Equally Distribute Your #Protein Intake Throughout the Day
Most Americans eat a #diet that consists of little to no protein for breakfast, a bit of protein at lunch and an overabundance at dinner. As long as we get our recommended #dietary allowance of about 60 grams, it’s all good, right?
According to research led by Doug Paddon-Jones, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the typical cereal- or carbohydrate-dominated breakfast, a sandwich or salad at lunch and an overly large serving of meat/protein for dinner may not provide the best metabolic environment to promote healthy aging and maintenance of muscle size and strength. Dr. Paddon-Jones believes that a full serving of protein at each meal is needed for maximum muscle #health.
His study, appearing in the Journal of Nutrition, shows that the potential for muscle growth is less than optimal when protein consumption is skewed toward the evening meal instead of being evenly distributed throughout the day. According to the study: “Age-related conditions such as osteoporosis (bone weakening) and sarcopenia (muscle wasting) do not develop all of a sudden. Rather they are insidious processes precipitated by suboptimal lifestyle practices, such as diet and exercise, in early middle age. … For breakfast consider replacing some carbohydrate, particularly the simple sugars, with high-quality protein. Throw in an egg, a glass of milk, yogurt or add a handful of nuts to get closer to 30 grams of protein; do something similar to get to 30 for lunch; and then moderate the amount of protein for dinner. Do this, and over the course of the day you will likely spend much more time synthesizing muscle protein.”
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CHARLES PLATKIN, Ph.D., is a nutrition and public health advocate and founder of dietdetective.com. Copyright 2014 by Charles Platkin. All rights
