{"id":7409,"date":"2021-07-02T14:54:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T02:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myfoodbag.co.nz\/?p=7409"},"modified":"2023-08-09T12:36:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T00:36:08","slug":"everything-need-to-know-protein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myfoodbag.co.nz\/explore\/2021\/07\/02\/everything-need-to-know-protein\/","title":{"rendered":"Protein – what is it and where do I get it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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You may have heard your friends talking about a \u2018high protein diet\u2019, or if you attend a gym, we\u2019re sure you\u2019ve heard people discuss their daily protein intakes.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But what actually is protein?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Protein is a macronutrient<\/a> and can come from both animal sources and plant-based sources. Protein is made up of amino acids \u2013 also referred to as the \u2018building blocks\u2019 for protein. There are 20 amino acids in total, and nine of these are considered essential \u2013 meaning it\u2019s essential we get them from our diet. This is because our body can make the other 11, but not the 9 essential ones. Some examples of essential amino acids are leucine, tryptophan, and lysine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a food contains all nine of the essential amino acids it is considered a \u2018complete\u2019 protein e.g. quinoa or eggs. Most animal proteins are \u2018complete\u2019 proteins; however, some plant foods do lack certain essential amino acids. The great news is, you can make up complete proteins by combining plant-based foods! A common example is beans and rice, or wholegrain toast with nut butter (e.g. a whole grain and a legume or nut).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is protein important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Protein makes up our muscle mass! It also contributes to muscle repair and growth, bone, skin and blood formation as well as having other important functions within our body such as satiety, maintaining our immune system, and appetite regulation (Harvard Health). We recommend looking to a variety of plant foods for your protein source, as well as meat and seafood. A variety of foods is key as each will contribute little bits of protein, which all add up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much do you need?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The generally accepted level of protein required is 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight for your daily protein intake. This means for a 70kg female you would be looking at 56g protein per day, for a 90kg male this would be 72g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A general guideline is to look for 5-10g per snack and 15-30g per serve in a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To give you an idea of what this could look like, our Parmesan Scrambled Eggs<\/a> uses x2 eggs, 100g baby spinach and 2Tbsp Parmesan cheese, giving you ~23.6g protein!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too much protein?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like anything in life, you can consume too much protein! Consuming too much protein means your body will lose the excess amino acids through your urine and can also put unnecessary pressure on your organs (such as your liver and kidneys), as they have to work harder to process the excess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Top Tip:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Spread your protein sources throughout the day – you want to be having it often (e.g. at each mealtime), rather than a big intake all at once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some easy high protein afternoon snack ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         \u00bd cup unsweetened Greek yoghurt with 1 Tbsp nut butter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         \u00bd cup steamed edamame beans or peas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         A boiled egg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         1 can of tuna with wholegrain crackers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         \u00bd cup crispy roasted chickpeas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7         2 Tbsp hummus with veggie sticks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or try these from our blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthier Savoury Muffins<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minty Edamame Dip<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthier Cookie Dough Balls<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Fritartlets<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easy Courgette Fritters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are eating a range of foods and have a balanced diet, then you should be quite easily able to reach your daily protein requirements!<\/strong>

2 large eggs = 14g
30g or ~3Tbsp hemp seeds = 10g
150g yoghurt = 8g
2 tbsp peanut butter = 8g
Small can (95g) tuna = 18g 
30g or ~3Tbsp pumpkin seeds = 7g
15g or ~1\u00bdTbsp chia seeds = 3g
1 cup soy milk = 10.5g
1 cup oat milk = 2.5g
30g almonds = 6g
125g (roughly palm size) fish, chicken, meat = ~35g
\u00bd 400g can chickpeas = 10g
\u00bd 400g can lentils = 14g
100g peas = 5.5g
45g oats = 6g
2 pieces Very Thin Vogel\u2019s toast = 5.6g
20g or ~2Tbsp hummus = 3g

*Approximate figures which may vary slightly dependent on serving size and brand.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Everything you need to know about hemp<\/a><\/blockquote>