So according to the article I posted last week, FSA guidelines state that the average person should consume approximately 0.8-1.0g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight for a healthy diet.
Those who exercise should consume more, but not considerably so, and for women, these numbers are cut by 15%. Therefore, for me, some rough calculations indicate that I should be taking on between 52-65g of protein per day (assuming a value of 0.8-1g/kg).
If we say that in an average day I would eat something like...
Breakfast - 2 poached eggs on toast
Lunch - Chicken salad
Dinner - Salmon and broccoli
I would have consumed:
2 eggs ~12g protein
which totals 51g of protein, plus any extra cheese, nuts, beans, yoghurt or milk I may have eaten that day. So I think that my diet is generally sufficient in protein for my body, and the same for most people who eat healthily.
However, this is obviously an "average" day, sometimes I may eat better, sometimes worse and while I generally will take on all the vitamins, minerals, macronutrients I need, there's no harm in having a back up option for that which you might miss out on- whether that's a vitamin tablet or a protein shake.
Love almond milk! |
I don't believe that protein shakes should really come to replace meals long term, but for convenience and refuelling on the go they're great! If you're unable to take on the protein you need via natural foods, but want to refuel straight after a hard workout having a protein shake handy is a good idea.
I've been having mine after my morning Crossfit sessions - these finish at 8am and then I have to get the train to work, shower, dress and make my way to my desk usually around 9:15am. By then I'm pretty famished and sometimes a little shaky! So I've started having a protein shake made with 1 scoop of Matrix Whey Protein (chocolate flavour, nom!) mixed with 300ml of almond milk on the train straight after the workout.
It mixes really well and doesn't leave any gritty residue, the chocolate flavour tastes great and it's really easy to drink and means I arrive at work feeling more human and less like I want to eat everything in sight!
I had a bit of an experiment at the weekend too and proved that you can even cook with whey protein for a tasty protein boosting snack ๐
This Chocolate Carrot Protein Cake is based on the recipe from PaleoOMG, with a few tweaks. Mine isn't technically paleo as I used peanut butter because I didn't have any almond butter in the house (I know, sacrilege!).
It comes out a little denser than a regular cake, but still tastes pretty good! ๐
Have you ever cooked with whey protein? Any thoughts on the recommended daily intake?
Beki x
NB: I was sent some Chocolate Matrix Whey Protein to try by The Supplement Centre but as always all opinions are my own!
Er... OMG I NEED THIS CAKE IN MY LIFE. Peanut butter carrot cake?! Two of my favourite things. I'm gonna see if I can find a recipe to do with mine, although mine's Vanilla flavour so we'll see...
I've been adding a scoop to my egg and banana pancakes in the morning for an extra protein boost - have yet to venture onto other things to cook with it!
The original recipe uses vanilla flavour with cinnamon and raisins, so you could give that a try! Your pancakes sound good - what quantities do you use? ๐