30 years without a change?!
Hello Paso & SLO!
Did you know that the current RDA for Protein (Recommended Daily Allowance) of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight hasn’t changed in over 30 years? 😮
Most other nutrient RDA’s have been updated based on new health research and statistics: fat, carbohydrate, cholesterol, fiber, etc.
However, protein, arguably the most important “essential” macronutrient, still has the same RDA value it had in the 1980’s, a mere 0.8 grams/kg of body weight,
(or for us Americans that’s just 1/3 of a gram of protein per pound of body weight).
This isn’t very much. 🫤
Thankfully, we have tons of eateries in Paso & SLO that can help us hit our RDA of protein 😉
The current nutrition literature, and just about every nutritionist I’ve spoken to, supports doubling it to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight, or about 3/4 of a gram per pound.
Dr. Gabrielle Lyons,
Functional medicine doctor and advocate for a “muscle-centric” approach to medicine, argues for the RDA to be one gram per pound of body weight.
She says,
I think the gram per pound of body weight might be a bit much for most of us.
However, I 100% believe we should be shooting for that 3/4 of a gram per pound target. 🎯
I’ve just seen too many people at this point increase their protein intake to approximately that level and subsequently feel better, perform better, and look better.
Full stop! 🛑 ✋
So what does that mean in the real world? 🌍
For me, at 185 pounds, I’m shooting for 135 grams of protein per day, which as an example would be:
– three eggs, a couple pieces of cheese, and some fruit
– turkey sandwich with some veggies and hummus
– couple handfuls of spinach in a salad
– handful of roasted nuts
– protein shake around my workout time
– large chicken breast/steak/piece of fish with quinoa and veggies.
That’s a fair amount of food, but totally doable with a little planning ahead.
Remember, 💭
Prioritize:
Strength training,
Sleep,
& Protein intake.
Rinse, wash, and repeat!
-Ryan
P.S. For those of you not already taking your fitness and performance to a new level at Athlon, check out the summer special we’ve got for you below! 👇

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