What exactly is protein and why is it so popular?

This week I want to talk a little bit about protein, because you may have noticed a recent trend towards more and more foods appearing on supermarket shelves with the word “protein” on them.

Lots of familiar foods are suddenly promoting the fact that they are “high in protein” and there are lots of new protein products being launched, such as protein bars and protein drinks.

In my own personal experience from chatting with people, this trend has led to a lot of confusion around protein and how much of it we need, with the recent hype leading many people to believe that they need to be running out and buying protein bars because protein is something we are all majorly deficient in!

But this is not really the case…

So, what is protein?
Protein, very simply, is a nutrient found in food. It is one of three nutrients that our bodies need in large quantities (the other two being carbohydrates and fat). It’s a good job then that there are large amounts of protein found in many foods!

Protein has many functions in our body, but the main one is that it helps our bodies to grow and build and repair. Think of it like this – our body is like a machine that is constantly switched on and working and it, therefore, experiences wear and tear on a daily basis. When we eat protein, it helps our body to repair this daily wear and tear.

When I ask clients what they think protein is, they often mention things like “muscles” and “bodybuilders”. The reason we have come to associate protein with gyms and people who are working out a lot is simply because these people are very active and they, therefore, experience more wear and tear in their bodies (it’s like their machine is working at a faster pace!), so they do indeed need higher amounts of protein to help their body repair and recover from this.

But even an elderly person who spends all day sitting, not being physically active, still experiences wear and tear in their body because they are thinking, breathing, digesting, etc. (Their machine is still switched on!) So it is extremely important to remember that ALL of us need to eat protein, it’s not just for bodybuilders!

Where is protein found?
Despite the recent growth in many processed foods containing protein, such as protein bars and drinks, there are many real, healthy, nourishing whole foods that are naturally high in protein (and also high in lots of other nutrients as well!) and this is where we should all be getting our protein from!

Foods that are naturally high in protein are things like meat and other animal products such as dairy, eggs and fish, as well as plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, lentils and beans.

How much protein do we need?
As you can see, protein is found in many foods, and even foods that are not high in protein still contain some protein, so it all adds up. For this reason, the vast majority of people already eat more than enough protein in their normal diet. So, despite the hype around protein, it is not really something that we tend to be deficient in.

There are some guidelines out there about how many grams of protein we should eat, based on what we weigh and how active we are, but I personally hate the idea of our diets becoming like some sort of mathematical equation! Sure, if you are very active and have very specific restrictions relating to your diet and training goals, you may want to measure how much protein you eat.

But the vast majority of people I deal with are just regular people who want to become healthy, and it is not necessary to measure how many grams of protein you are eating! Simply be aware of what nourishing wholefoods are high in protein (as listed above) and include some of these foods in each meal and snack. For example, oats would not be very high in protein, so when I have porridge for breakfast I always make sure I add some foods high in protein such as nuts or seeds or yoghurt.

So, to sum up, you do not need to run out and stock up on protein bars! As always, look beyond the claims that are made on the front of a packet, be aware of what you are actually eating and focus on eating real, nourishing whole foods that have lots of nutrients and health benefits.