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Protein Power!
Think all protein is created equally? Think again!
Including protein in your diet is important for a number of reasons.
However, it is also important to include high-quality protein to ensure
you are meeting your body’s nutritional needs.
Recommended
Protein Intake

The general protein
recommendations for the
average healthy adult is
to have a minimum of 0.8
grams of protein per
kilogram of body weight.
For the average adult
Proteins are made of amino acids, which are the
building blocks the growth and repair of cells like
those in your muscles, skin, and nails. Additionally,
your body uses protein to make enzymes and
hormones. Recent research shows that adequate
protein can help with weight maintenance, and in
the prevention of osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, heart
disease, and sarcopenia. So, needless to say, a
healthy diet means including adequate amounts of
protein.
When you do not consume enough carbohydrates
and fats, protein can also be used for energy.
Therefore, it is important that you get enough
calories from carbohydrates and fats so that protein
is spared to be used for its many important functions
in the body.
Determining Protein Quality
The quality of protein is based on the type and
amount of amino acids found.
Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are two
types of amino acids; essential and non-essential.
Non-essential amino acids are made by your body
and therefore do
not need to be
consumed in
your diet.
Essential amino
acids are ones
that your body
cannot make and
therefore must
be consumed in
your diet.
this means at least 50-60
grams of protein each
day. It is best to
distribute this protein
throughout the day. Aim
for 15-30 grams of
protein with each meal,
and 5-10 grams of
protein with your snacks.
High-quality, or complete, proteins contain all nine
of the essential amino acids. By consuming foods
that contain complete protein, you are ensuring that
you are getting all of the essential amino acids –
preventing possible deficiencies.
Another indicator of quality in protein is the amount
of the essential amino acid leucine that is present.
Leucine is an amino acid that triggers the initiation
of muscle synthesis (the building and repair of
muscle tissue). Also, emerging evidence suggests
that leucine may help enhance satiety (feeling of
fullness). The more leucine in food, the higher it’s
protein quality.
Protein Sources
Protein can be found in many foods, however some foods contain more, and higher quality, protein –
which is the case with animal products. This includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, and yogurt.
These foods are considered complete protein sources because they contain all of the essential amino acids.
Protein can also be found in beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, in soy products, like tofu and soy
beverages, and grains products. However, the protein found in these plant sources tend to be incomplete
proteins because they are missing one or more of the essential amino acids. Combining two or more
incomplete proteins together can create a complete protein. An example of this is
having peanut butter on a slice of toast. This is important to remember when
animal sources of protein are absent, such as in vegetarian or vegan diets.
Certain foods are high in the amino acid leucine - for example, dairy foods,
legumes, beef, salmon, shrimp, chicken, eggs, and nuts such as peanuts,
almonds, and walnuts. Because these foods are high in leucine, they are
considered higher quality proteins and should be incorporated into your diet.
Protein supplementation (for example, whey protein powders) will add protein to your diet, however
they may not be necessary. For vegetarians and vegans, including protein supplements may be
recommended to ensure you are consuming adequate amounts of protein. Talk to your registered dietitian
if you are unsure.
How to incorporate high quality protein into
your diet…
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-
-
Add yogurt to your day, either as a snack or as part of your meal. For
example, have yogurt with granola and fruit in the morning for
breakfast. Try Greek Yogurt! It can provide
around 8-10g of protein per 100g serving (a small container).
Add two hard boiled eggs to your salad. Two large eggs will provide you with around 12g of
protein.
Try cottage cheese! Cottage cheese has the highest amount of leucine compared to other dairy
products. It also contains about 14g of protein per ½ cup serving.
Include meat, fish, or poultry every day with at least one of your meals. A 3 oz. serving
(approximately the size of your palm), or a ½ cup (125mL), can contain around 22 grams of
complete protein.
Includes a ¼ cup (60mL) of peanuts, almonds, and/or walnuts in your breakfast cereal, as a snack,
or in your favourite salad.
Written by Elizabeth Gullaher, R.D., M.H.Sc.
© 2013 Journey to Health Nutrition Consulting
References
Dietitians of Canada. (2011). Quick Nutrition Check for Protein. Retrieved from Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition.
Dietitians of Canada. (2008). Food Choices for Increasing Your Protein Intake. Retrieved from Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition.
Giles-Smith, K. Milk Proteins – Packing a Powerful Nutrition Punch. Today’s Dietitian. 2013;15(3):26-30.