Are You Getting Enough Protein? Here’s How to Tell

Hello Ziddis! These days, we hear everywhere how important protein intake is for us. Whether it is social media or your gym trainer, everyone chants the charms that protein will work for you. But are you eating enough protein? While workouts like strength training and cardio each have their place, protein is the thread that ties them together. Without protein, your muscles would stay weak, your body wouldn’t recover, and you would not be able to perform at your best. So let’s talk about protein today and how to tell if you are getting enough protein.

Why Do We Need Protein?

Protein is the building block of your muscles. It is the foundation of fitness that pushes you to perform and helps you to recover. Here is why protein is irreplaceably needed:

• It repairs and rebuilds muscle tissue post a workout session
• It supports your immune function and hormone production
• It keeps you feeling full and helps you manage your weight while curbing your cravings
• It maintains skin, hair and nail texture
• It helps in the production of necessary enzymes and hormones.

Whether your health goal is to lose weight through cardio or gain muscle through strength training, your body needs protein to sustain the benefits of your workouts.

How Much Protein Do I Need?

Your protein needs depend on your lifestyle, workout intensity, health goals and most importantly, your body weight.

Lifestyle	Protein Requirement
Sedentary	0.8 g/kg body weight
Active (cardio-based)	1.2 – 1.6 g/kg
Strength training	1.6 – 2.2 g/kg
Fat loss (preserve muscle)	2.0 – 2.5 g/kg

Assuming you weigh 70 kgs and you do strength training 3 to 4 times a week, your body roughly needs you to consume 120 to 150 grams of protein per day.

Why Does Protein Deficiency Happen?

Most of our food has high amounts of carbs in it, and protein is often neglected. Some common causes of people having protein deficiency are:

• Skipping meals
• Following calorie-deficient diet plans
• Relying on low-protein convenience foods
• Vegetarian or vegan diets, which may lack whole protein sources
• Overdoing cardio with not enough nutritional support

With a busy schedule, it is not easy to pay attention to your daily requirements, which is a bigger part of the problem.

Signs of Protein Deficiency

How would you know that you have a protein deficiency? There will be signs! Here’s what to look out for:

• Easily getting tired or fatigued after working out
• Experiencing muscle soreness for a long period
• Hair thinning, brittle nails or dry skin
• Feeling hungry frequently
• Intense cravings
• Poor immunity causes you to fall sick often
• Loss of muscle tone even when you are working out regularly.

If you are doing cardio and still not toning up or doing strength training, but still not seeing any gains, protein is the missing piece to solve this mystery.

Protein Intake Calculator

To understand how much protein your body needs, take a look at the protein intake calculator. It takes into account if you have an active lifestyle involving strength training.

• 1 gram per kg of your body weight if you have a sedentary lifestyle
• 2 grams per kg of your bodyweight if you have an active lifestyle involving strength training.

If you use tools to calculate your daily protein intake, you will get a precise number, which will make it easy for you to understand how much you are currently having versus how much you need. But this doesn’t just stop at that point, you must also track how much protein you get every day. Use a fitness app to see how close you’re getting.

Tips to Boost Your Protein Intake

To make your protein game stronger, here’s what you can do:

• Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast like eggs, Greek yoghurt or a protein smoothie.
• Add sprouts and legumes to your salad
• Tofu, paneer and chicken for meals help you get closer to your protein intake goals.
• Keep protein bars handy for a quick snack
• Loads of fit foods by MuscleBlaze have a good amount of nutrients and proteins, have those for your snacking and cravings
• Post-workout, have a protein shake to help your muscles recover faster.
• Mix proteins with carbs and healthy fats to improve absorption and satiety.

Read Also: Are You Overestimating Your Protein Intake? How to Calculate It Accurately

Takeaway

It is easy to obsess over your fitness goals, but what can drive you towards them is not just your workout but also your nutrition. Your protein intake is your pass to the fitness highway. It helps you recover, rebuild and grow. So, start adding more protein to every meal from today!