if you’re exploring and experimenting with different protein sources, it ensures that you’re getting all the amino acids, not just the limited ones that are found in chicken and eggs. That’s going to support your overall health, obviously, your muscle growth, but it also gets you exposed to new flavors and textures in your meals as well. And sometimes it’s not the protein itself, but it’s the way it’s prepared that’s leading to fatigue. So consider changing up your cooking techniques and that can make just a huge difference. For example, you can grill, bake, saute, roast or air fryer proteins for different textures and tastes. You can use spices and marinades, different herbs to enhance the flavor of your proteins. You know, we know what chicken breast at a restaurant tastes entirely different than the one we make at home, and it might be because it’s seasoned differently with like, a mediterranean spice or a tangy Asian marinade.

 

Emily Field 00:37:23  So these are all things that you can do at home to really vary the taste and textures that you experience and avoid fatigue from your common meals. I encourage you to explore some international cuisines and introduce new flavors or ingredients to your diet. So, for instance, you could try adding Mexican flavors to your lean beef for a taco night. You could do curry spices with your lentils. For an Indian twist, you could make a Japanese inspired salmon teriyaki. Again, it might not be about the protein at all. It might just be that you’re being called to add more variety in a lot of different ways. I like to combine protein with seasonal ingredients. This can be another way that you zhuzh up your meals and you can reduce the monotony. You might pair proteins with different seasonal vegetables, fruits, or grains, and that can really bring freshness to your meals. So, for example, maybe you’re doing grilled chicken paired with summer vegetables like zucchini and bell peppers. That’s going to taste very different than the same chicken paired with winter root vegetables or shredded in a soup or something like that.

 

Emily Field 00:38:24  We have talked a little bit about protein supplements, and these can totally be used in creative ways. You could use that protein powder instead of just mixing it into water and making a shake. How boring. You could do a pancake or waffle batter. You could blend it into smoothie bowls. You could make homemade energy bars. You could incorporate it into oatmeal. Lots of different ways. We can creatively use protein supplements. You might have an experiment with different flavors of protein powder to keep things interesting, so there are endless options here. We see the things like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, but there’s also matcha or cinnamon dolce or pumpkin that’s coming out near the fall and things like that. All of these different flavors can completely transform the taste of your dishes. And lastly, I’ll just say planning ahead with a little bit of meal prep can help you a lot here. Planning your meals in advance. Prepping a variety of protein sources for the week can help you avoid repetitive meals. So, for instance, cooking a batch of chicken, fish, and a plant based protein like tofu or chickpeas and then rotate them in different dishes throughout the week could be one option.

 

Emily Field 00:39:32  I typically like to prep 1 or 2 protein sources and then transform those maybe plain protein sources when I pair it with different herbs, spices, sauces, things like that. So it might be shredded pork shoulder, it might be ground beef, it might be ground pork. I leave them plain and then I will layer in different sides sauces, pairings, things like that in order to transform the meal. And I’m not eating the same exact thing every single night for a week. I do not want you to visualize 21 different bodybuilder style, like plastic containers laid out on my kitchen counter that I prepare every Sunday and dedicate my entire day to. This is more like a maybe 60 to 90 minutes, one day a week, where I am batching those protein sources and then letting it come together the night of the meal. So again, going to be some variety in the way that you’re able to do that in your household. But I tend to take a cook once eat all week sort of approach. That is not my phrase.

 

Emily Field 00:40:33  That is not my cookbook. It is actually from Cassie Joy Garcia. She created this awesome cookbook again called Cook Once Eat All Week, and it is a phenomenal like concept for meal prep that I really adopted a few years back. The entire cookbook is genius, but essentially you’re taking 1 or 2 protein sources. In her case, just one, and then transforming that protein source into three different meals that you can eat throughout the week, with minimal prep on the other sides and starches that she pairs with. So really a great concept and something that really works in my household. But again, maybe taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that can help you with that protein fatigue, depending on what kind of time and resource availability you have. So that wraps up today’s episode on protein. We covered a lot of ground from the importance of protein in your diet to setting the right protein targets based on your goals and how to get creative to avoid protein fatigue. We also busted some common myths that might be holding you back, like the misconception that high protein diets are harmful to your kidneys, or that protein only matters when you’re lifting weights.

 

Emily Field 00:41:40  Whether you’re aiming to build muscle, lose fat, or simply maintain your health, understanding and optimizing your protein intake is key to making your macro tracking journey more effective and enjoyable. Remember, the goal isn’t just to hit a number, but to make protein a regular imbalance part of your daily diet. Focus on spreading your protein intake throughout the day, prioritizing quality sources, and experimenting with different flavors and recipes to keep things interesting. If you’re consistent and intentional with your protein, you’ll not only see the physical benefits, but also feel more energized, satisfied, and empowered on your path to your health and fitness goals. Thank you so much for listening to the Macros Made Easy podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the one you’re listening to right now to share it on your Instagram Stories, and tag me at Emily Fields so that more people can find this podcast and learn how to use a macros approach in a stress free way. If you love the podcast, head over to iTunes and leave me a rating in a review.

 

Emily Field 00:42:38  Remember, you can always find more free health and nutrition content on Instagram and on my website at emilyfieldRD.com. Thanks for listening and I’ll catch you on the next episode.