2980: What Amount of Protein Should You Aim For? A Typical Meal Plan for Muscle Maintenance and Growth

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[00:00:30] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep. So, press play on Good Sleep tonight because a good tomorrow starts with a good day.

[00:01:00] Good night's sleep. Just search for good sleep in your podcast app and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily and I'm Dr. Neil, your host of the show. Hey there, welcome back to another Friday show where I answer your questions. On all the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you like an audiobook with permission from the authors, of course.

[00:01:25] Now, I'll let you know how you can send in your own question at the end of the show, plus get rewarded for sending in your question. But for now, let's hear today's question and start optimizing your life. Today's question came via email. Adrian writes, Hi Dr. Neil, I've been enjoying your podcasts and all of the OLD podcasts as well for a long time now and I deeply appreciate all of what you guys have taught us over the years.

[00:01:54] I recently decided to take care of my health and eat better and work out. My nutritionist told me that I should avoid carbohydrates such as bread, rice and pasta and that obviously fats are to be consumed in very little quantities. So, I need to focus mostly on proteins. If I think about it from the macronutrients point of view, what is the highest percentage of proteins I can realistically aim for? And how should I divide the rest between carbohydrates and fat?

[00:02:23] What would a typical day look like? If it's relevant to the answer, I'm a 48-year-old male and I currently weigh 120 kilograms and I've been losing weight about 25 kilograms in a year and counting. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Hi Adrian, thank you for taking the time to send in your questions. And thank you so much for listening to all of the shows in our network. We appreciate you and I'm thrilled that you found the show so helpful.

[00:02:51] And I was even more thrilled to learn about your health journey so far. Congratulations on all the amazing progress you've made. So, let's talk about what a typical day might look like when it comes to managing your carbohydrate, protein and fat intake. Or, what we commonly refer to as the macronutrients. The dietary guidelines for Americans say that, For most healthy adults, our intakes of carbohydrates, proteins and fats should look like this every day.

[00:03:21] 45-65% of our daily calories should come from carbohydrate. 10-35% of our daily calories should come from protein. And 20-35% of our daily calories should come from fat. I should also mention that most countries with nutrition guidelines have similar recommendations. So, no matter where you are in the world, chances are the guidelines are similar to what I've just shared.

[00:03:45] Now, based on these dietary guidelines, I wouldn't necessarily agree that you need to avoid all carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, rice and pasta. Especially since, when we look at many published studies, we find that whole grains can actually be helpful not only for weight loss, but for overall health in general. And there's no need to avoid all fats either. The body needs fat to function at its best.

[00:04:12] And again, the dietary guidelines for Americans says that we should be consuming about 20-35% of our calories from fat each day. So instead of avoiding fat, the key is to choose fats that help us feel our best. These types of fats would be found in foods like olives and olive oil, avocado, nuts like peanuts, almonds and walnuts, seeds and fish.

[00:04:36] The fats found in these foods actually prevent conditions like heart disease and some forms of cancer. The fats that we probably don't want to consume too much of or too often would be those found in red meat, butter and prepackaged baked goods like cookies, pies, cakes and even some types of baked crackers. These foods are likely to have fats that tend to clog our arteries or even increase the risk of cancer and even dementia.

[00:05:03] Now, going back to your question about the maximum amount of protein you should realistically aim for each day, we could go back to the dietary guidelines for Americans and say 35% of your calories can come from protein each day maximum. That means if you were to eat exactly 2,000 calories each day, you would aim for 175 grams of protein per day max.

[00:05:27] Now, if someone has underlying kidney problems or diagnosed kidney disease, these requirements would look much different. The recommendations would actually be much lower. Now, here's where it can get a bit more confusing. We can use a different protein recommendation based on your body weight and what type of exercises you do.

[00:05:49] So, instead of using the 35% of daily calories rule, we would find out whether you regularly perform resistance or strength training. Then, depending on how often you're doing this and what types of strength training you're doing, we can use a different daily guideline. Grams of protein per kilogram body weight. So, say someone does resistance training. They're not super intense about it.

[00:06:16] Let's say they do 2 to 3 days per week for an hour each time. They're not training to be a bodybuilder, but just looking to tone up. Based on this information, we would actually estimate they should get about 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For someone that's less active, we would say 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight.

[00:06:40] But I just recommended 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram body weight to account for this extra resistance training. Now, Adrian, since you weigh 120 kilograms, we would simply multiply 1.5 times 120 kilograms. Entering this into my imaginary calculator, this equals 180 grams of protein per day.

[00:07:06] Now, 180 grams of protein is more than what we calculated using the dietary guidelines for Americans. I'll come back to that in a second. Now, let's say someone was more serious about their strength training and were aiming for that bodybuilder status. We could bump up their protein recommendations to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So, in your case, Adrian, that would mean 240 grams of protein per day or 2 times your body weight.

[00:07:35] 120 kilograms equals 240 grams of protein. This is way more than the dietary guidelines. So, now what do we do? Which recommendation should we use? Well, we could split the difference and then see how you feel. So, you could consume somewhere between 175 grams and 240 grams of protein per day. To put this in some perspective, 3 ounces of chicken or fish, which would be about the size of the palm of our hand,

[00:08:03] has about 20 to 25 grams of protein. 6 ounces of Greek yogurt would also have about 20 grams of protein. Now, studies are finding that it's best to spread out your protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake throughout the day instead of trying to squeeze in everything at dinner, which is what most of us tend to do. And, of course, we need carbohydrates to help digest and metabolize protein.

[00:08:29] So, again, avoiding carbs isn't necessary, but rather having balanced meals and snacks seems to be the best option. What I recommend for most people that are trying to lose weight while hanging onto their muscle is, in addition to, of course, performing resistance training, aim for this combination of macronutrients each day. About 50% of their calories can come from carbohydrates, ideally whole grain carbohydrates.

[00:08:54] About 30% of their calories can come from protein, and about 20% can come from fat. Now, I want to make sure that I mention this recommendation is based on my interpretation of the studies I've seen and my own experience working with patients. So, you can try this breakdown of macronutrients and see if it helps you meet your goals.

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[00:09:59] Each one-ounce serving has 6 grams of protein, giving you over 10% of your daily value. That means Wonderful Pistachios is a good source of protein with zero guilt. Plus, pistachios are known for their protein power, fiber, and better-for-you unsaturated fats, for a combination that may help keep you feeling fuller longer. And on top of all of that, Wonderful Pistachios is a complete protein, providing all 9 essential amino acids.

[00:10:27] Whether you love the satisfying crack of the in-shell varieties, or the pure convenience of no-shells, maybe their new unsalted no-shells that holds the salt, but not the flavor, there's a pick for you. They're perfect for that protein pick-me-up, or just a tasty treat. So, get snackin' and get crackin' with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more. And, of course, I wish you continued success, Adrian.

[00:10:56] And, thank you again for taking the time to send in your question. Now, if you send your questions in and you're in the U.S., we'll physically mail you a copy of our 216-page hardcover workbook totally free, as long as we have some left. If you're outside of the U.S., we'd be happy to provide an electronic version. Remember, you can email a question to health at oldpodcast.com. That's health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:11:25] Or, if you want your voice played on the show, just come by oldpodcast.com slash ask. And, of course, you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question. The number is 161-ILOVE-OHD. That's 1-614-568-3643. All right, that'll do it for today. Thank you so much for listening every day and listening all the way through. And, of course, I'll see you back here tomorrow

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