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#163 - Protein 101: How Much You Actually Need, Where to Get It & the Myths to Ignore
781 Plays24 days ago
If there's one nutrient I wish every woman I coach would pay more attention to, it's protein. Most of you aren't getting nearly enough — and it shows up as constant hunger, energy dips, cravings, poor recovery, and stalled progress.
In this episode, I break protein down properly — no fluff, just what you need to know.
We cover why protein is a game-changer for women, especially in midlife: satiety, muscle building and preservation (huge if you're in a deficit or on a GLP-1), bone health, steadier blood sugar, and easier long-term weight maintenance.
I'll explain how much you actually need, why 1.6 g/kg is where the real benefits kick in, and how to spread it across your meals using my go-to palm-portion method.
We also get into the best sources, my honest take on powders, bars, and all the "high protein" marketing, plus timing and whether you can have too much.
Grab a cuppa and settle in.
00:00 Protein Episode Kickoff
00:49 Why Most Eat Too Little
02:20 Protein Benefits Breakdown
03:25 Muscle Loss And Aging
06:35 Metabolism And Heart Health
08:27 Fat Loss Study Proof
11:41 Daily Protein Targets
14:17 Hand Portion Shortcut
16:15 Best Protein Food Sources
22:40 Supplements And Powders
24:44 Animal Vs Plant Facts
25:30 Balanced Diet Philosophy
26:32 Plant Based Protein Basics
28:29 Vegetarian Meal Strategy
29:30 Protein Product Marketing
31:08 Skip Protein Snacks
32:13 Protein Bars And Treats
35:58 How Much Is Too Much
37:51 Digestive And Energy Risks
41:24 Protein Timing And Meals
45:40 Recap And Next Steps
Links & Resources:
- Learn more about KHH coaching here
- Subscribe to my weekly coaching newsletter here
- Access my FREE calorie calculator here
- Connect with me on Instagram here
- Connect with me on Facebook here
- Connect with me on TikTok here
- Connect with me on YouTube here
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit.
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Transcript
Introduction: Protein in Fitness and Food
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of the podcast. So protein. Protein is what we are going to talk about today and it is probably the most over-talked about topic in the fitness industry. It's the most over-marketed topic in the food industry and some people, to be quite honest,
00:00:22
Speaker
I'm just sick of hearing people talking about protein, which I totally get.
Understanding Protein: Myths and Facts
00:00:26
Speaker
But I really want to dive into it today as to the power of protein, why most of us aren't actually eating enough protein and why it matters more than you might initially think. How much should you be increasing your protein to? What kind of foods should you be eating? How much protein is too much protein? All of this stuff, that's exactly what I want to dive into in this episode. The problem is that most of us don't eat enough protein. And I know there's mixed messages on the internet where
00:00:55
Speaker
people are like, oh, too much protein is harmful and we're eating too much protein. We're not eating enough fiber where, you know, our gut health is being affected. What about our kidneys? And there's all this mixed information. And then it's like, we should be eating a plant-based diet. We should be eating more meat. And it's getting, there's so many mixed messages online that no wonder you might feel confused and that a lot of people do feel confused. So when I talk about protein,
00:01:18
Speaker
from my own experience of working with a lot of women over the years, is that most of us
Protein's Role in Appetite and Weight Management
00:01:25
Speaker
don't eat enough protein. what that can lead to is it is the hidden cause to appetite struggles, low energy, poor recovery, cravings and difficulty losing weight. So when someone comes to me looking to lose weight, one of the first things that we will do, apart from obviously just getting like tracking our meals or our calories or our hand portions,
00:01:50
Speaker
is the next thing we'll do is we'll look at protein because in order to be able to stick in a calorie deficit, you need to be eating enough protein. Otherwise you're you're setting yourself up for failure. it just makes it so much harder.
00:02:02
Speaker
So eating enough protein really is one of the most powerful tools in your toolkit. It's not just for gym goers or bodybuilders. It's essential for every woman who wants
Why Everyone Needs Protein
00:02:12
Speaker
to feel her best. Not ah not even every woman, every person who wants to feel their best. OK, so let's just let's want to clear the air on all of that. OK, so why is protein so important? So protein reduces appetite.
00:02:24
Speaker
So obviously, this is super important when we're looking to stick to a calorie deficit. Protein helps you feel full with less food. reducing your overall calorie intake naturally. So, you know, if you're trying to, if your calorie deficit is 1800 calories, 1600 calories, even if it's 2100 calories, in order to actually stick to your calorie deficit consistently long-term, you need to not be hungry because you'll have a lot of emotional baggage that you need to dig through and limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging behaviors that you need to work through. You don't want to be dealing with hunger as well. When you're looking to lose weight,
00:02:59
Speaker
There's no need for you to be hungry. You can be very much be in a calorie deficit and be stuffed. Stuffed is probably an over exaggeration, but full, satisfied, fueled and nourished. And that's really important.
Protein and Weight Loss: Key Considerations
00:03:12
Speaker
Protein also builds and preserves muscle, which I think is the one thing that most people know it does, but don't realize all the other things that it does. But it increases muscle mass and strength. It repairs muscles after training. And this part, I think a lot of people don't realize is it prevents muscle loss during weight loss. So if you've got weight to lose and you're eating in a calorie deficit, if your calorie deficit is too aggressive. So this is why you always hear me talking about like nobody should be on 1200 calories or, you know, really low calorie restricted diets. Yes, you might drop weight super quick, but you're not going to be just dropping body fat. You'll be losing muscle as well. So keeping your protein high and your calories as high as possible is really important. But protein high. And this is why, you know, in the world of GLP-1s and, you know, weight loss drugs.
Preserving Muscle with Protein
00:04:00
Speaker
Yes, they play a part in some people's lives, particularly people who are diagnosed with obesity and who really have genuine need for these weight loss drugs. But regardless of your reason for being on weight loss drugs, you need to eat a high protein diet because otherwise you're going to be losing muscle mass.
00:04:20
Speaker
because you're going losing weight quite rapidly and it's not just going to be body fat. And that's going to lead to further issues further down the line
Who Benefits from High Protein Diets?
00:04:27
Speaker
for you. if And as we know that, you know, from the age of 30 onwards, we're losing three to 8% of our muscle mass every decade. So and that accelerates after the age of 60. So it's really important that we're preserving the muscle mass that we have, even if we're not building any more muscle at the minute, you want to preserv preserv preserve what you have. High protein diet, lifting weights.
Debunking Protein Misconceptions
00:04:48
Speaker
It should be for everyone, whether you're male, whether you're female, whether you're 20, whether you're 70, whether you are losing weight in a slow and sustainable way, whether you are trying to do some sort of extreme diet, whether you are on GLP-1 medication, it doesn't matter.
00:05:04
Speaker
High protein diet, and resistance training. Obviously, there will be some exceptions when it comes to medical conditions. Medical advice always over general nutrition advice is really, really important. Protein also supports bone health. So higher protein intake is linked to greater bone mineral density and reduced fracture risk.
00:05:25
Speaker
So we know about resistance training because I've talked about it before on this podcast and you I'm sure you're hearing it in the media that, you know, for females, osteoporosis as we get older, bone density issues, lifting weights is super important. And it's so great to see mainstream media talk, cover this and talk about this so much, but in alignment with a high protein diet. Again, I'm going to talk through what a high protein diet is. It's not eating steaks all day, every day. It's not nothing extreme. It's just making sure
The Broad Impact of Protein on Health
00:05:54
Speaker
we're getting enough. Protein also reduces cravings. So it decreases your desire for late night snacking and reduces your overall obsessive food thoughts.
00:06:03
Speaker
This is because eating regular protein throughout the day helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels. So you're not having huge crashes and then huge spikes in your blood sugar. Everything is nice and steady. And it means that, yes, OK, you might have emotional cravings and emotional associate associations with food with, you know, with good coaching or, you know, with good self-awareness and reflection. You'll work through them.
00:06:28
Speaker
But at least you're not going to be fighting physical cravings because you'll have covered that with eating enough protein throughout the day. Protein also boosts your metabolism. So the thermic effect of food is basically the amount of calories that your body burns digesting food. Yes, we do burn calories while eating. Not as much as we'd like, but we do. And protein is by far the highest. okay So the thermic effect of protein is 20 to 35 percent compared to fats, which is zero to 3 percent, carbs, five to 10 percent. So what that means is if you eat
00:07:06
Speaker
100 calories of protein, so 100 calories of a protein source, let's say chicken, okay, 20 to 35% of those calories get used up just breaking down the food.
00:07:20
Speaker
So you're if you're eating 100 calorie chicken fillet, you're only really taking in 70 calories, let's say, because 30 of those calories are being used to digest it. Now, you still track the full thing. That's not my point. But you can see how your weight loss starts to become much more effective when you're eating enough protein because your body's working extra hard, which is making your metabolism work harder, which is breaking down your food and you're feeling fuller for longer. Also, when you're working this hard to break down the food,
00:07:52
Speaker
you're feeling full and, and you know, carbs and fats, they have a place. They are very important for other reasons, but when it comes to the thermic effect, food protein is by far superior. So remember that.
00:08:05
Speaker
Protein also lowers your blood pressure. Multiple studies link higher protein intake to reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. So, you know, against what you might think, oh, too much protein is bad for your heart or, you know, it's too high in saturated fat. Like we're talking lean protein sources here is very much going to be good for your blood pressure and therefore in turn your heart as well.
00:08:28
Speaker
So there was a 12 month study done, OK, on 130 people on a calorie restricted diet. One of them was on a high protein diet and one of them was on a low protein diet.
00:08:40
Speaker
Same amount of calories. Same amount of a calorie deficit. And in the high protein group, the high protein group lost 53 percent more body fat than the group that was on the low protein diet. 53 percent more. That's huge. So.
00:08:59
Speaker
We really do need to think, wow, protein does make that much of a difference. These studies prove it. So instead of thinking that it's just something that fitness people tell you that you should be eating more protein to get more muscles, that's not it. It's for fat loss.
Protein for Recovery and Aging
00:09:12
Speaker
It's for health. It's for metabolic health. It's for so many other things. And yeah, just taking it from a fat loss perspective, 53% more, the exact same calorie deficit,
00:09:25
Speaker
in both groups, but one group was high protein, one group was low protein, and the high protein group lost 53% more body fat. So yeah, the results speak for themselves. So more reasons to eat your protein, it helps maintain weight loss. So protein keeps you satisfied long-term and preserves muscle mass that drives your metabolism.
00:09:47
Speaker
And this makes weight maintenance far easier because the more muscle that's on your frame, the more calories you burn at rest. So over time, as you're continuing to build muscle, but it's just being consistent, getting your workouts in, challenging yourself, progressively overloading over time. If you haven't listened to my strength training episode a few episodes back, listen to it because that I go into it into detail. But you'll be you'll slowly be building muscle on your frame over time. It's not going to make you bulky.
00:10:12
Speaker
It's going to improve improve your metabolism, which means you can be able to maintain your body weight as you get to your goal much easier. As long as you keep these healthy habits in place, you won't have to diet ever again.
Calculating and Increasing Protein Intake
00:10:23
Speaker
And you're just going to be in a much healthier position all around.
00:10:28
Speaker
High protein also supports injury recovery. And I think people forget this. They think about, you know, obviously the rest and the recovery stage, the physio exercises, reintroduction of exercise. But a high protein diet is going to help you heal quicker as well. Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to rebuild tissue, heal wounds and recover after illness or surgery as well. So to keep that in mind, if you're work recovering from a surgery, you know, keep your your diet balanced with plenty of protein.
00:10:55
Speaker
It keeps you fit as you age as well. So adequate protein helps prevent sarcopenia, which is age-related muscle loss. It supports strength, balance, and independence into older age. And now's the time to do it.
00:11:06
Speaker
that It doesn't matter if you're listening to this and you're you're only 28 or you're now's the time to do the sooner you start the better if you're listening to this and you're in your 70s or your 80s now's the time to start it doesn't matter okay increasing your protein amounts like I always kind of say protein creatine and strength training is for your teenagers it's for yourselves it's for your mothers it's for your grannies it doesn't matter everyone should be doing it and and it is going to help with the resistance training side of things of keeping you strong healthy and independent as you get older
00:11:40
Speaker
And it's never too late to start. So how much protein do you need? Okay, so if you actually Google this, you're going to get the minimum RDA. Okay, and that is zero.
00:11:51
Speaker
So RDA, by the way, it is so recommended daily allowance, recommended daily amount, sorry, recommended a daily amount. 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. So 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight that you weigh. So for an average sized person, that's only 46 to grams of protein. Keep in mind that this is the amount to avoid deficiency.
00:12:17
Speaker
This is not to thrive. And we're not here to just scrape by. We're here to thrive and live our best lives. So we need to make sure that we're eating to thrive. So if you're eating to thrive, if you're active, even if you're not particularly active, but you want like all of the things that I've spoken about, that that the things that, you know, all the wonderful benefits of eating enough protein.
00:12:41
Speaker
If you want those benefits, what you need to aim for is 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So what you do there is weigh yourself, find out how many kilograms you weigh and then multiply that by 1.6. That will give you your daily target in grams. And you can also actually just use my calorie calculator, which will which will calculate your calories and your macros for whatever your goals are. If you check the show notes, the link to the calorie calculator is in there and you'll be able to just, you'll get a full breakdown of everything you need. But, you know, if you want to just manually figure it out, just out of interest, 1.6 grams multiplied by your body weight in kilograms will give you your protein to total.
Sources of Protein: Animal and Plant-Based
00:13:20
Speaker
So for quick reference, if you weigh 64 kg, 102 grams of protein per day. If you weigh 70 kg, 112 grams of protein. If you weigh 90 144 grams of protein. So when I work with clients and people come to me and they really are starting out with not getting enough protein in their diet, like,
00:13:40
Speaker
They're starting out with very low protein in their diets. Our first goal is really just to get the protein up to about 100 grams per day across the board for everyone. And then working our way towards the individual targets over time, because as well, you don't want to massively increase your protein too quickly. If you're someone who only eats about 40 grams of protein per day now and you suddenly start eating 140 grams, your digestive system is not going to thank you. And also making that kind of change to your diet is extremely overwhelming. It's going to be done in a very much step by step and there's no rush with it, but it's just the getting the little adjustments and changes in place as you can.
00:14:17
Speaker
If you're not someone who is tracking calories and you know, you get bogged down with numbers and macros and you're like, a Jesus, Kate, I like, I don't even know where I'd find out the grams of any of this. Just use the hand portion method, which again, if you go back to, I did an episode, a few episodes back on calories, met calorie deficits. I talk about calories and hand portions. I can't remember the name of the episode off the top of my head, but I All things calorie deficits and go back a few episodes and I talk about the hand portion method. You can use the hand portion method to make sure you're getting enough protein. So for women, most women will have somewhere between four and six palm sized portions of protein per day. So the size of the palm of your hand. So one palm of your hand is a rough is roughly 100 to 120 calories of protein. So like think about like two eggs or think about a chicken fillet or 100 to 150 grams of Greek yogurt. Like you don't have to physically put it into onto the palm your hand, but you know, just to get a visual for the size, that's the amount of protein. One, you should be getting between four and six pounds of protein per day. I would argue six. and
00:15:27
Speaker
Definitely. And obviously, we're talking not talking about protein only meals. They're going to be balanced with healthy fats, carbohydrates and plenty of vegetables as well and fruit. So that's also. But for men, it would be six to eight pounds of protein rich food per day. So obviously men need a little bit more. The general rule of thumb here is just to aim for one to two pounds of protein per meal. So I would say try to aim for two pounds of protein per meal. And if one of them isn't, isn't two pounds, you're you're doing okay. But you know that you're aiming for two pounds of protein per meal. And like, I would do that fairly easily, easily in my breakfast with, if I was have protein overnight oats or was having my protein Weetabix, a palm of protein would be the scoop of protein powder. Another palm of protein would be the hundred grams of Greek yogurt that go into it.
00:16:12
Speaker
So there you go. And that's it done. So it is quite easy to do. So what actually counts as a protein source? Okay. all meat and poultry. So chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, pork, venison, like any type of meat. Okay. What I'll say about meat is try and go for leaner cuts of meat if you're eating quite a bit of it through the day and the week, because you don't want your saturated fat to be too high, because although we need healthy fats in our diet and
Incorporating Protein into Meals
00:16:40
Speaker
a certain amount of saturated fat is okay, you don't want to be eating far too much saturated fat, which would be particularly in the likes of red meat. including red meat is really beneficial for your health as well you know once or twice a week because you know for the iron levels but chicken and turkey and ah I'll move on to the next one move which when it comes to meat their chicken and turkey will be your leaner sources of protein so kind of rely on them the most and add in a bit of the beef the lamb the pork venison all of the other bits throughout the week but maybe not on a daily basis just for for heart health reasons I suppose Then fish and seafood. So like you're not going to get apart from your apart from your lean proteins, your your lean meats, your chicken and turkey, you're not going to get a healthier source of protein than fish and seafood. And a lot of fish and seafood are also fantastic, particularly your oily fish are a fantastic source of healthy fats as well. So your omega threes, which is amazing. So think salmon, tuna, cod, prawns, mackerel, sardines, whatever floats your boat. Just do if like as well, when it comes to the amigas, when it comes to the omega three side of things, which is a little bit of a side note, but you know, most of us are deficient in omega three, which is, you know, we get from healthy fats. We eat quite ah a high omega-6 diet, the Western diet in general. And it's recommended that most people should take an omega-3 supplement to help reduce inflammation in the body. But one way you can do that without taking a supplement is have oily fish twice a week. And it also counts as your protein source in one meal as well.
00:18:12
Speaker
So like I try and have salmon once. but i really only do salmon once a week. and But try put another fish source. If you could have fish twice a week, oily fish twice a week, even once a week to begin with, you're upping your amount of omega-3 that you're getting into your diet, which is going to make a huge difference to your overall health. And it works as a protein source too. So other sources of protein than eggs and dairy.
00:18:35
Speaker
So eggs, egg white in particular has even more protein. So, you know, if you're having scrambled eggs or an omelet and you're, you know, you're counting your calories, put like a whole egg or even two whole eggs into it and then bulk it up with some egg white. So you can actually buy egg white in a carton in the supermarket in the milk section, or you can just break some extra eggs, scoop out the egg yolk and pour in the extra egg white into your mixture before you make your scrambled eggs or your omelet. And like my mother kills me for it. She'd be like,
00:19:05
Speaker
why are you wasting the egg yolks? what are you going to do with them? I'm like, oh my God, my food bin. But yeah, I really should do something with them, but I don't. But you know, you might be more creative and you can do something with the egg yolks separately, make a, make a dessert for someone or something. But eggs, and egg whites, and like with the egg white as well, like a whole egg is about 70
Plant-Based Protein Nutrition
00:19:22
Speaker
calories. And and an egg without the egg yolk. If you take the egg yolk out and just the white of one egg is only 17 calories. So it's a great way to really bulk up the amount of protein in your scrambled eggs or your omelet without having to add massive amounts calories and saturated fat as well, because there is saturated fat in eggs. And we do want like eggs are very good for you. So don't cut out of a whole egg altogether because, you know, having one or two eggs in there is really, really good for you. There's a lot of good nutrients in the yolk as well. So just to keep that in mind. Greek yogurt. I live on it. I use 0% fat Greek yogurt, mainly just to keep my saturated fat low because I like cheese and I like chocolate. And, you know, I have quite a few teas and coffees for the day with milk in them. So I go low fat. I go 0% fat Greek yogurt and I go low fat milk because I'm like, you know what?
00:20:11
Speaker
I just keep try to keep my my saturated fat levels down a little bit. You don't, if you prefer full fat Greek yogurt, that that's no problem. Greek yogurt, I rely on it a lot. So like I said, in my breakfast, you know, my protein Weedabix or my overnight oats, there will always be Greek yogurt in that. It's also a great snack to have with a bit of granola or some nuts and seeds and a little bit of honey. You know, it can satisfy a sweet tooth. Even flavored Greek yogurts can be really helpful as well. Cottage cheese, milk. Like I said, I was surprised at how much protein I actually clock up throughout the day.
00:20:40
Speaker
in even just my three es skinny lattes I have a day. Like bring, they clock up a seat because there's like, what, 130 mils of milk or so. The one I make at home anyway, my Nespresso machine, I weighed it out and it's 130 mils of milk. So like that clocks up to significant amount to my protein total. So don't forget to track the milk. Obviously, the milk in your teas and coffees, not just for...
00:21:00
Speaker
you know, tracking the calories, but also because you're getting it get the, get the protein points in there as well. Really, really important. So it's just one that I don't think people really think of. And then cheese as well to a certain degree. But like I said, a lot of the dairy side of things are high in saturated fat. So like the red meat, you just need to watch how much of it you're having. And that's why I think the 0% fat versions of the dairy come in handy that you can bulk up a little bit, especially if you're not like, there's no way I'm going to eat meat first thing in the morning when I have my breakfast at eight o'clock. Like I'm not eating meat at eight o'clock. Some people do, I can't do that. So I will scoop protein powder and Greek yogurt works nicely for me.
Protein Supplements and Timing
00:21:35
Speaker
Then if you're plant-based, so plant-based sources of protein would be lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, edamime, quinoa, beans. Okay, so all of these are really good sources of protein. If you follow a plant-based diet, then adding in any type of protein supplement to your dinner. So don't just have a vegetable curry.
00:22:00
Speaker
for example, with just carbohydrates and because vegetables are carbohydrates as well. And very important, carbohydrates is very important for your gut health. But you need a protein source in there. So getting the lentils into the curry or getting the chickpeas or the tofu or whatever it is into the curry as well. So always where someone if who follows a standard diet is having chicken or eggs or yogurt or whatever, you need the plant-based version of that, whatever works for you. So it takes a little bit more thought to get the plant-based protein.
00:22:28
Speaker
diet right to get all your amino acids and all your nutrients. And you may need to rely a little bit more on supplements. But again, you know, i will do an episode on this and and we'll go into it in depth as well. But in relation then to protein sources in general, again, supplements. So protein powder, whey protein powder, casein, plant-based protein powders,
00:22:50
Speaker
They, you don't have to take a protein powder and I don't like you to rely on protein powder too much. Like I always say to my clients, one scoop per day max. I use, I have a scoop of protein powder every day. Some people are not very tolerant of whey protein because of, it's like dairy. You know, if you're not someone who tolerates dairy very well, you're probably not going to tolerate whey protein. whey protein that well. Whey isolate would be the purer form, easier to digest. But just, you know, if you are someone who's quite intolerant to dairy, you probably will find that. But there are plant-based protein powders and vegan protein powders that you can try. and But if you're getting enough protein from Whole Foods, you don't need it. I find it helpful. But again, everyone is different. So it's not one to totally rule out because you'll get a good quality protein powder from any of the supplement shops, really. I always order supplements from like discountsupplements.ie.
00:23:38
Speaker
And and when i'm mean when I'm in Ireland, and i sorry, when I'm in Ireland, I'm like always in Ireland. I recommend this to my Irish clients as well. Delivery is quick. There's great selection. and And any of my UK clients, I tend to say to them to go with MyProtein because they've got a great selection as well. You can order from MyProtein.
00:23:56
Speaker
In Ireland as well, but the since Brexit, the ah delivery is much slower and you'll you'll receive your supplements much quicker through discount supplements. Now, there are loads of other websites. It doesn't matter. You might just have a local supplement shop you can go to. But I think it's worth buying a good quality brand from a supplement shop so that you know that you're getting the best. And like you can always ask advice. The people in the supplement shops, and if you go into one, will give you advice. But you don't need like a diet protein powder or fat burning protein powder. That's not what you need. You want whey isolate.
00:24:25
Speaker
or whey protein powder or pea protein or vegan protein, or, you know, like you don't need all the extra bits. Like it's, you're going to be tracking it. It's not for weight loss. It's for getting your protein levels up and it doesn't need to be any extra plus, plus, plus max or anything like
Animal vs. Plant Proteins
00:24:40
Speaker
that. Just simple as best when it comes to protein powder.
00:24:44
Speaker
So then just a little bit more on animal versus plant-based protein. So animal, I just kind of want to go through kind of the pros and the cons, not really with the pros and cons, more just the facts about both. Okay. So animal-based protein is is complete protein. Okay.
00:24:58
Speaker
Animal-based proteins contain all nine essential amino acids and they're higher leucine content, which is key for muscle protein synthesis and recovery from training and lifting weights. It's more bioavailable, which means your body absorbs it more efficiently. And so your body will take more of the protein from an animal based protein source. And it's easier to hit protein targets with less volume of food. You don't have to eat as much food to to hit that protein target. So it's just it is easier on animal based protein. I would never i never promote protein. a diet. I never tell anyone they have to eat meat. I never tell anyone they have to be vegetarian. You know, I eat a standard diet. I like to eat a healthy balanced diet.
00:25:41
Speaker
And i I do take my macronutrients and micronutrients very seriously and do trying. And, but I also think it's really important to have a balance of things you enjoy as well. So, you know, I'm, I very much, I'm an advocate for a balanced diet, but a balanced diet looks different for everyone. So you will never hear me talk shit about a plant-based diet or a vegetarian diet. I,
00:26:02
Speaker
I e work with clients to very much support them in reaching their health goals and their nutrition goals and their macronutrient goals in the diet that makes sense to them.
00:26:12
Speaker
Because there's lots of different reasons people don't eat meat. And some of it has nothing to do with food at all. so Some of it has nothing to do with diet or health at all. It can it can be a deeper...
00:26:24
Speaker
meaning. And I think it's really important to to respect everyone. And everyone comes from different cultures as well. So that's also important to remember. So when it comes to supporting clients on a plant-based diet, I will always, you know, talk facts with everyone. So plant-based proteins are often incomplete. So when you're eating a plant-based diet, and when I say plant-based, I'm talking vegan diet. It's easier with a vegetarian diet because you can include dairy products. But plant-based, you'd need to combine sources. So if you want to be balanced, strong, hitting your protein targets and yeah properly fueled and nourished.
00:27:03
Speaker
on a plant-based diet. It takes forward planning. It takes thinking. It takes you knowing your protein sources, you knowing your food sources. but You really need to do the research and you can't just live off rice and vegetables or the processed vegan sources. Like, you know, it is really important to get this balance right for your health. And it can be done. It's so achievable.
00:27:23
Speaker
with good planning and varied food choices. Okay. So like you'd need to like, for example, combining sources, rice and beans together. So if you combine rice and beans, you're getting all the amino acids in because remember sometimes the carb sources, particularly on a vegan plant-based diet, your your protein sources are also going to be carb sources.
00:27:42
Speaker
So keep that in mind. So the the plant-based then are also lower bioavailability. So you need to aim for 10 to 20% more, more food to hit your total protein. But then also, you know, you're eating a lot more vegetables that are there lowering calories. So it's not that you're you're going to be consuming more calories. It just might be more food volume, which can feel hard to eat enough to hit your protein targets. And so it can feel you can feel like, oh my God, I'm so full. But it's also like your body,
Real Food vs. Protein Products
00:28:10
Speaker
your body will adjust as well.
00:28:12
Speaker
But the good thing then about plant-based protein sources is they are also rich in fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, which are all bonus health benefits. You don't have to think about eating a rainbow or getting enough vegetables or fruit in because you're you're getting them in and your gut health is going to be just top notch. So there are, you know, like, so I like to, like, you know, I was only just out for lunch today, actually, and I had the vegetarian option. I often get a vegetarian option when I go out, sometimes a vegan option, but like not, not intentionally. But I went out and I had the falafels. So it's like a salad with like a flatbread and like i'm just falafels, a dressing. It was stunning. Yes. Like, you know, I like to kind of, I think the the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, which is lots of plant-based foods,
00:28:58
Speaker
with a bit of protein. So sometimes I'll actually go and I'll order or to the vegetarian option if I think it looks really nice. And then I'll ask for a chicken fillet with it. So I'm like, you know I'll get my protein in with with my lean proteins and I'll get all the benefits of the vegetarian diet too, of lots of vegetables. So that's kind of what I think, you know, whatever your preferences, just make sure you're getting loads of vegetables in as well, because it's like of all the diets in the world and that have names or don't have names or, you know, when it comes to your, e if your overall goal is health, you need to be eaten. a variety of fruit and vegetables of all different colors.
00:29:30
Speaker
Another thing I want to talk about is protein products. Oh my God, please don't be fooled by protein products like protein pasta, protein noodles, protein cereals, protein.
00:29:43
Speaker
I don't know. I saw protein protein, high protein written on a bag of cauliflower rice once. I was like, is cauliflower rice high in protein? that was like, Jesus, what are they putting into it? And look at it like it wasn't. It was normal cauliflower rice. it It had like a gram of protein, but because I had a gram of protein, which is great, like it's great that it has a gram of protein, but obviously cauliflower in that quantity just has a gram of protein. They're like, oh, we'll put protein on the front of that.
00:30:05
Speaker
Whereas cauliflower is not something you're using as a protein source. And a lot of these things that are labeled protein, you're paying more for. And there's actually not a significant amount more protein in than just getting the ordinary version. So an example of this is I remember me and Lindsay were filming and in Tesco one time and we were looking at the pastas and we looked at the protein pasta.
00:30:28
Speaker
And then we looked at a different brand of just normal pasta and the normal pasta had more protein than the protein pasta and it was cheaper. So it's just really important to just look at these things and it's like, you know, these food businesses are so smart.
00:30:44
Speaker
But, you know, these few companies are so smart and they want you to buy their products. They're like oh, everyone's really into protein now and fitness. So we're going to just put protein on everything. So just like don't be fooled by marketing. And I know Sophie is really good at talking about this in the supermarkets that, you know, don't be fooled by the marketing. Look at what you're eating. And like particularly when it comes to sources of protein, like sticking to the real foods. Like one of the but the most common questions I get is How can you give me some protein snack ideas? How or like give me food ideas to increase my my total daily protein or whatever protein snack ideas.
00:31:21
Speaker
but Just eat more chicken in your dinner. Oh my God. But sorry, obviously if you eat meat, but my, my message here, all jokes aside is you shouldn't need protein snacks. You should be getting enough of a protein source in your breakfast, your lunch and your dinner. And then if you have a supper, a supper, or if you have like two little mini lunches, if you have four meals, that's fine. We can have up to five meals, whatever works best for you, but protein and all of them. And if you're getting enough, like at least a palm sized portion of protein in each of your meals,
00:31:47
Speaker
You don't need to be worrying about protein snacks. Any calories you've left over for snacks. Snack on something you actually want a snack on. Have a bag of popcorn. Have a little Freddo bar. Like, whatever. But if, you know, I just don't think that you need to be like, oh, what am I going to want snack on to get my protein up? No, plan your meals in advance and get your protein from your meals. That's the biggest change. If you make that, it'll make the biggest difference. But in relation to the protein products, like protein bars,
00:32:17
Speaker
The only time I ever really rely on a protein bar is if I'm traveling. You know, if I'm getting on a flight or if I'm staying in a hotel or I'm traveling, driving across the country or whatever, I'll bring a protein bar with me because I'm someone who likes to know where my next meal is coming from. And I don't like to let myself get so hungry that I'm going to eat the leg off the table. So having a protein bar is a great way that it, that I know it's going to fill me and it'll keep me going. It's also, you know, if I want to have a sweet treat, but also don't know where my next meal is coming from, I can have a bit of my protein bar with a coffee or whatever. It comes in handy. My day to day life. I don't eat protein bars. They're not great for your gut. Like I wouldn't be relying on protein bars to hit your protein. Like i said, they're handy if you're out for the day and you're kind of stuck, you know what mean? Get it, buy an apple and have a protein bar.
00:33:01
Speaker
You know mean? And then you've got your your protein and your vegetables or your protein and your and your fruit or vegetables. You know what mean? Buy some carrot sticks and have protein bar. You can do something like that and protein bar will fill you. But there's often as much sugar and fat in a protein bar and there's all like more calories. So like if you look at the calories in like a full-filled protein bar or in the grenade protein bars, they do a lovely Oreo one, like they're like over 200 calories.
00:33:29
Speaker
if You could get like a Kit Kat or a Mars bar or something for less. Like I'd much rather have a dairy milk, but it's totally up to you if you really love them and you want to have them as a treat, but just treat them as a treat because that's what they are. If you don't eat them thinking you're being healthy because you're not, you're just having a treat that happens to be higher in protein. If you're someone who struggles with sugar cravings,
00:33:51
Speaker
And one bar, chocolate bar is never enough. Then protein bars can be helpful because you'll be full after it. And you might only need half. So then you can have half earlier in the day, half later in the day. So you can, but like don't be going more than one a day because you're going to cause digestive issues for yourself. Then protein mousses, protein puddings, protein yogurts in general.
00:34:09
Speaker
I just personally don't eat them. But I don't think that you should be relying on eating loads of them to hit your protein target. I think you should get your protein in in
Balancing Protein Intake and Digestion
00:34:20
Speaker
your meals. And then if having a protein yogurt with your 11 a.m. cup of tea stops you having a Kit Kat or if having a protein mousse in the evening does it for you to keep you within your calories, lowering calories than ah than the biscuits in the press.
00:34:34
Speaker
I think then that's great. Like use it. But again, use them as a treat. Not as, and and they can be a really useful sweet treat, especially early in the day. Because I think if you start having a chocolate bar, I know if I start having a chocolate bar at 11am, it's kind of, I just crave sugar all day. Whereas I prefer to leave my chocolate bar till after dinner. And then, you know, I i enjoy it and I'm going to bed a few hours later and and it's fine.
00:34:58
Speaker
Again, the same as with the protein bars and the protein powder, you know, they are processed. So just go easy on them. That's all. Just don't think that you have to be eating these protein mousses and protein puddings if you don't like them. You know, they they can play a useful part, but yeah, just just go easy on them. And the same with protein cereals and protein breads and protein rice and protein pasta. Just get the normal version and pair it with an actual protein source. You know, that's, like, don't get protein pasta and just have it with tomato sauce. Oh, I'm getting my protein source, my protein pasta. Get your normal pasta and have it with your tofu or your chicken or your beef mince or whatever and make a bolognese or some sort of
00:35:36
Speaker
dish, whatever you want, but with a proper protein source. The pasta is not the protein source. and So yeah, just like, there's just no need for you to be wasting your money on these things. And a lot of this process stuff, you know, isn't good for your gut. It isn't good for your skin and, but all in moderation. You know, like, as I said, I love the healthy, balanced life approach to it all.
00:35:58
Speaker
How much protein is too much protein? The question that a lot of you I know are probably wondering as well. So how much protein is too much protein? I would definitely not be going over. like i definitely wouldn't be going into the 200 grams per day. Let's just put it that way. Personally.
00:36:18
Speaker
My, just think the sweet spot is about 120 to 140 grams of protein is a really nice amount for most women. But in general, like I said, with my clients, we start off getting 100 grams and most of our protein targets, depending on height, weight, age goals, will usually be somewhere between 120 150 grams of protein. It's usually where everyone's protein target falls. It's not set in stone. Like some days I will hit 120 grams of protein.
00:36:44
Speaker
twenty grams of protein Other days I will end up eating 150 or grams of protein, but it usually balances out. on average, I would have about 140 to 150 grams of protein per day. And don't, there's no, there's no need for any more than that. Unless you like, like, you know, if you just naturally eat 170, 180 grams of protein and it agrees with you and that's the way you eat, that's okay. That's no problem. You're not eating too much. So if you're someone who currently eats 40 something grams of protein by bringing your calorie, your protein up significantly or at say slowly up to 100 grams and then maybe going towards a protein target of 120, 140 over time, you're not eating too much protein like you it would take take an awful lot of effort. If you're already a low protein kind of gal.
00:37:29
Speaker
it's not a concern of yours. Like you're not going to be eating too much protein. You can do too much too quick. If you go from 40 grams up to 140 grams in the space of a week, yeah, you're going to that's going to feel like too much in your system. But over time, it's it's about doing it gradually. Always keep it between 120 and 150 grams per day. And things to watch out for when it comes to protein is digestive issues. So protein doesn't have any fiber in it.
00:37:59
Speaker
So eating too much protein or too much protein too quick or changing the amount of protein you're eating can lead to constipation. So it's really important to remember to increase your fiber and your water and your movement, okay, as well as increasing your protein. So it's not just protein by itself, it's protein-based.
00:38:18
Speaker
fiber, water, movement. All of that is really important. If you find that you are quite constipated, reduce the protein back a little bit initially. Go to your chemist, dis discuss the constipation with your chemist. Maybe you need a laxative to just get yourself cleared and go again and do it in a more gradual way. that if you are quite constipated, adding more and more fiber might not be the answer. It's more that you want the protein, the fiber, the water, the movement to prevent the constipation. If you're feeling quite constipated, plenty of water and do just visit your chemist. It's easier. And then just take things a little bit slower with the protein next time as well. And then sometimes like with the digestive issues, if you lot of your protein is coming from the protein mousses, the protein bars, the protein powders, it might be like, okay, i need to eat more whole sources of protein. And that's that's also something to think about. Dehydration. So protein.
00:39:07
Speaker
So the processing of protein requires more water. So make sure that you're replacing that by drinking more water. So aim for two to two and a half litres per day, which you should be doing anyway. So if you're feeling sluggish, OK, very high protein at the expense of carbs can zap energy levels. So this is really important. Like balance is key here. So if you're trying to stick to a calorie deficit.
00:39:27
Speaker
So if let's just say, for example, if your calories are your deficit calories are seventeen hundred and you're trying to stick to seventeen hundred calories. And you're eating like 180 grams of protein, let's say 180 grams of protein is going to be a significant amount of calories, which means you don't have that many calories left for your fats and your your carbs.
00:39:47
Speaker
So you're probably not eating enough carbs to which your body needs for energy. And you're probably not eating enough fats, which your hormones need. And all of like it balance is so key here. Your protein target is relative to you and getting the balance of the protein, the carbs and the fats is super important, which is exactly you know what we do in our coaching and help our clients build that balance. And it's never set in stone. It never has to be perfect. And it is flexible and tweaks and adjustments need to be made. But when you find the sweet spot, it's fantastic.
00:40:15
Speaker
and In relation to kidney strain, in extreme cases, this is only a concern with very excessive intakes over a long period of time or people with kidney conditions. If you have any kidney conditions, you don't take general protein advice. You let you go with your any type of medical condition that advises your protein level, your protein intake, you go with the medical advice. It's so important. But for the general...
00:40:45
Speaker
population that do not have issues with their kidneys or any type of condition in which protein needs to be managed you would want to be having an excessive amount like i said just keep it between 100 20 150 even men just keep it under if you're like a six foot man just keep it under grams Just keep it in the hundreds.
00:41:03
Speaker
You'd be grand. The higher hundreds, probably, if you're a man. But like I said, if you go to the show notes and you look at my links there, the link to the calorie calculator, it's free. It's there. It'll calculate your calories, your macros for all the different goals, whether it's maintenance, whether it is fat loss, whether it's muscle gain, and it'll give you a good starting point to work with.
Consistency and Post-Workout Protein
00:41:24
Speaker
So protein timing and distribution. So then another thing, question I get a lot is should I have protein before or after my training and how soon and what form does it have to be a protein shake?
00:41:36
Speaker
Just be consistent. OK, be consistent with your protein throughout the day. Don't have all your protein in one meal, spread it out throughout the day. And protein isn't like calories. You can't bank your protein for, you know, and have more protein some days and others. You want to be consistent day to day as much as like, obviously it's going to be certain fluctuations, but you don't have 40 grams of protein one day and 140 grams the next day. And then 70 grams the next day, then 120 the next day. You want it to be somewhat consistent every day.
00:42:05
Speaker
And within the day, you want a protein source in every one of your meals that like that. It's really important for the absorption of protein that you do that. Starting strong with a high protein breakfast is the biggest gift you can give to yourself, your health and your fat loss journey and your ability to stick to a calorie deficit to lose body fat. It helps manage hunger, stabilize your blood sugar, and it sets the tone for the day. So think eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powder,
00:42:33
Speaker
whatever you could do turkey rashers if you want but a protein source in the breakfast so important the days of just carbohydrate breakfasts are gone you can have the carbs you just got to have a protein source with it okay so always when you're looking at something if there's no protein in it you're like right what protein source can I put with this even if it doesn't match it doesn't matter just get it in you can have like toast and jam and then have a boiled egg with it you know it just doesn't matter whatever works for you and When it comes to that post-workout window, okay, so they they do say that you should get 20 to 40 grams of protein in within one to two hours after training, which is going to maximize your protein, muscle sorry, your muscle protein synthesis. You could have a protein shake, you could have it an hour or two after training, like within the hour or two after training. Or just like if if you're training before breakfast, have your breakfast when you get back. Or if you're training before lunch, if you're lunch when you get back. If you're training before dinner, have your dinner when you get back. if you're training after dinner in the evening time, make sure you have enough calories there for a little post-workout snack. Because especially if you're lifting heavy or if you're running or if you're doing any type of high intensity or you know any type of resistance training using your muscles you're going to need. So you want to be pairing protein and carbs post-workout. But it doesn't have to be immediately. That window is much longer. And there's evidence that shows that that window can be up to four hours afterwards. So just make sure your next meal is balanced. Don't let yourself get starving after your workout. Like, I think we need to trust our bodies a lot more here and really just listen to what our bodies are saying. If you're hungry, eat. Like today, after my workout, I was starving. I was meeting someone for lunch, but I was so hungry. I was like, I had to have a slice of toast and jam because I just, and I knew I needed carbohydrates. I could feel it. My I was suddenly tired and it was it was a post workout. Your glycogen stores need more. And and I knew I was going to be having a nice balanced lunch. So, you know, but usually I would be like where it's a protein source with that. But, you know, you do have to listen to yourself when you need to eat as well.
00:44:31
Speaker
And, you know, it's okay sometimes to have like just a banana or like I said, a slice of toast and jam or something, you know, particularly post-workout carbohydrate on its own, knowing that you have a balanced meal coming. Now it's easy for me to do while I'm at maintenance, but when you're in a calorie deficit, you need to be a little bit more planned and structured on this in order to stay within your calories. Then obviously, like I said, we're spreading protein throughout the day, the morning protein, the post-workout food in general, and then evening protein as well. So casein rich foods before bed, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt can support overnight muscle repair and reduce muscle breakdown during sleep. And this is where our muscles repair and get stronger during our rest. And so why sleep is so important as we're trying to build muscle and get stronger. So Greek yogurt. But another thing that's great before bed is oats. So actually overnight oats can be a really nice evening time snack. to have the before bed because Greek yogurt and the oats are both or, you know, yeah, you can like whatever, sometimes you can get like an oat based granola or something like that. It can be a really nice evening snack, you know, a little bit of honey or whatever to help you sleep as well and to protect your muscles while you sleep.
00:45:40
Speaker
So I've kind of covered a lot. This a solo episode is a lot longer than they usually are, but I think it's been worth it. I think I'll just do a
Conclusion and Coaching Promotion
00:45:48
Speaker
quick little recap on your protein action plan. So point number one, work out your protein target, which is your weight in kilograms multiplied by 1.6. And that will give you your grams of protein for the day. Or just click on my calorie calculator in the show notes that will do it for you and give you your protein, carbs, fats, your calories, the whole lot.
00:46:06
Speaker
Include one to two palm size portions of protein per meal. Choose whole food sources first. This is so important. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, whole sources as much as possible. Get your protein in through the meals. Spread your protein across three to four meals throughout the day. Don't be relying on snacks for your protein. You want it in your meals. If you're struggling to hit your target, consider a good quality protein powder and aim to stay under 150 grams a day unless advised otherwise.
00:46:37
Speaker
like 120 to 150 grams of protein per day, ideal, even 100 to 150, depending on where your starting point is, but just build it up gradually. There's no rush. Like with all of this, there's no rush with any of this. You're setting healthy habits for your new healthy lifestyle, which is going to be your lifestyle for the rest of your life. So take your time with it, find what works for you. And I'm always there wherever you follow me, whether it's Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, even YouTube. I'm on YouTube, FYI.
00:47:05
Speaker
Maybe you're watching me on YouTube right now, actually, are you? And I think most of you are probably on Spotify or Apple podcasts. But anyway, if you have any questions, message me on any of those platforms. And don't just comment because I tend not to get back to comments as as easy. But if you do ever any messages or questions or thoughts or reflections or anything, please do DM me because I will always make an effort to get back to the DMs. And thank you so much for listening. If you made it this far, we're nearly an hour in and I applaud you. And I hope that wasn't information overload. I hope you found it helpful. And yeah, as always, if you enjoyed the episode, share it with your friends, share it on your stories, in your WhatsApp groups, leave a review if you have time, that would be really helpful or even just make sure that you're subscribed because a lot of people listen and aren't actually subscribed to the podcast. All of these little things make a huge difference. And
00:47:56
Speaker
If you're like all of these things are starting to piece together that I'm talking about in the podcast week after week, episode after episode, this is what we do in the coaching. So we do it with community, with one-to-one support, with check-ins, with an app, with workouts, with weekly live group calls, with yoga classes, with like so much, with recipes, with meal plan ideas, with with everything.
00:48:21
Speaker
Like, you know, we cover you from all aspects of your life. That's what we do in Nourish Her Coaching. So if you think you want a little bit more of that, then check out the show notes as well. There's a link to my coaching website there and you'll be able to have a read and a watch of what's involved. And when the next intake is, we take people in once a month.
00:48:40
Speaker
You can't start mid month. It's always once a month. We start people together and it is one-to-one coaching, but with in a with a group balance. So it's one-to-one and group mix. So you get the benefits of both. So yeah, hit me up.
00:48:54
Speaker
Let me know if you're interested. Just click the link, find out when the next intake is. And thank you so much for listening. And I will talk to you all on the next episode.