How Protein Consumption Boosts Women’s Health Across All Ages

Everybody, without exception, needs protein in their diet. It’s simply a fact of life. That being said, the exact role protein plays in your diet will depend on a variety of factors including age, activity levels, and sex.

Women’s dietary and nutritional needs are different from men’s. And these nutritional needs change over the course of any woman’s life, from childhood and adolescence to pregnancy, menopause, and beyond. In this article, we’ll focus on one nutrient in particular that often gets overlooked when it comes to women’s health: protein.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, let’s start with a quick overview of what protein actually is. Protein is a macronutrient—a nutrient that your body needs in large quantities—that can be found in both plants and animals.

Your body uses protein for a wide variety of internal functions and processes. You’ve probably heard that proteins are the building blocks for your muscles, enabling your body to build and repair muscle tissue, but they do so much more than that. Whether it’s helping your body metabolize food, transmitting signals between cells, or giving structure to your skin and other tissues, protein is a key player.

Let’s briefly address what protein is. It’s made up of amino acids, which are the main building blocks of life. There are 22 known amino acids, and your body needs all of them. Not all protein-rich foods contain all of the amino acids, so it is important to diversify your protein sources or eat complete proteins—foods that do contain all of the amino acids.

So why is protein so important for women’s health? For women, protein fulfills many of the same roles as men: it helps strengthen bones, build muscle, and regulate the body’s metabolism. All of these help facilitate a healthy and comfortable life, and they become increasingly important as you age.
Women naturally carry less lean muscle mass than men, but by focusing on consuming plenty of protein, you can help your body build more muscle mass. This can have a number of health benefits, especially later in life. You don’t need to chase that bodybuilder physique—unless of course you want to—but putting on some muscles can help ensure mobility later in life. After menopause, women’s estrogen levels drop, which can lead to an increased risk of bone loss. By eating plenty of protein, engaging in some form of resistance training, and generally staying active, you can help your body prevent bone loss.

Ok, now how much protein do you need? For a normally healthy adult, the general recommendation is about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So, for example, a woman who weighs 150 pounds and isn’t super active would need about 55 grams of protein a day.
 
But if you’re active, like many of you are, you’re going to need more. Athletes should aim for 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. And for those of us who are aging, getting 25-30 grams of high-quality protein per meal can really make a difference in maintaining muscle mass and strength. Now that’s really important as we age. 

What does a protein rich diet look like? Protein is found in a wide variety of plant and animal foods. Some of the most common sources of animal protein include: red meat, chicken breast and other poultry, fish, especially tuna, eggs, and dairy. If you’re looking for plant-based proteins, some of your best options include: tofu and other soy products, legumes, such as black beans or chickpeas, nuts, seeds and quinoa.

It’s also important to remember that you can also fill in the gaps of your diet with high quality, premium supplements. Let me know if you need information on where to get these.

Watch for my next blog post.

Adapted from:
Ask The Scientists