A simple system to get enough daily protein

Say it with me: protein is the point of every meal.

In general, if you strength train regularly, eat one-half to one gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight.

Our war on muscle loss

Sarcopenia—the loss of muscle due to aging—can begin at age 30. And it accelerates around age 65.

Whether you know it or not, you’re fighting a war against muscle loss. Protein and strength training are the weapons of choice.

A simple system to get enough protein

The easiest way to manage protein intake—and this really helps with your target bodyweight as well—is to eat the same protein-rich foods over and over again.

Anchor your protein intake with the same foods every day, and you’ll know what you need to supplement those anchors with to reach your goal. No calculator, abacus, or compass required.

For example, I eat these foods over and over for lunch (one of my two daily meals):

By knowing my midday intake, it’s easy to hit my daily target at dinnertime.

Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing

Have a strong bias for whole-food protein (meat and some dairy) over processed protein. More beef, less protein bars. And skip the ultra-processed, vegetable-oil-laden fake meats. The vegetable oil cancels out the protein benefits from the industrial imposters.

Sources: 1,2