Protein Needs for Dancers
What is protein & why do we need it?
Protein is one of the three macronutrients (fats and carbohydrates are the other two). Proteins are organic molecules made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. There are essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids (go figure). “Essential” means our bodies cannot produce them, therefore we must get them from food. “Non-essential” means the opposite, obviously, our bodies can make them.
Amino acids are the building blocks for most stuff in our bodies, including muscle, tissue, organs, nerves, and more. Think of them like Legos—they can be broken down and re-assembled in a lot of different ways.
Protein is essential for muscle repair and recovery.
Unlike extra fat (which we can easily store), we don’t store lots of extra amino acids. Protein is always being used and recycled in the body. If we don’t get enough protein, our body will start to take protein from parts of the body we need, such as our muscles. SO, we have to constantly replenish protein by eating it.
Without protein we would die or become severely malnourished.
Okay you get the point by now, we REALLY need protein! But, how much do we need??
It depends! (So helpful, I know)
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.36g per lb of body weight. So, if I weigh 140lbs, my RDA for protein would be 140lb x .36g = 50g. Does 50g of protein per day sound super low to you? Because it does to me.
Here’s the problem with the RDA: they were developed in the WWII era as a way to prevent malnutrition, it’s basically a very general recommendation for the BARE MINIMUM amount of nutrients you need to eat to still survive. It is not necessarily a recommendation for nutrient intake needed for OPTIMAL health. The RDA for protein also assumes a highly sedentary person that doesn’t do any exercise.
Translation = RDAs are kind of pointless, so if anyone tries to tell you that you don’t need much protein because the RDA is only .36g/lb, well, they aren’t exactly correct. Anyways…
There are a lot of different studies that have drawn different conclusions about ideal amounts of protein. To summarize, the most broadly accepted and utilized range (especially in the fitness/exercise nutrition community) is somewhere between 0.6g — 1.1 g per lb of body weight.
For most of my clients, I typically recommend they eat at least 0.8g of protein per lb of body weight. Some people may go on the higher end, especially if they are really active and/or trying to build muscle and/or lose body fat.
One of the reasons why it’s good to eat high protein when trying to reduce body fat is that protein has the highest thermic effect. 30% of protein’s energy goes towards digestion, absorption, and assimilation, whereas carbs are only 8% and fats are 3%.
Translation = it requires more energy to digest protein than it does carbs or fat.
Protein also makes you feel fuller longer. Protein stimulates the release of hormones that make us feel satiated, so you naturally eat less without feeling hungry.
To keep it simple (especially if you’re not into counting macros/tracking food), a good rule of thumb is to eat a serving of protein at every meal.
That roughly looks like 4 to 6 oz (or a palm size) of animal protein like chicken, pork, beef, fish, shrimp; 3 or 4 eggs; a serving of greek yogurt or cottage cheese; or a scoop of protein powder.
If you want to nerd out and learn even more about protein, I recommend these 2 articles from Precision Nutrition:
