It is hard to ignore the increasing number of foodstuffs on supermarket shelves clamouring for attention with “protein” branding. From meat and dairy to ready-made meals and confectionery, the “P” word pops up more and more, in many cases alongside food that is well endowed with protein but does not shout about it.
Clearly, “high protein” and “protein enriched” labels and products appeal to consumers even though they tend to cost more. Dietitian Sarah Keogh, founder of Eatwell, has seen lots of food-related trends come and go but she believes this one is here to stay.
“A focus on protein is definitely justified,” she says. However, “the amount I see people trying to stuff into themselves is probably not.”
If you have not already jumped on to the “high protein” bandwagon and are wondering if you are missing out, here are a few questions you might have:
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Are we really not eating enough protein?
Research shows that, in Ireland, adults are, on average, more than hitting their targets for protein. Sometimes people looking at a guideline think only of meat, chicken and fish as sources, says Keogh, forgetting that you also get protein from dairy, various plant-based items, bread and other foods, “so they overshoot it massively”. Possible signs of inadequate protein intake include tiredness, weakness and being prone to infections, such as mouth ulcers, colds and thrush, due to a weakened immune system.
The recommended daily intake here for the population in general is 0.8g of protein per kilo of body weight, so somebody weighing 60kg would need 48g. However, different cohorts need more: athletes and bodybuilders, as you might expect, but many older people would also benefit from increasing their consumption.
In a set of updated scientific recommendations for food-based dietary guidelines for older adults published in 2021, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said healthy older adults should consume a more protein-dense diet than the general adult population. It recommended that older adults at risk of frailty, sarcopenia and undernutrition eat a minimum of 1–1.2g per kg body weight of protein per day to preserve muscle mass.
These recommendations, which were adopted for HSE guidelines, definitely apply to people over 65, but probably from mid-50s, says Keogh. This increase in protein intake, ideally alongside an increase in resistance exercise, is shown to delay frailty.
Most people need somewhere between 0.8g and 2.2g per kilo of body weight per day, says registered dietitian and physiologist Orla Walsh, who runs two clinics in Dublin. “It depends on lots of things including their goals, diet choice, medical history, body composition, gender, age, exercise regime etc.”
Protein feeds our muscles, which are live tissues that are constantly breaking down and rebuilding, she explains. In order to maximise the rebuilding process, it is important to eat enough protein each day.
“While someone who is 30 years old may lose 1 per cent of their muscle mass per year if they are not mindful of their nutrition and exercise regime, someone who is 70 years old could lose 5 per cent per year.”
However, says Keogh, “the most important thing that we can do to avoid losing muscle mass is strength training.”
Can I consume too much of it?
“You can absolutely eat too much,” says Keogh. “Around 15 per cent of your daily calories should come from protein. What we know is that if you get up to 30 per cent of your daily calories from protein, we do start to see some negative health effects long-term.”
But to reach that level, you would have to eat enormous amounts, she points out. While there are no definitive findings, “it looks like it may have a negative impact on things like heart disease. But at the same time, I wouldn’t be in a huge panic about it.”
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However, what a lot of people do not realise is that if they overeat protein, the body does not store the excess, it turns it into fat. She has male clients who work out in the gym, eat loads of protein and then wonder why they cannot reduce their belly size. Calorie counters are inclined to demonise carbohydrates but a gram of carbohydrates and a gram of protein both contain four calories.
Do I need to eat more if doing strength training?
Muscle operates on a “use it or lose it policy” but you also have to feed it, says nutrition coach and gym owner Karen Coghlan. Going into the gym and lifting loads of weight without consuming enough protein to feed the muscles optimally means the physical benefit will be less or progress slower.
She works almost exclusively with women and finds they tend not to give protein in their diets enough attention. Others are afraid of eating too much protein because they think they will build bulky muscles.
Current marketing of protein is targeted at people who go to the gym, she says, “but it’s so much more than that. It’s pretty much the basic building block of the body.”
Not just for muscles. “You’re talking about your hair, your skin, your nails; even deeper than that, it has a big regulatory role when it comes to optimising our enzymes, our hormones, the neurotransmitters and the brain – that all needs amino acids, which are derived from protein that we get in our diet,” says Coghlan, who stresses she is not a dietitian. Having had a previous career in biomedical engineering with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, she studied nutrition coaching and fitness training before setting up her own gym, Freedom Fitness, in Kilcoole, Co Wicklow.
Keogh says the vast majority of people are already eating enough protein to build muscle, although women are more inclined to skimp on it. Consumption of 1 to 1.2g of protein per kilo of body weight will cover the needs of most people doing gym workouts; “seriously elite” bodybuilders would be eating around 2g per kilo.
If someone is consistently working out but cannot progress to higher weights or more reps, it might be a good idea if they looked at their protein intake, she suggests. Or they could be low in iron, just tired, or something else.
What are the best sources?
“Food first” is always the advice from dietitians. “Generally, people don’t need to be eating protein-enriched foods to meet their protein requirements,” says Walsh. “Lots of healthy, minimally processed foods provide lots of protein, including milk, yoghurt, eggs, meat, poultry and fish. For example, a pint of milk provides 20g of protein; two large eggs provide 16g of protein, a tin of tuna provides 35g and a portion of meat can provide 30 to 50g of protein.”
For vegetarians and vegans, plant-based sources include beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, edamame, nuts, seeds, whole grains and quinoa.
Protein shakes and other supplements have their place for bodybuilders and athletes at elite level, says Keogh. Or as a top-up for older people with small appetites who struggle to get enough from food, and sometimes as a convenient snack if, say, going straight from work to sports training.
Coghlan encourages women to look at where they might add more protein to their everyday meals. But if they are finding that difficult she would suggest seeking “high protein” products, or “you can even just go out and buy a protein powder. At the end of the day all that is is the protein extracted from milk.”
Walsh says the reason why whey protein, from milk, has become so popular is that, as well as being quick to digest, it’s rich in the amino acid leucine, which “makes it a terrific protein for recovery from strength training, particularly in older people. Generally, people may benefit from taking one to two scoops of whey protein after a gym session.”
Where does eating ‘high protein’ products sit with avoidance of ultra processed foods?
Manufacturers can put “high protein” on a label if it accounts for at least 20 per cent of the calories in the product, explains Keogh, who does some work in food regulation. But it must also be a reasonable amount of food. (Technically, mushrooms are “high protein” but you would have to eat a ridiculous number of them to get a meaningful amount.) To meet the criteria, products may have protein added. While ideally everybody would cook from scratch, she believes “high protein” ready-made meals with labels that indicate they are at least reasonably close to a home-cooked version are fine.
Will eating more protein help with weight loss?
As part of a balanced diet it might, because it leaves people feeling fuller for longer. But bear in mind what Keogh says above about equal calorific value.
“If you’re feeling fuller for longer, you’re by default going to end up eating less in the long run,” says Coghlan.
Is there any risk of young children not getting enough?
Babies and children are rarely deficient in protein in developed countries, says Cathy Monaghan, a hospital paediatric dietitian who set up weaning.ie. Protein deficiency would generally be a symptom of an underlying problem.
From around age one children need around 1g of protein per kilo of body weight. She believes this can be achieved relatively easily, even with restrictive or picky eaters. While dairy and fortified dairy alternatives are a primary source of protein for young children, she advises parents to offer a variety to ensure adequate intake and balance of essential amino acids.
Parents should not give children protein supplements unless recommended by a paediatrician or a paediatric dietitian.
In addition to protein, it is important to ensure active children are consuming enough complex carbohydrate for their activity and growth needs. If the child is not consuming enough carbohydrate, their body may convert protein to carbohydrate (in a process called gluconeogenesis).
What about sporty teenagers?
Many active teens who are keen to build muscle are eating too much protein as well as too few complex carbohydrates, warns Monaghan. As a result, the protein is being converted to glucose by the liver and kidneys.
If you’re unsure about your child’s protein intake, a consultation with a registered dietitian can really help, she adds. Dietitians who are registered with Coru, the regulator of health and social care professionals, are recognised by health insurers, and most policies cover, or part cover, the cost of consultations.
Is all this noise about protein drowning out other nutritional messages?
“There needs to be a much bigger conversation around fibre; 80 per cent of Irish people are fibre deficient,” says Walsh. We need to eat about 14g of fibre for every 1,000 calories of food, which works out at 25 to 35g a day for most people.
“Fibre is incredibly important for gut function, feeding our gut microbiome and for preventing disease. It’s also important for achieving and maintaining a healthy body composition,” she adds. “I really hope fibre becomes as much, if not more, of a talking point than protein.”
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