Want to Stay Lean and Mean as You Age? Reach For the Protein

From Boston.com. I didn't post the whole article because it trails off into conventional dietary advice, and advocates using lean dairy to boost your protein while staying within CW/gov't./ADA dietary guidelines. We know better, so I cut it off at that point.

"Timing is everything in life, even when it comes to dietary protein. Research findings presented at the recent American Dietetic Association (ADA) Annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in San Diego suggest that not only is the amount of protein that you consume important, but also when you eat it during the day. Enjoying adequate amounts of protein foods, such as lean meat, fish, and poultry at each meal has been shown to increase satiety, or that feeling of fullness, and preserve lean muscle mass during weight loss and aging. Consuming adequate amounts of protein is also needed for the synthesis of protein in your muscles. This is especially important for adults as we all are naturally losing lean muscle tissue with each birthday.

The current recommendation for healthy Americans is to consume about 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories from protein. Americans, for the most part, are coming in at about 15% of their total calories from protein or about 75 to 95 grams daily.

To reap all of the benefits protein has to offer, you should distribute your protein intake more evenly among all three meals, according to Loren Ward, Ph.D., a presenter at the ADA conference. According to Ward and other researchers, your body becomes more resistant to muscle protein synthesis as you age. Thus, each meal should contain 25 to 30 grams of protein to encourage the synthesis of muscle protein throughout the day. “Daily distribution is important,” states Ward. Unfortunately, while Americans, on average, are consuming adequate amounts of protein daily, they are typically consuming the majority of it at dinner. This lopsided meal pattern means that they are not enjoying the satiety factor that comes with enjoying protein-rich foods at each meal as well limiting their body’s ability to maximize muscle protein synthesis during the day."

At this point, the article meanders into MyPlate, government and ADA nutrition standards, and using dairy products. If you'd like to read the rest of the article, please use the link at the top of this post. As for the posted matter, please look up the Paleo Diet for more information.