Empowering Wellness: Why Protein Matters for Women's Health
**Nothing in this post is medical advice. I always recommend speaking with your medical providers to discuss changes in diet & supplement plans. **
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So do women really need protein?
I feel like by now, most people know that protein is important. But you might not know just how important protein is and why or the unexpected ways to work protein into your meals.
What do we think of when we hear protein? Bodybuilding, downing protein powders and hitting the gym ringing any bells? I think most women tend to let protein slip by their radar because of social media and the way protein is represented. ‘You need protein to build body mass’, I’m sure most of us have heard this before and since that is not the goal for most women, we tend to write protein off. However I think there is still some room for improvement.
When was the last time you went online and got a straightforward answer about the thing you were Googling? The internet is never short on supply of conflicting recommendations. You might have even had conflicting advice from healthcare professionals, annoying right? Here’s the thing, there are a lot of opinions on nutrition and a lot of different approaches to how goals are reached. Protein has a LOT of different “Good, Bad, and Ugly” information on social media. So let me show you how I make it easy to understand and incorporate into your meals.
What role does protein play in women’s health?
In my practice as a functional dietitian the majority of the women I work with are not getting enough protein. This is typically unintentional. Oftentimes they actually feel like they’re doing great with their protein, but after review we see that they still need a bit more. So before I go any further with how much protein I recommend and tips to get it in, let’s talk about why protein is so important for us women.
Protein is a macronutrient that is not only essential for life, but crucial for optimizing women’s health & digestion.
Getting enough protein can help to support:
blood sugar balance
more stable energy
Less hanger (aka less of that rage you feel when you’ve gone just a liiiittle too long without a snack)
a healthy metabolism
Body composition (this is what will give you that toned look you might be desiring)
detox & liver health
Thyroid health
Let’s break some of these down even further. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it can help you feel fuller longer. This helps with blood sugar stability by slowing down digestion, therefore slowing the rise in blood sugar after your meal and helping to prevent a spike. For more on blood sugar check out this blog.
Not only does this help with more stable energy and less hanger, blood sugar balance is a foundational piece of happy, healthy hormones. It is also really important for supporting metabolic health. Protein, as I mentioned, is the most satiating macronutrient. But it also has two other important roles in improving or boosting your metabolism.
Getting enough protein is important for supporting a healthy body composition by supporting muscle growth and maintenance. And no, we’re not trying to be bodybuilders, but ladies we need muscle! Protein also has the highest thermogenic effect out of all the macronutrients. Okay you might be thinking, the thermo what?! If you’re not familiar with this term, basically what it means is that it requires more energy to digest and utilize protein than carbohydrates or fats. Or another way to put it is, you burn more calories to digest protein.
Protein for thyroid health & detox
Two lesser common topics I see discussed in regards to protein is the role it plays in thyroid health and detoxing. When you think “detox” what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Okay I just did a quick search on instagram for detox to see what was trending and it was exactly as I expected. The top posts were: Lemon, honey, ginger water; “cleanse your body of toxins to lose up to 20lbs” with a picture of a beet and carrot smoothie and a BUNCH of green juices. Oh and a few parasite cleanses, but this is a topic for another day. Sound about right?
So what does protein have to do with detoxing?!
Well your liver is responsible for a lot in your body, including basically constantly detoxifying your body. And while a lot of the nutrients you can get from the above mentioned “detox smoothies” (i.e. folate, copper, flavonoids and fiber) are really important for the detox processes in the liver, they are often lacking the amino acids also needed for optimal detox.
What is often not discussed are the amino acids that are needed in both phase 1 and phase 2 detox in the liver (i.e. leucine, methionine). And where do you get your amino acids from? You guessed it, protein!! And a lot of the protein rich foods I often recommend such as eggs, fish, beef, yogurt, chicken, beans etc. are also a great source of other crucial nutrients in this process. So that is a win-win!
Detox is a complex process that has unfortunately become trendy to the point of oversimplification, leading to some people providing downright dangerous recommendations. But again that is a topic for another day.
So not only is the liver responsible for detox, but it is responsible for like 5 million other things too. Including converting thyroid hormone from the “inactive” (T4) form to the “active form” (T3). Outside of liver and detox we need aquadate protein and amino acids to even produce enough thyroid hormone.
How much protein do women actually need?
Okay enough with the nerdy stuff, what does this actually mean for you? We have established protein is important, but how much should you be getting and how can you actually do that?
Protein needs vary from woman to woman, but for most women I usually aim for 100 grams a day. Depending on age, activity level, health history and goals the research supports a range of 1.2-2.4 grams/kg of body weight per day.
For example a 150lb woman would need anywhere from 80-163 grams a day.
So how can you actually get this much protein?
and my favorite gut friendly protein powder
Making sure you spread it out throughout the day with meals and snacks. Aiming for 20-30 grams per meal and 15+ grams at snacks.
Protein can be challenging to get enough of because it is so filling, but I also know that when you’re struggling with gut symptoms it can be even more challenging. Which is why easy to digest proteins will be key! Liquids like smoothies and protein shakes are a good example, but even some of the powders and protein sources in those shakes are not always well tolerated by my clients struggling with their gut health. However, I have found a protein powder that is! It is simple ingredients, whole food based protein sources, easy to digest AND tastes great. Drink Wholesome is my go-to protein powder recommendation for clients dealing with gut health challenges & needing to increase their protein intake. Check out all their delicious flavors here. They have vegan options too!
So far I’ve tried chocolate, vanilla and mocha and they have all been delicious. Great option to mix into water, milk of choice, add to your oatmeal, blend in a smoothie, or to make your protein pancakes with.
To wrap this up, protein is essential for proper daily function, helping our metabolism function at peak level and helping us feel great! If you are looking for a great way to start upping your protein game start by trying Drink Wholesome protein powder. And if you do try it let me know how you like it by tagging me on Instagram or DM me!