If you want to look good on the outside, then you need to start by working on what you look like on the inside. Everything you eat becomes a part of you. Protein makes up part of the structure of every cell and tissue in your body, including your muscle tissue, internal organs, tendons, skin, hair and nails. Your ability to see, think, hear, and move – in fact, to do just about anything that you consider part of healthy life – requires protein. On average, it comprises of about 20% of your total body weight. Protein is needed for the growth and formation of new muscle tissue, tissue repair and for regulating many metabolic pathways, it can also be used as a fuel for energy production during exercise.

Every day the body uses more proteins than you get from food, therefore it is important to provide the body with a continuous supply to maintain adequate protein levels. If your diet does not contain a sufficient amount of protein, you will start to digest and breakdown the proteins in your body i.e. muscle.

There is a simple equation to identify your personal protein requirements, see the table below.

Table 1: Protein intake for active individuals

Group Protein intake (g/kg/day)
Sedentary men and women 0.8-1.0
Elite endurance athletes 1.6
Moderate-intensity endurance athletes (a) 1.2
Recreational endurance athletes (b) 0.8-1.0
Football, power sports 1.4-1.7
Resistance athletes (early training) 1.5-1.7
Resistance athletes (steady state) 1.0-1.2
Female athletes ~15% lower than male athletes

http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/protein_-_how_much

Example:

70kg male playing football requires 1.4-1.7g per kg body weight per day. This equates to 98g-119g per day. If the footballer were to eat 5-meals per day this would equal 20g-24g of protein per meal. Are you consuming enough? The table below identifies the protein content of common foods.

Table 2: Protein content of common foods

Food Serve size Protein (g)
Beef fillet, grilled, lean

Chicken fillet, skinless, grilled

Turkey, lean, baked

Pork, boneless, lean, cooked

Fish, grilled

Canned Tuna

Milk, skim

Milk, full cream

Soy Milk

Egg, hard boiled

Yoghurt, low fat, plain

Cheese, cheddar

Cottage cheese

Ricotta cheese

Rice, white cooked

Bread, wholemeal

 100g

100g

100g

100g

100g

100g

1 cup (250ml)

1 cup (250ml)

1 cup (250ml)

1 large

1 tub (200g)

1 slice (20g)

30g

30g

1 cup (160g)

1 slice (30g)

 30

28

30

23

21

29

9

8.5

6

6

11

5

5

3.3

4

3

 

Calorie and Fat Counter 2002, 29th Edition

The saying ‘you are what you eat’ is not actually far from the truth. What you put into your body will determine how you feel and look on the outside. Eat protein with every meal and include at least one or two protein snacks e.g. Musashi Protein Wafer Bar or Musashi High Protein Drink (375ml) per day to assist muscle recovery and development.