PROTEIN NEEDS FOR ATHLETES
Janet Foster has been a Registered Dietitian for 23 years. She is a graduate from the University of Nevada Reno with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Married to William Foster, they are proud parents of Abby Foster and Nick Foster.
Protein has many important functions in the body. It’s responsible for transporting nutrients, forming red blood cells, regulating fluid balance, building, and repairing muscles, and creating antibodies, which are helpful for our immune system. Protein is also one of our main sources of energy. A lot of athletes are confused about how to estimate how much protein they need in their diet.
Protein needs are based on weight, not percentage of calories. The other determining factors are age and type of athlete. For example, a youth athlete will require a lower protein factor compared to a College Athlete who focuses on weight training.
A good estimate for an endurance athlete is 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. If building muscle is a significant part of your training, a 1.6-1.8g per kilogram of body weight is an appropriate factor. A youth athlete, on the other hand, only needs approximately 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight.
So, now that I’ve confused everyone with grams, kilograms, and protein factors, let’s walk our way through an example. First, you take your body weight in pounds and convert it to kilograms by dividing your weight by 2.2. For example, if you weight 125 pounds, you divide the pounds by 2.2, thus you are 57 kilograms. Then you multiply your appropriate factor by kilograms of body weight. For example, an endurance athlete would require approximately 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight, which would be 85 grams per day of protein (57 kilogram X 1.5=85 grams)
Now that you know how to calculate your protein needs. Here are some examples of high protein food items. 1 Egg 6 grams 3 Ounces of meat 22 grams 4 ounces of black beans 8 grams 8 ounces of milk 7grams 1 Slice of cheese 7grams 2 TBSP peanut butter 8 grams
Protein is a significant part of a well-balanced diet; it serves many important functions in our bodies. Estimating protein grams per day can be helpful in developing a healthy diet plan. Understanding your protein needs and what foods contain good amounts of protein, helps an athlete realize it’s easy to achieve their protein requirements through real foods, which are absorbed more efficiently, and avoids utilizing expensive protein powders and supplements. –Janet Foster, RD, LD