b'So now that you understand what a protein is, and where it3. Supplement with Digestive Enzymes and HMBcomes from, lets talk about how much you shouldAnother option is to increase the absorption rate so that consume.your muscles utilize more of the protein you consume. Research shows that digestive enzymes like protease and How much protein do I need? papain help your body break down protein more efciently The prevailing research says that you should strive toto allow for easier absorptionconsume 1 gram per kilogram (1kg = 2.2 lbs for us Americans) of bodyweight per day. An article from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition compared people who drank protein This guideline will vary based on your goals. For example, ifshakes with additional digestive enzymes to a control you are looking to put on muscle, you should increase yourgroup that consumed only the protein shakes. They found protein intake to 2-3 grams per kilogram.that amino acid levels in the digestive enzyme group were 30% higher than the protein-only group.However, protein is not only important for body builders. If you are recovering from an injury or surgery, your body willAnother nutrient that has been shown to increase protein be in a higher metabolic state and require more energy andsynthesis is HMB (-Hydroxy -methylbutyric acid), which tissue building nutrients, so you will want to increase youris a natural substance used by people ranging from elite protein consumption to support the healing process. athletes looking to put on muscle, to cancer patients suffering from muscle wasting that are hoping to preserve Protein is also very important as we age. Beginning aroundmuscle. HMB also has shown to reduce muscle catabolism, the age of 40, you begin to lose up to 3-5% of your musclemeaning you lose less and hold onto more muscle.mass per decade, a condition known as Sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the reason why falls and fractures are soIn Conclusioncommon among the elderly. Increasing your protein intake,Protein is incredibly important to our health, not only to as well as continuing to exercise, can help preserve musclebuild bigger muscles, but to heal better from injury, age and ght off Sarcopenia better, and prevent certain disease conditions. But protein is not one size ts all, and it is important to understand the Where Does All This Protein Go? different types of protein, how much you need, and how While consuming sufcient protein is important, the trulyyour body processes protein so that you can set yourself up important metric is not how much we consume, but howto properly heal and live your healthiest.much of the protein our muscles actually absorb. Research shows that the average person can absorb about 10g ofWe hope you found this article helpful to better understand protein per hour, and maxes out at about 30g per meal. protein and how to incorporate it into being the healthiest How do I get the protein I need? you.There are certain things we can do to bump up absorption and make sure we get the most out of our protein intake:1. Space out MealsIntuitively, the rst step you can take is to space out your meals and consume approximately 20-30g protein (e.g. 100g chicken breast) per meal over multiple meals, instead of eating a few meals of 40-50g protein, since your body will not be able to process that amount of protein at one time.2. Try a Protein ComplexA protein complex is a combination of different protein types that have different digestion periods. For example, combine whey (a fast digesting protein) with casein (a slow digesting protein) allows the body to continuously process the protein over a longer period of time than with just whey alone.15'