Have you ever wondered why you feel more fatigued or struggle with cravings as you age? You're not alone, and the answer might lie in your protein intake! In this enlightening episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I delve into the critical role of protein for women, particularly for those over 40. As we age, maintaining our health, energy levels, and lean muscle becomes increasingly important, and protein is a key player in this equation.
Have you ever wondered why you feel more fatigued or struggle with cravings as you age? You're not alone, and the answer might lie in your protein intake! In this enlightening episode of The Holly Perkins Health Podcast, I delve into the critical role of protein for women, particularly for those over 40. As we age, maintaining our health, energy levels, and lean muscle becomes increasingly important, and protein is a key player in this equation.
Join me as I introduce the Protein Leverage Hypothesis, which reveals how inadequate protein consumption can lead to increased hunger and overeating. It’s not just about building muscle; it's about preserving lean muscle mass, especially as we confront sarcopenia—the natural decline in muscle mass that occurs with age. I’ll share my recommendations on protein for women that you should aim for daily, suggesting a target of 1. 4 to 2. 0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight based on your unique factors like activity level and overall health.
But that's not all! I also discuss the importance of pairing protein with carbohydrates for optimal blood sugar regulation, and why variety in your protein sources is crucial for getting all the essential amino acids your body needs. As we navigate the complexities of women's health, especially during menopause and midlife, prioritizing protein for women can enhance energy levels, curb cravings, and significantly improve overall health.
Throughout this episode, I address common misconceptions about protein for women and muscle gain, offering you practical advice and insights that can transform your approach to nutrition. Whether you’re looking for effective weight loss strategies, workout tips, or simply want to boost your mental health and wellness, this episode is packed with valuable information tailored just for you. Let’s prioritize protein together and unlock a healthier, more energized version of ourselves!
Don’t miss out on this essential conversation about protein for women—tune in now and discover how to eat for muscle, improve your fitness motivation, and embrace clean eating tips that work for you!
If you're interested in womens health, this is the podcast for you.
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Speaker #0 Protein is a powerful macronutrient for women over 40 when it comes to eating for health, fat loss, and energy. And with its power comes a bit of complexity in terms of how much to eat, when to eat it, and from what sources. And when you get your protein intake right, you'll notice more stamina, less belly fat, and optimal health. So if you're wanting to get your protein right for maximum benefits, keep listening. Hello and welcome. Thank you for being here. If you are new, I'm Holly Perkins and I help women, mostly over 40, to use strength training and nutrition to improve your body composition so that you are at least 70% lean mass because that is the point where you reduce your risk of disease, you feel strong, you feel resilient, and you create the body that you need to keep up with a life that you love. If you're trying to eat healthy, or cutting calories, or watching your carb intake, but you're still feeling tired or hungry, or you feel like your body isn't changing in the direction that you want it to, getting your protein right could be the missing link. What if one nutrient that you're not prioritizing enough is the key to fat loss and energy and long-term health? If you feel like you're always hungry, regardless of what you eat, or you notice that you're always tired and ready for a nap in the afternoon or after lunch, you know that it's really hard to stay consistent in your habits long enough to get results. If you're dealing with these symptoms, they really can undermine your efforts. If you're eating less, but the scale isn't moving, Today's conversation will give you some direction to ensure that you're getting protein right for health, fat loss, and energy. So get this. In 2005, there was a paper published in the journal Obesity Reviews that established something called the Protein Leverage Hypothesis. It proposes that humans have a strong biological drive to consume a target amount of protein each day. And if your Diet is low in protein? The body will increase hunger and food intake in an attempt to reach that protein target. And this can so easily lead to overeating because your body is seeking protein and creating the urges in order to get it. And I will say, during the days when my protein is low, I experience this just pervasive desire to eat. and I never feel quite satisfied. It's the days when I tend to snack more and nothing ever seems to make me happy. And I watch myself looking for something to satisfy me, but nothing does. I see this with clients too. And when they hit their protein intake at key intervals during the day, their hunger, appetite, and food cravings become minimal. And I see this with myself. It's like the food noise dies down when I'm getting my target amount of protein throughout the day. In fact, sometimes the strategy is so powerful that my clients report it a struggle to eat because they're not hungry at all. And I've experienced this as well. When my blood sugar is stable and I'm hitting my protein, I don't have as much of an appetite. And while this might seem like a problem, It's actually a very powerful strategy, especially when you're in a calorie deficit, and then there's a tendency to be hungry because if you're in a calorie deficit, either knowingly or unknowingly, you are going to deal with hunger, appetite, and food cravings. If your goal is to have better energy, reduce hunger and cravings, and protect your lean muscle mass, getting your protein right is vital. So in this episode, you'll learn why protein becomes more important as we age, the relationship between protein and unstable blood sugar, the biggest protein mistake women over 40 are making, and exactly how to eat protein and from what sources for fat loss, energy, and muscle health. I've watched my clients adjust their protein habits and immediately see an improvement in mood, stamina, appetite. recovery from workouts, sugar cravings, and even worldview. The foods you eat are the very chemistry of your biology. And I think a lot of women underestimate the influence of foods in their life. Did you know that you can radically alter your biology, your neurotransmitters, your gut environment, how you think and who you are by the chemistry of food? I see it all the time with myself and with my clients. And when you get your nutrition right, so much opens up. And protein is a big part of it. It's not the whole story, but that's what we're talking about today. If you want to be a powerhouse in life, and feel unstoppable on all levels. Getting your nutrition right is absolutely essential. And more specifically, the fastest and easiest way to improve health, fat loss, and energy is to eat in a way that supports blood sugar regulation. And the best way to improve blood sugar regulation is to get your protein right and pair it with carbohydrates at every meal and snack. I'm going to be talking about this more in a moment. When blood sugar is regulated, fatty acids are freed up to be used as your fuel all day long. This will become the fuel that your brain uses because your brain will then have the glucose it needs. And it's the fuel that fuels physical activity. And when you train your body to tap into fat. as fuel, you feel amazing because it really is how the human body is designed to run. Now, it's not as simple as biohacking because carbohydrates do play a role here, and I'm going to get to that in a moment as well. So let's review protein for women so you can eat for health, fat loss, and energy. Something I see on the regular and I would say is the number one mistake that women make. when it comes to nutrition is the misunderstanding that dietary protein is only important for building big muscles. If you spend any time in the media or social media, you'll unconsciously start to correlate protein with muscles. And that's really just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of women are believing that if I eat more protein, I will get more bigger muscles. And that's kind of true, but it's really not as simple as that. But it makes sense to me because we often hear protein get mentioned a lot, especially in the bodybuilding circles or amongst the kind of like muscle-focused big burly men. And so it's normal to associate protein with big muscles because protein is super important for muscle building, but it's not a direct correlation. If you eat more protein, you won't. get big muscles, you've got to be strength training. And more specifically, you've got to be doing progressive overload strength training on the regular and fighting really hard to build big muscles. But if that's your path, and I hope it is, protein is such an important part of it. And even if you don't want bigger muscles or more muscle, getting your protein right is going to maintain the muscle you have. But it actually ends with that part of the conversation because the start is equally important. Because protein is also essential for just maintaining the muscle that you have now so that you can keep it for the years ahead. Muscle really is the organ of longevity. And without it, a long life isn't much of a life at all. Because without muscle, you won't have the strength and the power to stay active or to even stay independent. If you call to mind, let's say, an older person that you know in your life, maybe it's a parent or maybe a grandparent or just that sort of image of an older person, generally what comes to mind is someone who's slumped over in a rocking chair, who's frail, who struggles to walk, they struggle to go up and down stairs. And while to some degree that's expected as we get into our 80s and beyond. A big piece of that is muscle loss that comes with age. If you want to stay in the game of life and out of the rocking chair, muscle is incredibly important. And protein is a big piece of the puzzle. So yes, protein is key when it comes to preserving and building muscles. But protein is not about getting bulky. Protein preserves lean muscle mass. which naturally declines starting in your 30s. This is called sarcopenia, and it starts to accelerate in your mid to late 30s, and it gets faster and faster and faster with every passing birthday. Sarcopenia is the natural process of muscle loss that comes every year. It's a fact of life. It's a medical term. There's nothing you can do to avoid it. It happens, but... There are so many things that you can do now to slow the rate. Research consistently shows that maintaining muscle mass improves metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, brain function, and it reduces the risk of chronic disease. All-cause mortality goes down as you maintain and build muscle mass. Muscle is literally what keeps your metabolism steady. and strong and humming on all levels. Adequate protein supports muscle maintenance and growth, and this means a higher resting metabolism, improved fat loss potential, and better long-term health. Because of sarcopenia, protein becomes even more important as you age. In your 20s or 30s, you've got more of a margin of error. We also tend to eat more, and so you naturally tend to get a little bit more protein. But when muscle loss accelerates drastically in midlife, especially around and after menopause, protein becomes a vital nutrient. Just like vitamin C or vitamin D, you have to ensure that number one, you're getting enough protein each day. And number two, you're getting exposure to a variety of amino acids. through different sources of protein. Not all proteins are created equally. If you're someone who relies on chicken, chicken, chicken, or collagen powder after collagen powder, or Greek yogurt or cottage cheese all day long, this piece of the puzzle will be super helpful for you to hear. Now, before I get into the nitty gritty, and I will, this is one of those episodes that you're going to want to bookmark and take some notes on. Some experts will tell you that getting enough protein each day is more important than where the protein comes from. So the first step really is ensuring that you're just getting enough each day, regardless of where it's coming from. And the question becomes then, right, well, how do I know how much I should be getting? And that's a really important question that I think is so worthy of examining and also doing a bit of an audit in your life. to make sure that you're just getting enough in general. And I'm going to answer this in a way that I've never done before, because you will hear other experts like me saying, aim for a certain amount of protein per pound of body weight per day, right? You hear this all the time. And what you're gonna hear from me is, aim for 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. And so you might be wondering, as I did for a while, well, 1.4 to 2.0, where should I be in that range? Should I aim for the low end? Is that enough? Or do I need to target the upper end? Or is that too much? And these are really great questions because if you're getting more protein than you actually need, it's going to mean there's less space for equally important carbohydrates and healthy fats. Some people think, well, who cares if I'm getting too much protein? There's no problem in that. And that's not exactly true because either then you're going to be eating too many calories in general, and that may or may not be a part of your goal, or it is taking the place of carbohydrates, which you need for energy, or healthy fats, which you need for brain function and hormone production. So more protein is not the answer here. Right protein is right. So let me give you some detailed guidance around exactly how much protein for women is appropriate for each day, especially if you're a science nerd like me and you like to really geek out on these details. I'm going to give it to you, but here's the thing. I know that some of you listening are not that person. I would say my audience is very interesting because like half of my listeners just want the high-level cliff notes. And then the other half, I think, come to me because they like all of the science and the insights and the research. Oh, by the way, research is always linked in my show notes. I've got two really good links for you in these show notes. And so I always like to speak to both people. If you're the person who wants the quick and dirty, the give me the general target to make my life easy, I will say this. My most successful clients get incredible results simply by doing this one thing, targeting 25 to 30% of their total daily calories from protein. That's what I do. It's really simple. Whatever you eat each day, make sure 25 to 30% of that comes from protein. you're going to be fine. So there's your answer. If you want to run off with just like a general suggestion and write it down, it works. That's how I do it. I know that at my current calorie intake, 25% of my daily calories is actually more protein than I actually need when I sit down and I calculate it for my body weight and my goals. But let's get into the more detailed part of it because I love that. I think you do too. so that you can get your protein right. After so much research, if you only knew how many hours I spend each week in research, it would blow your mind. And where I've landed after a lot of research into this, I follow the ISSN, which is the International Society of Sports Nutrition. I follow their position stand on protein. And it says that most active people need between 1.4 and 2.0 grams of protein for kilogram of body weight. If you're in the United States and you weigh yourself in US pounds, the range would be 0.64 to 0.91 grams of protein per pound of body weight. So when you hear those Instagram influencers, I see them all the time, I get a little hot and bothered. When they say you need one gram of protein per pound of body weight, I personally don't agree. I think that's a little heavy handed. Again, you're not going to ruin your life and go super far off track if you get that much protein, but I think you need carbohydrates more than you need that extra bit of protein. I digress. Here is how you can determine if you're optimal, let's say, at the lower end of that protein intake or if you're someone who needs the higher end. Now, listen, what I'm going to share next is based on my experience, my education. my 30 years in practice coaching women, my hours and hours and hours of looking at the research. I think that most of my colleagues would agree with what I'm going to say, but I don't have explicit research on exactly these numbers. Follow along with me because that makes a lot of sense. For each of the considerations that I'm going to share in a moment, there's five of them. You want to incrementally add protein beyond that lower number of 1.4 grams of protein per kg or 0.64 grams of protein per pound, okay? Here are the five considerations. You want to incrementally add, and I'll explain what that means in a moment, more protein for every decade of life after 30. So when you turn 40, you'll add more. When you turn 50, you'll add more. 60, you'll add more. I'm going to give you an example in a moment. Number two, injury or illness. And in this category, I include things like autoimmune disorders, okay? Anything that is taxing on your central nervous system or your biology in general. Number three, being in a weight loss, calorie deficit phase, you will automatically need more protein. Number four, if you're strength training with real effort. you are going in in beast mode, you are squatting and deadlifting like a boss, you're increasing your weight loads, and you're doing that more than three sessions per week. Number five, endurance sports, where you're also training hard in addition to strength training sessions. Okay? So here's your example. For each of the considerations above, you will add 0.1 grams of protein per kg of body weight. Let me give you an example. So we're going to start on that low end, 1.4. And again, to some degree, don't rack your brain on the numbers that I'm giving you. I want you to understand this conceptually. Then when you've got a notebook in front of you, you can jot it all out. And don't forget, if this is too much for your brain, just aim for 25 to 30% of your daily calories from protein because I've done... all kinds of gymnastics and mathematics, and it ends up being pretty darn close for most people. If you're trying to get on the cover of a magazine, it might be a different story. If you're trying to win a bodybuilding competition, different conversation. But for most average people... I want you to understand this conceptually. So starting at that low end of 1.4 grams of protein per kg in a body weight, which is sufficient, this would be sufficient for a woman in her 30s who is generally healthy, who's not in a weight loss phase, who works out three to five times per week like most normal people. She's not a crazy person in the gym. When that woman turns 40. She would add 0.1 grams of protein to then arrive at 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight. And let's say then she decides to start a weight loss program to lose maybe some leftover baby weight. And she would then add another 0.1 grams of protein. And her new target would be 1.6 grams of protein. per kilogram per day. Follow me? Now, when she gets into her 50s, she would add another 0.1 grams of protein. And let's say she starts to get very serious about strength training and muscle building at that time in her life, she would need another 0.1 grams. So you see the pattern here, right? And so what would be the circumstance where a woman would need that upper end. Let me give you an example. Number one, she's in her fifties. Number two, she works really hard in the gym, trying to build muscle, progressively overloading her weight loads in her exercises. Number three, she has an autoimmune condition. Number four, she also plays competitive tennis two to three times per week. And number five, she just got an osteopenia diagnosis. That is the circumstance where a person would need upwards of 2.0 grams of protein per kg of body weight or 0.91 grams per pound of body weight. These are all conditions where she needs to increase her protein intake to support all of the building and the repairing processes in her body. Now, if that all feels just like way too much info, like I said, bookmark this episode, come back and give it a listen again when you can jot down some notes. Next up, I'm going to talk about the different sources of protein so that you can ensure great amino acid exposure. But first, I want to tell you about a sponsor of this podcast because I am obsessed and super passionate about this product. What I've noticed after 30 years in practice coaching women is that sleep changes as you get older. In your early 20s, your sleep is erratic. You stay up late. You get less sleep, but somehow you still manage to function the next day. You'd power through, grab a coffee, eat some sugar, and you would be fine. This was me in my 20s, burning the candle at both ends. The thing is, that doesn't really work anymore. Somewhere in your late 30s, early 40s, sleep stops being optional. You feel it when it's off. You feel the brain fog. You feel less patient with people. You're more triggered. Your workouts are sluggish. And it's the sense that you're just not firing on all cylinders. And that's when you realize how important deep quality sleep is. 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With my discount, you can grab Dream for up to 40% off. Try it today. So let's talk about protein for women for energy. There are three different considerations from my perspective. The first is the amino acid profiles that you get from eating different sources, different kinds of protein. Number two, the consideration of pairing and combining protein and carbohydrates for blood sugar regulation. And number three, calorie considerations. So let's start with number one, the considerations around what protein sources you choose. Because if you want optimal energy and stamina, it's super important that you're getting exposure to as many amino acids as possible, especially if you're active. So a quick high school lesson, in case you've forgotten, there are nine essential amino acids. EAAs, essential amino acids. And they're called essential because you have to get them from food. Your body can't synthesize them themselves from other foods. Those mine are, if you care, leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and histidine. Say that five times super fast. I get a gold medal for that. A high quality protein provides. Those nine essential amino acids in sufficient amounts so that you get the biggest bang for your eating buck, so to speak, because different foods have different amounts of amino acids. Some are going to be higher in methionine. Some are going to be higher in leucine or isoleucine. This is where animal proteins really shine. Because they are typically considered a complete protein because they have all nine essential amino acids in sufficient amounts, but to varying degrees. Chicken is going to have a different profile than beef, is going to have a different profile than an egg. If a food is low in one of those essential amino acids, protein synthesis is constrained and your body doesn't have all the resources that it needs. for optimal health and energy and healing. And this is why we differentiate between animal proteins and plant proteins. Plant proteins are generally lower in one or more of those nine essential amino acids, with the exception of soy, which is generally considered a complete protein. And it's as close to an animal protein that a plant can possibly get. So because of this, it's super important to get protein from a variety of sources so that you can maximize your exposure to all of the essential amino acids. And while chicken is a complete and super healthy protein, you still want to incorporate other proteins because each one has a different amino acid profile. My best advice that I give my clients is this. Aim for at least five different sources of protein each day and then five different sources tomorrow. This means that, for example, maybe today you eat chicken, cottage cheese, tofu, halibut, and some protein powder, okay? That's five different protein-dominant foods with different amino acid profiles. And then tomorrow you eat egg whites, ground turkey, cod, beef. and Greek yogurt. This approach is going to ensure that you get great amino acid exposure for optimal health. It's going to help in fat loss and energy. And a big mistake that I see women making is chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken, or cottage cheese, cottage cheese, cottage cheese, cottage cheese, right? Are you guilty of that? I know I am. I have a very limited diet and turkey in all its forms. really is my go-to protein source. And that becomes a problem if it's my primary protein source and I'm not getting exposure to all of those other amino acids.The second consideration for protein for women for energy is eating for blood sugar regulation. Another quick high school nutrition lesson. Stable blood sugar is the cornerstone of optimal health. You cannot be optimally healthy or full of energy if your blood sugar is unstable. The fastest and easiest way to regulate blood sugar is by combining protein, with carbohydrates every single time you eat. And if that's all you do, you're going to move in the direction of better blood sugar regulation, regardless of the carbohydrates you're eating. See, protein is half of the equation when it comes to balancing blood sugar. Carbs are the other half. So when you choose your five different sources of protein tomorrow, I encourage you to automatically get into the habit of pairing it with a carbohydrate. So maybe it's egg whites with oatmeal for breakfast, or Greek yogurt with fruit as a snack, cod, brown rice and beans for lunch, chicken breast with sweet potatoes and greens for dinner. Get into the habit of pairing them. If you want to eat for health and energy, this is it. This will change your life. When I discovered this, ooh, in my late 20s, it was like the light bulb went off and I felt radically different. Be strategic with your protein sources and then pair them with carbohydrates every time you eat. And oh yes, it goes without saying, I want you to choose healthy, high fiber, great sources of carbohydrates. We're not talking about turkey, bacon, and Smarties, right? The third consideration for eating protein for energy and health is making sure that you're actually just eating enough calories in general each day. Energy maintenance is the term that we use to indicate that you're eating the same amount of calories you're taking them in as you expend each day. And it's absolutely critical if you want to thrive. This, of course, is very different than eating for weight loss, which I'll talk about next. But if you're eating for health and energy, a calorie deficit becomes a problem and you need to be eating at least enough to keep your energy up. Because if you're eating less than what your body needs, there is going to be fallout in some way, shape, or form. And without getting into the weeds on calories, because I do that on other episodes, You can keep it simple by eating to match your hunger each day, provided your blood sugar is regulated, okay, according to what I just said. Because if your blood sugar is really regulated and you're eating like a sweet angel, your hunger is going to tell you if you're in a calorie deficit or not. So let's address eating for fat loss next, because it's basically the opposite of what I just said. If your top goal is fat loss, it is a whole other can of worms because you must be in a calorie deficit. Now, it is possible to burn off body fat when you're at calorie energy maintenance. If, if, if your blood sugar is perfectly balanced, your cardio workouts are perfectly structured, and your strength training and eating exactly as I teach, okay? In fact, I have watched my clients selectively burn off visceral adipose tissue, VAT, that's belly fat, without losing weight. How do I know this? I run DEXA scans on my clients. It's as close to the truth of reality as we can possibly get. So it is possible to burn off body fat. not in a calorie deficit, but I will tell you as someone who sits on this side of the coaching desk for 30 years, I'm in the business of coaching women. This is reserved for the mere immortals who are very structured and routinized and disciplined. If that is you and you're someone who is super, super structured, you don't have to be in a calorie deficit to burn off body fat. you don't, but most. People. are mere mortals. And therefore, being in a calorie deficit is what's going to move the needle in terms of fat loss. So you could burn it off without a calorie deficit, but in my experience, you're going to get farther faster if you're eating a little less food than your body actually needs in a day. So when it comes to protein for women for fat loss, it comes down to two things, okay? Number one, eating in a mild calorie deficit. Where you're eating less than you need, but you're not destabilized by hunger and food cravings. And number two, you increase your protein according to what I've already covered in this episode earlier. So in this situation, you're going to need more protein simply because of the calorie deficit. Protein becomes even more important when you're in a weight loss phase because weight loss is so taxing and it's... inherently catabolic. It's breaking down energy to create energy. Now here's the thing. It's doubly important. If you're in a phase where you're trying to build muscle and burn off fat at the same time, because that is two whammies against you. A slight calorie deficit along the desire to build muscle puts you in a position where it's just metabolically harder to get through the day. And oh yes, just to clear up the confusion, all the time my clients burn fat and build muscle in the same phase. It can be done. It's just incredibly taxing. And anything that's taxing on the body means you're going to need more protein. So you can go back to that five specific circumstances that I talked about before to figure out should you be on that upper end of protein intake per day based on your current body weight. And there you have it. This is my personal take on protein for women so that you can shine bright like the diamond that you are each and every day. Now, since I touched on how to burn off body fat, it would be helpful for you to hear some details. especially if fat loss is your top goal right now. Be sure to check out episode 69, The Best Way to Lose Body Fat for Holistic Health, next. You can find it wherever you're listening to this episode right now. And hey, since this was one of those episodes that was really heavy on the numbers and the calculations and the science, I want to remind you that if it tends to feel a bit overwhelming, all you got to do is just take one step you one action in the right direction and then repeat it. The story will unfold and you'll accumulate the knowledge that you need in order to create the body that you want. So just take whatever you learned from this episode and apply it tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed this episode and stay tuned for another brand new one on Tuesday of next week. Stay strong, my friend.