By Karen Russo
I worry about a lot of stuff. Like, almost everything. I have limited control over much in the world today and I can barely impact the little things, such as why, despite an embarrassing amount of research, I cannot find an effective environmentally friendly laundry detergent.
So I focus on small victories. I refill the birdbaths every day. I plant pollinators. I volunteer. I leave bowls of water for wildlife during droughts. I fold my laundry like Marie Kondo before she embraced messiness. I exercise. I take language lessons. I lift weights. I eat bivalves. I do all the things.
But: I draw the line at counting my protein. I can’t. Won’t. Please, everyone, stop!
From the 1980s when I carbo-loaded to the 2010s when I ate buckets of kale, I have Consumed With Intention. I caught on to what I call midlife’s Protein Paranoia when I was panic-searching for Good Culture cottage cheese (allegedly the highest amount of protein in a container) for incoming houseguests who were equally panicked that they might not consume enough protein during their visit. Should I have added protein popcorn and protein candy to the cart as I searched the aisles? You know this trend has escaped containment when the Today Show does a primer on counting macros, a step beyond counting grams of protein.
I reached the height of “this is completely insane” when a fitness trainer recently ended an online weight lifting class by saying “and make sure you eat protein within 30 to 60 minutes or else all of this hard work is for nothing!”
“Is this true?” I wondered. “Was my workout a waste if I don’t eat protein immediately?”
I asked some of our nation’s top experts for answers.
“Having protein after a workout is important and can be helpful, but it doesn’t mean you don’t get any benefit if you miss a recovery snack within a half an hour. Those are two different statements,” explained Heidi Skolnik, a certified dietitian-nutritionist who has been part of The Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery for more than 20 years. Heidi has earned two master’s degrees (exercise physiology and human nutrition) and is a fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine. In addition, she literally co-wrote the book on protein, The Whole Body Reset: Your Weight-Loss Plan For A Flat Belly, Optimum Health, & A Body You’ll Love At Midlife And Beyond.
“After a workout and the stimulus from resistance training, your muscles are particularly responsive to protein (well, the amino acids) used to repair and remodel muscle, so it’s helpful to include protein as part of your recovery,” Skolnik said.
And then came the “but,” which was a lot more reasonable than what the trainer (and random unqualified folks on social media) espouse: “But that window actually lasts much longer than people think — many hours — and muscles can remain more responsive to protein for up to a day or more after resistance exercise,” says Skolnik.
Meaning if I had simply eaten protein with breakfast, lunch, or dinner after my exercise, all would have been fine.
Protein shakes and snacks? I could skip them. By the time I had showered, changed, and gotten dressed, it could be a couple hours later. At that point, I might as well just eat a meal.
“Your meal can be your recovery. You don’t necessarily need a special shake,” she says. It was very practical. As she points out, people have been building muscle long before post-workout shakes became a ritual.
“Eating protein alone doesn’t build muscle,” Skolnik says. “You need resistance training to provide the stimulus. Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to repair and build muscle. Nutrition supports muscle and recovery from exercise with nutrition — but recovery doesn’t have to mean a specialized product or an urgent 30-minute deadline.”
What about “protein maxing”? I thought.
I asked Daphene Altema-Johnson, a registered dietician and senior program officer for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. No, you cannot protein max, she said.
“I can’t triple my protein and expect to triple the muscle,” Altema-Johnson explains. “A body has a ceiling. It just means more waste for your body to deal with. It’s like a cup – once the cup is full it cannot take any more.”
“It may surprise your readers, but most Americans are already eating enough protein,” says Altema-Johnson. “This isn’t a population that is protein deficient. It’s a population that’s protein preoccupied.”
So if this isn’t about maxing or looking toned, why do we care about protein?
Most simply, we eat protein so that we stay stronger as we age.
Beginning at around 30 years old, we lose approximately three to eight percent of muscle mass per decade. Then, after age 60, the loss begins to accelerate. And aging muscles become less efficient at using protein. We really want to avoid age-related muscle loss or sarcopenia. We want to remain strong so we can carry the groceries.
What is the perfect protein for us to consume?
“There isn’t a single best protein,” says Altema-Johnson. “It’s not about finding the perfect protein, it’s about looking at the whole package that protein comes in.”
For example, she explains, fish like salmon gives you omega-3s. Eggs give you nutrients like choline and vitamins such as A, B, and D. Legumes and lentils provide protein plus fiber. Tofu and tempeh have isoflavanoids. Greek yogurt has protein, probiotics, and calcium.
What might be most important is that you consume your protein throughout your day. In other words, do not save up your protein for dinner.
“(Spreading) it more evenly across the meals tends to work better, especially as we get older,” says Altema-Johnson. A mix of protein sources across your week is ideal. “Variety matters!” she says.
Protein’s important, but why do we talk of it non-stop?
“Protein’s popularity reflects a broader cycle of nutrition trends, where one nutrient is
deemed the key to better health,” says Christina Barreira over email. Barriea, MS, RD, CDN, LDN, CEDS-C, is a senior associate dietitian at Nourishing NY, which specializes in nutritional counseling and disordered eating. “Protein has been heavily promoted for its role in building muscle, supporting satiety, and achieving fitness goals, which has contributed to the perception that more is always better.”
Barreira explains that sometimes, a health or wellness journey may begin as tracking but move towards disordered eating.
“I frequently work with clients who track calories and macronutrients, including protein. Some have diagnosed eating disorders, while others track their intake in pursuit of health and wellness. However, what may begin as an effort to improve health can sometimes evolve into disordered eating behaviors,” she says. “When we become overly focused on hitting specific numbers, we can lose touch with our body’s natural cues, including hunger, fullness, and satiety. This disconnect can make it more difficult to develop a balanced, flexible relationship with food.”
Protein needs vary based on factors such as activity level, age, and health status, but, Barreira says, “a reference point for healthy adults is approximately 0.8-1 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This would equate to about 55-68 grams of protein for someone who is 150 lbs.”
“That’s a significant difference from the previous recommendation,” she says.
So what should we eat?
The experts kindly shared with me some of the meals that they had recently consumed. You’ll notice a combination of nutrients, not simply “a steak” or “six hard boiled eggs.” You are not supposed to eat protein in the absence of other food groups.
Simple, easy meals and snacks:
-Yogurt with fruit
-Avocado and sourdough bread with cottage cheese or an egg omelet
-Chicken fajita and corn tortilla with peppers and other veggies
-A plum and a bowl of nuts for a snack
-Whipped ricotta and pistachios on sourdough with crudités as an appetizer or maybe a stir-fry with peas and edamame and nuts for the meal
-A large bowl of 13-bean soup
-Salmon with vegetables and roasted sweet potato wedges
“With a source of protein at each meal, you’re very likely doing just fine without tracking every gram. This isn’t a nutrient most people need to obsess over,” says Altema-Johnson. “We have a fiber issue. Americans are not getting enough.” (A different story for another time.)
For now, professor Pamela Ann Koch, the Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor of Nutrition and Education at Columbia University’s Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, recommends that we think about protein as part of our overall health plan.
“It’s seeing the big picture as opposed to the micro picture,” she says. “And giving yourself grace.”