‘How can I make sure I eat enough protein’ is one of the most commonly asked questions about nutrition and performance.
Beyond just suggesting a daily protein dose, there are other elements to consider, ensuring you get the most out of your protein intake.
The Significance of Protein Intake Post-Exercising
After resistance exercise, consuming protein improves “muscle protein synthesis,” or MPS, the mechanism that allows humans to grow and repair muscle. Since protein helps lessen muscular soreness during recovery, it is crucial for athletic performance. Exercise also improves your muscles’ capacity to react to protein consumption, encouraging the development and repair of new muscles.
Resistance training and a healthy diet that includes the recommended amount of protein build muscle development and strength through MPS, thereby improving your net protein balance.
Achieving sufficient muscle mass and strength is essential for maintaining our metabolic health, being physically active, and performing well in sports. This includes a lower chance of acquiring long-term conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
Here are the top five ways to ensure how much protein after workout you must consume adequately to improve both your training and your long-term health.
- Quantity
For most people, 20–25 grams of protein should be consumed each meal. For older adults, exercisers, and those with more muscle mass, higher protein intakes (30–40g) are required to initiate MPS and maximize MPS. For instance, you may weigh yourself in pounds and divide the number by 2.2 to achieve the number in kilograms. That said, once you have done that, consider multiplying the kilogram number by 1.2 to 1.7, and the result would be the protein amount you must consume daily.
What is the ideal daily intake of protein needed for physical activity?
According to a recent large-scale study, 1.6 g/kg of protein per day may be ideal for an active person who works out three to four times a week to gain muscle mass through improvements in MPS. Therefore, for those who want to do resistance exercise training to increase their strength and fat-free mass, taking protein at the RDA of 0.8 g/kg/day may not be enough.
- When to Consume Protein
Previous studies indicated that protein should be eaten as soon as possible after exercise to improve MPS. The idea known as the “anabolic window of opportunity” refers to the conviction that if the protein is not ingested soon after exercise, our muscles’ sensitivity to it will either diminish or cease to exist.
However, the most recent studies have demonstrated that, even up to 24 hours after finishing a resistance training session, our muscles become more sensitive to the effects of protein and amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.
Therefore, there is no “set deadline” for consuming protein to improve MPS after exercise unless you are training again within eight hours (such as in the case of an athlete’s dual workout). This implies that consuming protein right away following exercise is not necessary. What you eat throughout those twenty-four hours is more significant.
Moreover, a high-protein snack eaten right before bed has been demonstrated to enhance muscle mass and strength in individuals who perform strength and resistance training in terms of protein consumption prior to exercise.
- Incorporating Other Macronutrients with Protein Intake
Eating fat and protein together may improve the MPS response after exercise because research indicates that MPS and amino acids are used more when eating whole milk and whole eggs than when eating skimmed milk or egg whites.
Prior studies on animals have indicated that protein and carbohydrates should be added after exercise to support increased muscle strength during extended resistance training. But more recently, a human study revealed that eating whey protein and carbohydrates together would not provide larger improvements in muscle strength. This indicates that there is conflicting and insufficient data to support the idea that eating protein along with carbs will improve muscle protein synthesis and either grow or maintain muscle mass.
- Distribution of Proteins
It has been demonstrated that distributing your protein intake across the day’s meals is more beneficial for MPS than meeting your daily requirement for protein in one session. According to the most recent research, to improve MPS, the general population should consume at least 20–25g of protein with each big meal and within 3–4 hours of one another.
As a general rule, ensure that the quantity of protein you eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner is approximately equal. You should also incorporate high-protein snacks into your diet.
High-protein snack examples include:
- Plain soy yogurt or low-fat Greek yogurt
- Hummus paired with veggies
- Baked lentils
- Nuts and nut butter, or make your protein balls with peanut or almond butter at home!
- Quality of Protein
The profile of the nine essential amino acids (EEAs), their digestibility, and their bioavailability—that is, their capacity to be absorbed and used by the body—all influence the quality of protein in meals. The nine essential amino acids (EYEs) are the building blocks of protein the body cannot produce and must get from diet.
Although their qualities vary, animal and plant protein are the two primary protein sources. Since animal proteins contain all nine EAAs, they are considered “complete” proteins. Since most plant proteins lack one or more of the EAAs and are more difficult for the body to digest, absorb, and use, they are called “incomplete” proteins. Less leucine, an essential amino acid for MPS, is also present in them.
Alternatively, protein quality can also be determined by the calories you’re ingesting through protein. Suppose you’re consuming a protein-rich diet. In this case, multiply your calories by 0.3, and this would be the calorie number you must consume from protein daily.
In the end!
It’s common for athletes to deal with not being hungry after a demanding workout. Try to consume liquid calories, such as those found in 8–12 ounces of cow’s milk, protein shakes, or fruit smoothies with extra protein, rather than forcing yourself to eat. When designing your protein-focused meal plan, consider these five tactics, and you’ll be set to gain and maintain muscle mass for the rest of your life.
