How to Get 100 Grams of Protein in a Day
Lauren Embree
Getting 100 grams of protein daily is beneficial for muscle mass for several key reasons:
Muscle Protein Synthesis: Protein is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle. Consuming enough protein helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the process where the body repairs and builds new muscle tissues. Achieving 100 grams of protein can support this process, especially when combined with resistance training.
Preventing Muscle Breakdown: Inadequate protein intake can lead to muscle breakdown, especially during periods of intense physical activity, stress, or caloric deficit. By consuming around 100 grams of protein, you provide your body with enough resources to maintain muscle mass and prevent catabolism (muscle loss).
Supporting Recovery: After workouts, muscles need to recover and repair. Protein is essential for this recovery process. A consistent intake of protein helps reduce recovery time, allowing muscles to heal faster and grow stronger.
Optimizing Muscle Growth: For those aiming to increase muscle mass, consuming sufficient protein is crucial. Studies suggest that an intake of around 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is ideal for muscle growth. For someone weighing around 60 to 70 kg (132 to 154 lbs), 100 grams of protein fits within this optimal range, supporting hypertrophy (muscle growth).
Satiation and Body Composition: Higher protein intake can also help with satiety, making it easier to manage body composition goals like fat loss while preserving muscle mass. Protein has a higher thermic effect compared to fats and carbohydrates, meaning it requires more energy to digest, which can contribute to a leaner body composition.
Now HOW to do this?? Follow along, test out, and watch your body composition shift!!
Breakfast: The term breakfast literally means "breaking the fast," referring to the fact that when we wake up most of us haven't eaten anything substantial since dinner the night before. That's one reason breakfast is an important meal. It's a fresh start and it sets us up for the day. But while putting any old food in your stomach effectively breaks the fast, only a high-quality meal, usually with a high-protein centerpiece, gives your body what it needs to function at the highest level.
The goal is for breakfast to unleash its nutrients and energy to you evenly and over the long haul. It should stabilize your blood sugar, and prevent fatigue and unwanted energy spikes and drops. It should provide steady fuel to last until the next meal. It should give a sense of satiety without strain, bloating, cramps, or discomfort. For all these reasons, often the best option is a high-protein start.
Here's one breakfast that offers all those benefits:
2 organic pasteurized eggs, 2 strips of organic bacon or chicken sausage, and 1 serving of plain Greek yogurt with mixed berries. (This gets you about 35-40g of protein.)
A protein smoothie that gets you there is also great.
Starting with 30g or more of protein in your first meal not only gets you through to your next meal without cravings, but it helps increase muscle mass, energy expenditure (calories burned), the level of satiety hormones and glucose regulation are also activated. It may sound crazy, but a high-protein breakfast may decrease the desire to snack at night and improve your sleep quality at night.
Lunch: This meal might be the most challenging for reaching your protein intake because we are all running around with our heads cut off trying to get to the next meeting, pick up the kids from school, or get lost in work obligations. Not to worry. Here are some protein-forward snacks and restaurant orders that will keep you satisfied and functioning at high capacity until dinner. Eat this way and you're less likely to crave that afternoon nap.
Protein snacks you can carry along:
A clean protein bar. Some are loaded with tons of added sugar or excessive carbohydrates. I recommend RISE, Bulletproof, ALOHA (a kid’s fave), and a NoCow bar, the last dairy-free.
A to-go protein shake. Make them at home to take with you in a thermos for an on-the-go drinkable meal. Or invest in some plant or whey-based ready-made shakes. OWYN is a tasty and nutritious brand. If you can make shakes at your office, have a tub of Organic Grass Fed Whey Protein on hand.
If you're home, you might like to pair a fruit with a nut butter. Succulent and tart green apples combine deliciously with Justin's Classic Almond Butter or peanut butter. This gives you that sweet treat but the apple's fiber and the nut butter's healthy fat keep your blood sugar balanced and your stomach full.
For those who eat meat, try a clean beef jerky. Epic, Chomps, and Biltong are delicious, reliable brands. These products are made with 100% grass-fed beef to keep the quality high. They have no added hormones, soy or corn, all of which can all disrupt your hormones.
For those who have time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal, a salad loaded with fruits, veggies, nuts, and proteins and covered with a clean dressing (no chemicals or preservatives) is a great option. Without the healthy and nutrient-dense toppings and add-ons, it may leave you unsatisfied. So aim for 3-4 vegetables, maybe a goat or sheep milk cheese, healthy fats from a 1/2 avocado or tangy black olives, and a 4-6 oz protein choice on top – chicken, shrimp, and other choices. Drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If that sounds bland, try a clean, tasty brand - Primal Kitchen. They have a variety of delicious ready-made dressings.
Dinner: If you haven't had enough protein or other nutrients during the day, this is the time to load up. The danger is that without having eaten well all day, we may be starving by dinner, feeling justified to pig out on the easiest foods, which are often unrefined carbs. To avoid this situation, try to make breakfast and lunch your bigger meals (most of the time). Also, the calories may be used best that way as our metabolism operates at its highest rate during the day, churning away and consuming energy calories just doing the work of daily life - organ function, thinking and breathing. It's so important we supply our brain with enough fuel to maximize our day.
Great dinner choices:
Organic chicken or turkey breast, grilled, baked, or if ground, as meatballs in a sauce, with baked sweet potatoes and 1/2 avocado
Grass-fed red meat with a green vegetable and side salad
Shrimp lettuce wraps, with ginger, garlic and rice vinegar or other great seasonings
Wild-caught salmon with bacon and spinach salad
These options all cover the 30g of protein goal. Now you have met your protein needs for optimal muscle health!
Lauren Embree is a distinguished athlete, celebrated as a 2-time national champion and 5-time All-American. She concluded her collegiate tennis career as the top-ranked player in the nation at the University of Florida and was recently honored with induction into the 2023 Hall of Fame for her outstanding achievements. As the founder and owner of Embree Wellness, a functional nutrition and wellness company, Lauren is dedicated to empowering individuals and athletes to achieve their peak potential. She travels extensively to deliver wellness talks to sports clubs, teams, and organizations, and also offers personalized nutrition services to private clients and families, focusing on optimizing health and longevity.
See Lauren featured on the Tennis Channel here.