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Tag: protein needs

Are You “Under Muscled”?

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Muscle mass peaks in our 30s and then starts a long, slow decline. Muscle loss, also called Sarcopenia, affects more than 45% of older Americans, especially women.

The good news: No matter your age, you can take steps to maximize your strength. Resistance training is key, but equally important, is eating adequate amounts of protein. If we don’t eat enough protein, we’re missing half of the equation.

As we age, the goal is to consume protein from food at a faster rate than our body is breaking it down. When you add in resistance training, this will help maintain muscle mass. But how much protein should we consume?

The National Academy of Science recommend a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. That’s about 0.36 grams of protein multiplied by your weight in pounds. That means a person who weighs 150 pounds should consume at least 54 grams of protein a day.

But many experts say more is optimal. As we age, protein needs to increase—and if you are exercising a lot—which is the way to build new muscle — you may benefit from even more. Some sports medicine experts recommend 115 grams of protein for a 150 pound person.

Did you know that as we age, we need to increase the amount of protein we consume every day?

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In fact, once you reach your 60s, you might want to begin upping the amount of protein you consume per day in an effort to maintain muscle mass and strength, bone health and other essential physiological functions.

An increase in protein is necessary because older bodies process protein less efficiently, so even healthy adults in their 60s need more protein than when they were younger to help preserve muscle mass. By the time people reach age 65, they become at greater risk of sarcopenia which is the loss of muscle mass, strength and function.

Nutrition experts recommend 69 to 81 grams of protein for a 150-pound woman, and 81 to 98 grams for a 180-pound man.

I like to have a protein shake for lunch and fill my blender with berries, a banana, spinach and my fiber mix. It’s yummy and I get a big dose of protein AND fiber at the same time!

I just can’t stress it enough……and it’s actually one of the easier things we can do for our bodies.

  • Start your day with a little bit of protein, like a hard boiled egg
  • Strive for a minimum of 45 grams of protein/day for women, 55 grams for men
  • As we age, we need to increase that minimum to closer to 60 grams for women and 70 grams for men.