How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

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By Dr. Mercola

Proteins are found in every cell in your body. These chains of amino acids are important for repair, maintenance, and growth of cells, and are essential for healthy muscles, organs, glands, and skin.

As protein is broken down and used up in your body, you must replace it by consuming protein via your diet. There’s no question that eating enough high-quality protein is essential to good health, but in the US, most people eat more protein than they need.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):1

People of all ages can benefit from super-slow weight training, but this is definitely a method to consider if you’re middle-aged or older. By slowing your movements down, it turns your weight-training session into high-intensity exercise. The super-slow movement allows your muscle, at the microscopic level, to access the maximum number of cross-bridges between the protein filaments that produce movement in the muscle.

This is a beneficial and safe way to incorporate high-intensity exercise into your workouts even if you’re older and have trouble getting around. You only need about 12 to 15 minutes of super-slow strength training once a week to achieve the same human growth hormone (HGH) production as you would from 20 minutes of Peak Fitness sprints, which is why fitness experts like Dr. Doug McGuff are such avid proponents of this technique.

The fact that super-slow weight training gives you an excellent boost in human growth hormone (HGH), otherwise known as the “fitness hormone,” is another reason why it’s so beneficial if you’re older.

I recommend using four or five basic compound movements for your super-slow (high intensity) exercise set. Compound movements are movements that require the coordination of several muscle groups—for example, squats, chest presses, and compound rows. Here is my version of the technique. I also demonstrate a number of exercises in the video above, starting at the 15-minute mark:

  • Begin by lifting the weight as slowly and gradually as you can. In the video above, I demonstrate doing this with a four-second positive and a four-second negative, meaning it takes four seconds, or a slow count to four, to bring the weight up, and another four seconds to lower it. (When pushing, stop about 10 to 15 degrees before your limb is fully straightened; smoothly reverse direction)
  • Slowly lower the weight back down to the slow count of four
  • Repeat until exhaustion, which should be around four to eight reps. Once you reach exhaustion, don’t try to heave or jerk the weight to get one last repetition in. Instead, just keep trying to produce the movement, even if it’s not “going” anywhere, for another five seconds or so. If you’re using the appropriate amount of weight or resistance, you’ll be able to perform eight to 10 reps
  • Immediately switch to the next exercise for the next target muscle group, and repeat the first three steps

What Types of Protein Are Best?

The type of protein you eat matters just as much as the amount. Substantial amounts of protein can be found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Some vegetables also contain generous amounts of protein—for example, broccoli. Whey protein is a particularly good source of protein to consume after exercise because it contains not only high-quality protein but also extremely high amounts of leucine, which is particularly important for muscle growth and repair.

One of the reasons whey protein is so effective for exercise recovery is that it assimilates very quickly—it gets into your muscles within 10-15 minutes of swallowing it, just when they need it most.

Whey is also excellent for your immune system, as it is rich in immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, and other precursors for glutathione. Overall, I recommend consuming a wide variety of high-quality proteins from both animal and plant whole food sources. Research consistently shows that nutritional deficits are extremely hard to avoid if you limit yourself to a strictly plant-based diet.

From the standpoint of ancestral nutrition, the hunting and foraging of our predecessors resulted in their consuming a much wider selection of foods than we do today, which means they received a much broader complement of nutrients, including proteins.

Examples of high-quality protein include whey protein concentrate from grass-fed cows, organic grass-fed beef, pastured organic eggs and chicken, and wild-caught salmon. For a comprehensive guide, please refer to my Optimized Nutrition Plan, starting with Beginner Plan: Protein, and then progressing into Intermediate Plan: Protein. In addition, the foods that follow also have an exceptional protein value and make a good regular addition to your diet:

  • Hemp seeds (hemp hearts): About 33 percent protein, providing 11 grams per three tablespoons; also contain all 20 amino acids in an easily digestible form and are loaded with plant-based omega-3 fats13
  • Chia seeds: About 14 percent protein, providing about four grams per three tablespoons;14 also high in plant-based omega-3 fats
  • Spirulina: Seventy percent protein by weight, six grams of protein per 10-gram serving, contains 18 of the amino acids and all of the essentials, and is easily assimilated (avoid spirulina if you’re allergic to iodine or seafood)
  • Sprouts: The quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds, and grains improve when sprouted; sunflower sprouts provide some of the highest quality protein you can eat, along with abundant iron and chlorophyll; kamut, hemp, quinoa, and bean sprouts are also good sources
  • Bee pollen: Forty percent protein and one of the nature’s most complete foods; you generally wouldn’t eat a large amount of bee pollen at any one time, but it’s an excellent addition to variety

Sources and References

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