The Body’s Building Blocks – Protein
I am often asked how to eat enough protein on a (mostly) vegetarian diet. Many vegetarians make the mistake of thinking that you do not need much protein at all and that you don’t have to worry about it. Telling people that they can get all the protein they need from eating spinach and leafy green vegetables is impractical. Once more, it doesn’t work. Just because it works for gorillas does not mean that it will work for humans. Not getting enough protein while you are following an exercise program is a sure fire way to injure yourself, get weaker and have low energy.
So how much do you need? For athletes, 0.7 to 1.0 gram of protein per pound of lean mass is optimal for increasing strength and size. For example, if you weight 180 lbs. and have 10% body fat you should eat between 113-162 grams of protein daily to build more muscle; you’ll have to experiment to determine the right amount for you. If you simply want to maintain what you have, 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of lean mass is adequate.
Variety is key when you are talking about proteins to get a full array of muscle building amino acids. Some examples of good combinations include: black beans and quinoa, lentils and brown rice, almond butter on whole grain bread, a rice protein/soy milk shake, green peas and almonds, etc. Have some veggie burgers or other meat analog (i.e., fake meat) from time to time, but make sure that the majority of your diet comes from fresh, organic food. Fresh, cold-water fish, including wild caught Alaskan salmon, halibut, mackerel and sardines, supply not only protein, but much needed healthy fats.