To fully utilize your potential as an athlete, it is crucial to meticulously plan your nutrition and fueling strategy, with protein intake being a vital component. Unfortunately, carbohydrates tend to receive excessive attention in terms of performance nutrition, causing protein’s significance to be disregarded.
Protein plays a role in maintaining your overall health and helps manage your daily energy levels. In addition, protein aids in muscle recovery, enhances strength, contributes to the formation of hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters, supports the immune system, strengthens bones, helps in the formation of hemoglobin, and meets increased caloric needs, among other advantages.
How do you know if you’re getting enough protein
Be mindful of the following signs from your body that may suggest the necessity for increased protein intake to assist your training:
- You struggle to recover from workouts or build muscle
- You feel sluggish or experience energy lulls during the day
- You feel hungry often despite eating enough calories
Protein Recommendations
For general health, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that the average adult should consume 0.8 grams (g) of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, or 0.35 grams per pound.
Endurance athletes such as runners need a higher protein intake daily to preserve and enhance muscle mass. The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that runners should consume 1.4 to 1.7 grams of protein per kg per day to accommodate their training requirements. To put this into perspective, an athlete weighing 150 pounds would necessitate about 90 to 120 grams of protein each day.
Loading your plate with excessive protein will not fast-track recovery since your body can only absorb around 25 to 35 grams at a time.
Your protein requirements and the amount to consume at once are determined by your size and age.
Smaller athletes may require only 15 to 20 grams of protein, whereas larger athletes with greater muscle mass and higher energy output can easily include up to 35 to 40 grams of protein per meal. Individuals aged 55 and over need additional protein to counteract the natural age-related muscle loss and achieve similar effects.
Here is a general guideline for maximizing recovery and maintaining a strong immune system, emphasizing the criticality of protein intake in terms of timing and quantity.
- Begin and end your day with 15 to 20 grams of protein if you are in the midst of a heavy training cycle or if your sleep is suffering. Protein helps suppress the negative effect of the resulting hormonal stress (cortisol).
- Include protein at each meal according to your size, age and activity level (15 to 40 grams depending on size and age of athlete).
- Eat protein-rich snacks (10 to 15 grams) to bridge the gap between meals that are more than four to five hours apart.
- If you don’t have dairy allergies, try some dairy protein before bed like yogurt or cottage cheese. The casein found in dairy releases slowly and whey releases quickly. The combination helps stabilize blood sugar and repair your muscles as you sleep.
What does too much protein do
If you’re a runner, consuming excessive amounts of protein can have potential negative effects on muscle repair, recovery, and performance, which may come as a surprise to many athletes. Additionally, it can also impact overall health.
Imbalanced macronutrient intake
If you consume too much protein, one of the most likely outcomes is that you will have an imbalance in your intake of other macronutrients, particularly carbohydrates and fat.
If runners prioritize protein excessively, they may unintentionally reduce their consumption of carbohydrates, which are the main source of energy for endurance exercises. Insufficient carbs can lead to a decline in performance and longer recovery periods between workouts.
Moderate amounts of training may require runners to consume 45-55% of calories from carbohydrates, while endurance runners who train for more than 90 minutes per day may need to consume more than 60% of calories from carbohydrates on a daily basis.
If you eat a lot of animal protein foods that are high in saturated fat, consuming too much protein can also impact your fat intake. For endurance athletes, it is important to choose high-quality, healthy fats (such as those in avocados, olives, and nuts) to support hormonal health and reduce inflammation.
Nutrient gaps and deficiencies
If your diet focuses primarily on protein foods, it may restrict your consumption of other important nutrients found in a balanced diet. Essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants, which are crucial for supporting your overall health, performance, and recovery, can be obtained from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.
If you do not receive sufficient amounts of these nutrients through your diet, it can lead to nutrient gaps and deficiencies, which can negatively impact both your overall health and athletic performance.
Your custom blend will be unique to you because functional boosts such as super greens, turmeric, and probiotics can assist in compensating for any nutritional deficiencies in your diet and endorsing your long-term health objectives.
Weight gain
If you consume too much protein and your calorie intake is higher than your energy expenditure, studies indicate that you may gradually gain weight. In such cases, the surplus protein is converted into glucose and stored as fat.
In a sport such as distance running, where having a lower body mass index (BMI) appears to be significant, even a gradual increase in weight could potentially impede running performance.
Increased kidney workload
The elimination of urea and other byproducts formed by the breakdown of dietary protein is one of the main functions of the kidney. It is considered safe for healthy adults to consume protein at a rate of 2 g/kg/day over a long period of time.
Individuals who are well-adapted can consume up to a maximum of 3.5 g/kg/day without experiencing any negative consequences. However, if chronic intakes exceed 2 g/kg/day, it will place additional strain on the kidneys and may result in issues related to digestion, kidney function, and blood vessels.
While it may not be a concern for healthy individuals, higher protein intake can cause problems for those with impaired kidney function, like chronic kidney disease.
Digestive upset
Consuming excessive amounts of protein can lead to unpleasant digestive side effects, ranging from bloating and gas to diarrhea and constipation.
Eating high-fat protein foods, such as processed meats or fried chicken, close to a run can raise the likelihood of experiencing diarrhea. If you are lactose intolerant, consuming dairy products can also result in loose stools. To reduce the chance of developing gastrointestinal symptoms while exercising, it may be beneficial to restrict your protein intake two hours before running.
If you do not maintain adequate hydration and consume enough carbohydrates rich in fiber, constipation may arise as an issue. To alleviate constipation caused by a high-protein diet, it is advisable to increase your intake of water and fiber.
Increased heart disease risk
Research shows that consuming excessive amounts of protein can potentially raise the risk of heart disease in the future. Numerous animal-based high-protein foods, such as red and processed meats and full-fat dairy products, contain significant levels of saturated fat. Consistently consuming excessive saturated fat over an extended period can lead to an elevation in “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, which is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Window of Anabolic Opportunity
It is crucial for recovery to consume high-quality protein within 30 to 45 minutes of a run. This is because long, intense training sessions result in the breakdown of muscle tissue, which is followed by increased muscle protein synthesis (MPS) within the next 24 hours. Right after a run, your body is ready to quickly prioritize protein intake to repair the muscle tissue.
When the body’s glycogen stores become depleted, protein is utilized as fuel by breaking down muscle. If carbohydrates are not consumed during a strenuous workout (or one lasting more than 75 minutes), it will result in unwarranted muscle breakdown, undermining the goal of the workout and potentially compromising the athlete’s health and metabolic system.
After exercising, it is advisable to consume 0.25 to 0.30 grams of high-quality protein per kilogram of body weight, preferably in a liquid form like a protein shake, for faster digestion. To illustrate, a person weighing 150 pounds would require 17 to 20 grams of protein after their workout (in addition to simple carbohydrates to restore glycogen levels and support muscle growth).
Plant Proteins
When deciding to follow a plant-based recovery path, it is advisable to combine different plant proteins as many of them are inadequate individually. The majority of plant-based proteins are incomplete as they do not contain all the essential nine amino acids.
When comparing them to animal products, plant-based proteins have lower digestibility rates, resulting in the absorption of less protein per ounce. However, there are exceptions such as soy, pea, and hemp protein powders, which have all the essential amino acids, although they still have lower leucine content than whey.
If an athlete consumes plant proteins from various sources and in higher doses, their protein needs can be adequately fulfilled.
Tips for runners to optimize protein intake
If you are training for a 10K or an ultramarathon, focusing on your protein intake is important for your overall health and running performance. Below are some tips to help you maximize your protein intake and support your health and fitness objectives.
Experts advise moderately active athletes to consume 1.2–2.0 g/kg of protein daily, while those involved in intense training may require up to 2.2 g/kg/day. It is important to ensure adequate protein intake without excessive amounts.
Be mindful of your protein consumption timing. To reduce the likelihood of digestive issues, refrain from consuming excessive amounts of protein within 2 hours prior to running. In order to optimize your recovery after completing a run, aim to consume 20-40 g of high-quality protein within 1 hour.
To maintain a healthy heart, prioritize the quality of protein by limiting saturated fat consumption and emphasizing the consumption of high-quality lean protein sources such as seafood, lean meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, tofu, beans, peas, and lentils. These foods are rich in essential amino acids and other crucial nutrients, making them the primary source of protein in your diet.
To maintain a balanced diet, include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. This will help you meet your dietary requirements for fiber, vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, and antioxidants.
To maintain strong and healthy bones, it is important to monitor calcium intake. It is recommended to consume enough calcium from foods, with a daily intake of 1,000 mg (or 1,200 mg for women over 50), especially during periods of increased protein consumption.
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It is crucial to know the amount of protein needed for both recreational runners and marathon experts, as an excessive or insufficient intake can negatively affect performance and overall health.
Consuming excessive amounts has been shown in studies to have negative effects on both athletic performance and overall health. This is due to potential nutrient imbalances, weight gain, digestive upset, increased demands on the kidney, and a higher risk of heart disease.
